I’ll keep hitting those triceps hard, thanks man.
A strict press will build your dynamic press, whether it be push press or a jerk variation, however, all that is just good and fun in training, because…
What Alpha said is so true. Too many guys focus on getting stronger and putting up a bigger number with a strict press, but the truth is, the more efficient you can be at something in regard to conservation of energy by means of a dynamic press will allow you to not have to rely on a strong upper body, but instead the honed technique that you can fall back on, since chances are, when you need the points in a press event, you won’t be able to rely on the strict pressing strength you’ve prospered.
Definitely get as good as you can at a jerk and begin training it harder the closer you get to a show. The strict press has its place in training but that’s about it.
Thanks for the advice; I know you’ve got a crazy press. Assuming I’m absorbing what y’all are dishing out, I have to first & foremost improve my dynamic pressing techniques through practice and the development of stability, but keep furthering the base of strict pressing strength, as it will supplement the dynamic press whilst providing a fallback if/when I can no longer generate leg drive.
Speaking on what the other guys have warned about, how do you feel regarding the breakdown in ability to produce leg drive during times of high fatigue? Perhaps I need to have some days where I try to hit a dynamic press after a heavy prowler/squat session or something to at least get a feel for this.
Drop sets after heavy work.
If you hit perhaps 200lbs on a log for multiple heavy sets of 2 or something, directly after your final set, strip the bar to 170 and hit it for as many reps as possible. Strip the bar 20lbs and try to hit the same number of reps as the previous, and keep doing it until the bar is empty.
Also, the prowler idea sounds brutal, but effective. Just be careful. Using every bit of energy store in your legs can cause a bit more instability than you might be prepared for, so be cautious in that scenario.
So yeah, on event days, don’t be afraid to hit some overhead after a carry session or stone session. Will serve you well for sure! Remember, being strong is half the battle. The other half is sustaining your strength after 6 hours of competing. This does not necessarily mean your event sessions should emulate a contest, because contests are extremely exerting and most of the time you can only go so hard so many times before your body just can’t recover. Anyway, getting off topic lol.
Ok, ok. Just some good old fashioned down sets; I can dig that. Would you do this on a more heavy weight-oriented day or a higher volume sort of day (ME vs RE kind of thing)?
Glad the idea has your blessing, haha. Thanks for the word of caution too, I’ll probably try it out on a more medium intensity day where the prospect of a mishap isn’t quite so catastrophic.
I’ll keep that in mind about limiting the marathon sessions. I have a bit of a propensity to do too much too soon.
I like to do it on my heavy days personally. It ends up becoming most of the saturation that is my accessory work for that day. And yeah, I too have an inclination to just keep stacking shit on top of stuff needlessly, but experience has been on my side. Less is more.
Awesome. Thanks for your insight man. I’ve got a lot of ideas which I think I can incorporate into a well-rounded plan.
One more question, if you’ve (y’all have) got the time. Do you (y’all) prefer more to build your strength primarily with basic barbell lifts and doing assistance with odd objects to fill in the gaps, then transfer that development over to odd object strength (not sure if a log is considered an odd object). Or, do y’all prefer to build strength on the odd object itself and fill in the perceived weak points with assistance work?
I haven’t done a barbell press since I started training for strongman. At the very least, I’ll use an axle if I want some basic straight bar work.
For me, I’ll use the axle as my baseline, and make sure it comes into the rotation at least once every 3 weeks, if not more frequently. From there, I’ll alternate between a more technical implement (circus dumbbell, keg, sandbag, etc) or the log. This means sometimes I’ll train the axle 2 times within 3 weeks, with some workouts emphasizing cleaning each rep and others emphasizing the press.
That’s all assuming it’s the off season. If I have a show I’m prepping for, I just stick with those implements.
@T3hPwnisher sweet, thanks for the write-up. That had been bugging me. Luckily right now I’ve got fat grips which can at least mimic and axle (even with the rotation). I’ll treat the press as off season for now, probably using a sort of conjugate plan cycling ME, RE, & DE over the month while rotating the implements being trained, and switch to work on the implement itself (or as close as I can get) if and when such info is disclosed.
Thank you to all those who’ve taken the time to respond to this topic; it’s genuinely appreciated and I feel like I’m taking away a ton of great information.