Isn’t it odd that I can press more doing a seated front barbell press than I can doing push presses? I would think the explosiveness of the latter exercise would allow more weight to be moved, but not so in my case.
Any thoughts/experiences?
RSU
i would think that you have a weak lower back and abs that prevent force from being transferred from the legs and ground to the barbell.
It could be weak back and/or abs like Goldberg said, but it also could be technique. When you’re holding the bar before you do a push press, do you have the bar racked on your chest? Or is it resting only in your hands? If it’s only in your hands, when you try to use your legs to get the bar moving, your arms act as shock absorbers reducing the force transfered.
Neil
Your shoulders are much stronger than your lower back, upper back, abs and perhaps even legs. Push presses rely on explosive power and not strength alone. When you’re sitting, you’re obviously using shoulders and getting very little assistance from these other muscles and next to no explosiveness. If you manage to bring up your weaknesses, you will find the opposite to be true. Your PP will be significantly better than your military.
CGB…where did you get this from:
“Your shoulders are much stronger than your lower back, upper back, abs and perhaps even legs.”
I wouldn’t agree that your shoulders are stronger than your legs or lower back.
Rightsideup, like already stated, I would work more on the abs/back to be able to stabalize the weight better while standing. Also, are you doing compound lifts like deads, squats, cleans, or pullups? I find once those numbers go up so do push presses…at least it happened to me. good luck!
CGB,
“Your shoulders are much stronger than your lower back, upper back, abs and perhaps even legs.”
There’s no way that shoulders are stronger than lower back or legs, or even upper back. If someone can strict press more weight than they can squat, then there’s something seriously wrong.
Neil
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a weak core, but perhaps your posture and technique doing the push presses is less than optimal. I’ve found that once you get in the push press position if you make an attempt to posteriorly rotate your pelvis, or thrust your hips forward while at the same time squeezing your glutes and tightening your abs that ths really helps the initial part of the movement. Bend down and quickly drive straight up an don’t look up at the bar as it’s rising rather drive your head between your arms.
You guys are misquoting me. I was referring to the gentleman who posed the question. I know of many people who have shoulders that are strong enough for them to strictly press much more weight than they can push press because they never work legs, back or core. When you do seated presses, you don’t use these groups as much as you do when standing. That is obvious. When you push press, the strength of your shoulders is secondary. Your back, core and legs must be powerful enough for you to explosively move the weight and stabilize it. Your shoulders are not a liiting factor- the groups that I just mentioned are. Why would you assume I’m generalizing when we are discussing this individual’s concern?
What Kelly Baggett said is so, so true!
Basically, you’re doing what I did before getting the push press technique down. And that’s “muscling” the weight up. And in the beginning, until you also get the technique, expect to push press a bit less.
“Why would you assume I’m generalizing when we are discussing this individual’s concern?”
How do you know how strong his legs are?
Neil
yes, its odd,
work on core and form, next question
Thanks for all input. Sorry I haven’t been around to respond sooner, busy you know…
I think technique may be to blame for this. I do squats and deads regularly. I have good legs, but a poor squat, yet I believe I have a strong deadlift.
I think the comment about muscling the weight up is dead on, Patricia. I’ve got to work on driving the weight up and sort of dropping down, almost catching the bar in the locked position. I think this is right.
Thanks again.