I don’t think there’s a magic formula for pressing. It’s just stubborn. SGSS improved my press. I think I hit 160 or 165 at the end of the program and then hit 170 for a triple a couple weeks later. That’s my strict PR.
The reason I had such great “success” with the program is that I used it to regain my strength after hip surgery. But it was also the first and only time I’ve hit my PRs all during the same week. In the past, I’d focus on one lift at a time but then my progress would fade when I moved of to something else.
I think it would be a good progression to systematically build your press, but I don’t think it’s a good fit if you’re going to press every day.
2400 sounds like an aggressive number for 225 (10.6x BW = daily calories). I’m not surprised you’re feeling the challenge. Proportionately, I’m shooting for something similar - target BW 150 x 10-11 = 1500 - 1650 net - heading into the T-ransformation finale. I’m eating about 250-300 calories more than that to stave off hunger and relying on cardio to give me a sub-1650 net.
I think it’s a good call to dial back, and you’ll get there in no time, it’s a matter of discipline and that is what we have. 1 week at the most 2 weeks and you’re back, then the discipline is to keep the calories at maintenance.
I like the SGSS - hypertrophy method of amrap day 1 and double RP on day two.
I would be very careful though, when I’m using double RP I tend to crash and burn rather quickly, using it solely for upperbody seems very smart.
I was pretty much looking for some kind of planned progression that doesn’t rely heavily on percentages. My (vague) plan is to press heavy(er) weights twice a week, which fits into SGSS well, and leave the daily stuff as really low intensity volume work. Knowing me, I’ll probably add another day of high rep trap bar work as well at some point.
What have you tried so far? What do you feel is the main issue, technical proficiency?
If it’s a matter of technical proficiency, maybe you could train the press as strength-skill? I’ll “steal” the progression from
but since you said “blegh” on percentages 80% translates to a weight you can do a crisp 5 reps on, and where you’d not be able to get more than 7
Here’s the progression from the article,
Week 1: 82.5% 5 x 2
Week 2: 82.5% 5 x 3
Week 3: 82.5% 5 x 4
Week 4: 85% 5 x 2
Week 5: 85% 5 x 3
Week 6: 85% 5 x 4
Week 7: 87.5% 5 x 2
Week 8: 87.5% 5 x 3
Week 9: 87.5% 5 x 4
Week 10: 90% 5 x 2
Week 11: 90% 5 x 3
Week 12: 90% 5 x 4
So, if you start with working weight that you can do 5 good reps with, and then just add 5lbs per week maybe you could string it out for 12 weeks. The other pressing day do another press variant but for higher reps. For me, the push press translates well into improvements with the strict press because my sticking point is at the top of the movement (weak triceps). I link an article further down where you can find a suitable assistance exercise depending on your own weakness.
If your plan is twice per week, that puts the ixnay on a high-frequency approach. But if you are open to other approaches, here’s one article written about the press specifically,
And another more general “prescription” I’ve read for bringing up a lagging lift is end every session with 3-4 sets at 80% of your max (again, 5 crisp reps). On an upper-body day, you’d do 3-4 sets of 2-3 reps and on a lower body day you’d do 3-4 sets of 5-6 reps.
A thing that really helped my press was doing slow eccentrics down to trachea level (keeping constant tension on the delts), and then pausing at the eyes during the concentric. It forced me to figure out where my torso needed to be for me to be as strong as possible during the lift.
I’ll have a look at those later when time allows. My main limiting factor is that I’m not very big or strong. I refuse to believe I’m strong enough yet for technique to be a focus.
I don’t think the two are necessarily separate (technique/strength) and even if they were/are there is a synergistic feedback loop between the pair such that disregarding either might be to the detriment of the goals with the other.
The article has two technique days, where one is “light” and that session, in particular, might not be a strong growth stimulus in and of itself but if it leads you to press more weight the next 40 weeks then that might result in more size gains.
My maintenance is 3000 calories according to my Fitbit. I just looked back at the last three months and I burn an average of 3098 calories per day. I also found that a lot of the BMR calculators suggest 3000ish for maintenance at 225 lbs.
2400 is fairly low but I’m impatient. Woke at 225.4 lbs this morning so less than a week to go. And then I need to avoid eating with no holds barred going forward. I always eat more bad food when I can eat more.
I’ve been doing it intermittently for awhile now. I have a chart from a CT article that actually shows the progression of intensity for things like AMRAP, rest/pause, double rest/pause, drop sets, etc.
SGSS kind of starts with a percentage, but you can forego that. It starts with sets of 8 for three weeks. You can’t start with your 8 rep max on week one. I typically start with about 70%.
SQUAT
bar x 10
145 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
235 x 3
265 x 2
295 x 1 I love this method. I’m adding 5 lbs per week and hoping I’ll be strong someday.
INCLINE
135 x 5 x 2 sets
170 x 6 x 3 sets
RFESS
120 x 5 ea x 3 sets I’m adding 5 lbs per phase here. I’m not trying to build this; just doing it to keep my hip happy.
DB BENCH
85 x 6, 6, 9 This is progressing nicely. Full ROM and no pain.
DB OHP
60 x 6 x 3 sets This is not progressing nicely - probably because I do it after DB bench. I tried switching them but I like doing the lat raise burn out stuff immediately after these sets and that would destroy my DB bench.
DB LAT RAISE
25 + blue band x 12
25 x 12
Blue band x 12 rest, then
25 x 20
It’s not true SGSS progression is it?
If you go all out on the last set of DB bench, then the OHP would suffer as you’ve noticed.
If it wasn’t SGSS I would do 3 weeks bench first then 3 weeks of OHP first. If you want the progression faster.
If you keep it as it is right now, the OHP will follow but probably a bit slower.
Anyways as always you’re crushing it.
I’m only doing to the SGSS progression of 3 sets and 5 sets on incline and DB OHP. I’ve been doing it on DB Meadows Rows, but I’m drifting away from it. I’ve done an AMRAP or rest/pause on the final set the last couple weeks. I’m kind of getting tired of doing 5 sets on each arm. It takes a while.
I’m in the middle of phase three right now. When I move on to phase four I’ll do 5/4/3/2/1 on deadlifts and power cleans. I’ll do 10/8/6/4/2 on incline and DB OHP. I’ll keep doing the same work on squats and RFESS.
That leaves pull ups, DB Meadows Rows, and DB bench. Pull ups will be 2x10 + a double rest/pause. I’ll probably do sets of 4-6 reps with an AMRAP on set 3 for rows and bench. I’ll probably do rest/pause on the second day to add a little volume.
I’m tentatively planning to switch back to an upper/lower split. If I do that then I might be dropping the DB bench. Either way, I’m going to do pull ups and OHP, incline and rows, and then do my shoulder finishers. If I feel like I need more chest work then I can add a bench/row superset or do some AMRAPS on push ups.
Woke at 223.4 lbs. Looks like a few days of eating normal foods did the trick.
Me: Yes! I did it. I need to continue eating the same foods, but I can eat more.
Also me: Let’s get some ice cream.
My training days are off. I should rest today, but I’m very tempted to keep going to get back on schedule. I can train today and tomorrow and then I’m back on schedule. That’d be four days in a row but it won’t kill me.
