Bench to have a better Military Press

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:18 pm

Well since I'm not a trainer anymore I have lots of "secrets" to give away, ha ha. No lar, just my observations. This is absolutely no scientific basis in what I'm writing; I just know it's working for me.

I think bench is very overrated and at the same time underestimated. I remember very long again someone said that heavy benches train the shoulders, not the pecs. I find that very true. I don't find myself using my pecs doing heavy benches. I can only feel their usage for a small ROM when the bar approaches or lifts off the chest. The rest of the time it's the shoulders.

Initially I was of the bench-is-useless brigade. But now I realise it's very important to have a strong bench in order to have a stronger military press. My presses used to be not-so-strong at the start and locking out was rather unstable. Before 2007 all I did for upper-body was pressing and pull-ups, so my shoulders weren't completely stable. I didn't believe the whole bench-press-row-pull-up thing to have a stable shoulder girdle, but now I do.

This is what benching will do for your pressing. Your starting will be strong. Very strong. You can actually use your pecs to hold then push the bar up at the start. I'm assuming you know pressing heavy requires leaning back somewhat. After that, the part from the start to the sticking point will be stronger. Much stronger. It's the same shoulders, albeit at a different angle. After that it's cake. If you're trying to press heavy and already using much of your strength to hold the bar at the start, that's not good. Very likely you won't be able to press it. Benching ought to give you a really strong start. So what if you can't press it, a strong start is a critical must, you'll surely be able to press it later.

After a cycle of benching, I found my pressing went up 5kg. It was 67.5kg last year, now it's 72.5kg. I hope to increase 5kg again next year. Last year my 5RM was 60kg, this year it was 65kg. That's pretty crazy for me, because my 5RMs suck. Couldn't break 75kg at the sticking point but the start was very stable and I felt strong throughout. I credit it to benching. Sure, my 1RM is only 100kg since I usually never bench, but now I realise it's usefullness in pressing, I'll keep at it.

Post by **galapogos** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:51 pm

I usually don't feel my pecs working during the bench, but on days of higher volume, the pec DOMS the 1-2 later will remind me that my pecs weren't slacking off either.

Anyway, weakass!

Weib · Post by **Weib** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:53 pm

have you checked your hips stability?

Dr mcgill explained that hip stability is the key to bigger lifts for OHPes.

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/strengthcoachpod ... 9858961765

And i believe so too because if your hips give way, you lose alot of strength.
The most pressure i feel when i do heavy OHP is the lower back even if i squeeze my glutes in to stabilize it.

So sometimes to train the stabilizers, i do dumbbells OHP and keep the weight above my heads and hold it for about 4-5 seconds forcing my torso to work and adapt to the load.

lips · Post by **lips** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:56 pm

Chiu shared all your secrets with me during dinner that night. I'm so honoured.

Post by **galapogos** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:59 pm

huai got dinner bo jio one?

lips · Post by **lips** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:17 pm

galapogos wrote:huai got dinner bo jio one?

chiu were there.

remember?

Sufian · Post by **Sufian** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:07 am

Damn. My Benching and Military Press damn lousy.

Thanks for the tip man. Will keep on working at both.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:59 am

Weib wrote:have you checked your hips stability?

Dr mcgill explained that hip stability is the key to bigger lifts for OHPes.

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/strengthcoachpod ... 9858961765

And i believe so too because if your hips give way, you lose alot of strength.
The most pressure i feel when i do heavy OHP is the lower back even if i squeeze my glutes in to stabilize it.

So sometimes to train the stabilizers, i do dumbbells OHP and keep the weight above my heads and hold it for about 4-5 seconds forcing my torso to work and adapt to the load.

No problem with my hips. I can push my hips forward and lean way way back safely but if I ain't got the strength to press it, I ain't got the strength to press it.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:00 am

lips wrote:
galapogos wrote:huai got dinner bo jio one?
chiu were there.

remember?

They neglected us that night, what to do?

AhBen · Post by **AhBen** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:50 am

Benching allows heavier overload on your triceps and the triceps are one of the prime movers for the overhead press.

Stronger tris->stronger OHP.

If you increase your horizontal pushing by 20kg,your vertical pushing should increase as well.That's why I still do weighted dips as an accessory exercise for my OHP.

Though it is seemingly obvious,this is still a good post,Jon.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:05 pm

Weib wrote:have you checked your hips stability?

Dr mcgill explained that hip stability is the key to bigger lifts for OHPes.

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/strengthcoachpod ... 9858961765

And i believe so too because if your hips give way, you lose alot of strength.
The most pressure i feel when i do heavy OHP is the lower back even if i squeeze my glutes in to stabilize it.

So sometimes to train the stabilizers, i do dumbbells OHP and keep the weight above my heads and hold it for about 4-5 seconds forcing my torso to work and adapt to the load.

Great post. I was reading Eric Cressay's work and he mentioned that Bill Hartman specified that hip instability can affect the output of the opposing shoulder. My right hip is more fucked up than my left, and conversely my left shoulder is a bit weaker and a little tigher than my right.