How far down are you bringing the bar?
Good questions all. I’m trying to keep the form pretty strict, and bring the bar down to chest height with no push. A push press, at least for the heavier reps, might be a good alternative, although I don’t know if it will help me with my sticking point.
My experience has been that more pressing helps. That, or partials at or around the sticking point.
I kind of believe that it’s a sticking point because either
- the little shoulder blade muscles that hold things steady aren’t doing their job or are overmaxed
- the triceps aren’t strong enough.
It’s rarely the shoulders themselves that are the limitation.
Try to stop just short of your chest.
Kinda like BNP. I stop at mt ears. Anything lower is hard on shoulders.
I guess I should have asked if you were having any pain.
I’ve taken to stopping just below the chin on repping. I previously lowered all the way to the shoulders and paused a moment before the next rep, but just below the chin is more comfortable and seems to have the same training effect.
Guys, I’m shocked - shocked - that you would suggest doing anything less than perfect form.
But, seeing as how you guys recommend it, that’s OK with me. I don’t have any shoulder pain, although that may just be due to not doing enough pressing!
Skid, I don’t think the tris area problem, and thought the tris really weren’t active in the lower part of the lift where I’m having problems. But, as you suggest doing more pressing, and perhaps doing partials is certainly a good idea.
[quote]sfp wrote:
Guys, I’m shocked - shocked - that you would suggest doing anything less than perfect form.
But, seeing as how you guys recommend it, that’s OK with me. I don’t have any shoulder pain, although that may just be due to not doing enough pressing!
Skid, I don’t think the tris area problem, and thought the tris really weren’t active in the lower part of the lift where I’m having problems. But, as you suggest doing more pressing, and perhaps doing partials is certainly a good idea.[/quote]
i consider shoulder presses from chin level to be perfect form:)
any lower and you are bringing the chest into it and putting the shoulders in a not so adventageous position.
one of my favorite shoulder strengtheners is the seated military press off pins at chin level. i find that they transfer well to my bench too.
are you also sure to press overhead? i see guys pressing and looking forward (usually into the mirror). this leads to pressing the weight in front of you.
as you start your press, raise your chin up and press that bar over the top of your head. doing so will bring more of a complete shoulder contraction into the lift. not just the anterior head.
Definitely pressing overhead. In fact, I’ve hit my chin a time or time when my timing was off.
I like your idea of pressing off pins. That’s definitely coming in next cycle.
Lots of good advice here for me to chew on. Thanks. I’m not sure I’m ever doing anything right, but it’s nice going into a program with a concrete plan in mind. Similar to Meat’s “newfound knowledge” being put to good use.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i consider shoulder presses from chin level to be perfect form:)
any lower and you are bringing the chest into it and putting the shoulders in a not so adventageous position.
[/quote]
That is very intersting and my be the answer to a difficulty of mine.
I’m thinking the discomfort I feel is at the point of weight transfer from chest to shoulders. I’ll do them from the chin and see how it goes. Thanks maraudermeat.
sfp, your avatar always puts a smile on my face.
[quote]streamline wrote:
sfp, your avatar always puts a smile on my face.[/quote]
That’s my youngest, imitating his dad.
He’s on probation too.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
He’s on probation too.[/quote]
You’re so strict!
Well, it’s not that big of a deal, stream. My son’s in the probation corner quite a bit.
[quote]sfp wrote:
Well, it’s not that big of a deal, stream. My son’s in the probation corner quite a bit.[/quote]
So he totally takes after Dad, that’s awesome a mini-me!
5/3/1 Deadlift
I was really looking forward to today to see if the DL day of a week and a half ago was a fluke or not.
Deadlifts: 135x5, 225x3 (wu), 275x5 (this should have been 285, but I messed up the math), 315x3 (ditto; should have been 325, 365x6
I finally did the addition right on the last set, and was a little perturbed, but hoped the prior two sets wouldn’t mess the big one up. Turns out it didn’t. One more rep than last week (which was at 345), for calculated 1RM of about 438. That’s a more than 50# leap from my 1RM before starting 5/3/1.
I finished with 285x11. I wanted to get 15, to reach the same number of reps as last time (at 265), but I was completely spent. All in all, I was pretty happy.
Finished the training with a superset:
Fat Bar RDLs: 135x8, 185x8x2
Situps on the decline bench: BW+25x25x3
I substituted RDLs for GMs per Meat’s suggestion and because I really wanted to try out my newly-arrived Tyler grips. They seem to work well. I didn’t get that much of a burn in the forearms, but it was taxing (and humbling) to hold that little weight.
Nice work, sfp.
[quote]sfp wrote:
5/3/1 Deadlift
I was really looking forward to today to see if the DL day of a week and a half ago was a fluke or not.
Deadlifts: 135x5, 225x3 (wu), 275x5 (this should have been 285, but I messed up the math), 315x3 (ditto; should have been 325, 365x6
I finally did the addition right on the last set, and was a little perturbed, but hoped the prior two sets wouldn’t mess the big one up. Turns out it didn’t. One more rep than last week (which was at 345), for calculated 1RM of about 438. That’s a more than 50# leap from my 1RM before starting 5/3/1.
I finished with 285x11. I wanted to get 15, to reach the same number of reps as last time (at 265), but I was completely spent. All in all, I was pretty happy.
Finished the training with a superset:
Fat Bar RDLs: 135x8, 185x8x2
Situps on the decline bench: BW+25x25x3
I substituted RDLs for GMs per Meat’s suggestion and because I really wanted to try out my newly-arrived Tyler grips. They seem to work well. I didn’t get that much of a burn in the forearms, but it was taxing (and humbling) to hold that little weight.[/quote]
Hell yeah dude! Time to change that title to the thread I think! 
I concur with Skid…
[quote]j_willy3 wrote:
I concur with Skid…[/quote]
Thanks, J. Still just trying to keep up with you guys.