If I can overhead press 122.5 lbs, how much can I push press?

[Jason Rambo]

Hello.

I am currently doing Starting Strength. Tomorrow's workout will feature the overhead press (military press?) at 122.5 pounds. I'm comfortable with that weight but the exercise is not as easy as it was starting out.

Coach Rippetoe has suggested adding one set of five push presses after the three work sets of overhead presses as an assistance exercise.

I would like to try this but I've never done any real push presses before. If I can handle 122.5 for three sets of five overhead, and bench press 185 for three sets of five, what's a realistic choice for a push press? Is there some kind of formula that people use, similar to the idea that your overhead press should be 65-70% of your bench?

Many thanks in advance.

[Anthony Bainbridge]

Start with an empty bar. Do a set. Add 10-20 pounds. Do a set. Repeat until you find something comfortably heavy.

[Jason Lopez-Ota]

Originally Posted by Anthony Bainbridge

Start with an empty bar. Do a set. Add 10-20 pounds. Do a set. Repeat until you find something comfortably heavy.

Agreed.

Also, awesome name Rambo.

[Justin McGinley]

If you just finished 3 x 5 x 122.5, you'd probably do well with another 20lbs or so, depending on how good you are at transferring hip drive into your push press strength.

Why are you adding push presses as an assistance exercise here? If you get the 3 x 5 x 122.5 up, be happy, do your benching next time around, eat a lot, sleep a lot, and hopefully 3 x 5 x 125 next time around. More volume isn't always a good thing, especially when doing SS.

[Christian Mason]

I think (someone jump in here if I'm wrong) as a general rule of thumb, a push press is generally about 30% higher than a shoulder press, and a push jerk about 30% higher than a push press.

Obviously your results were vary, do not take internally, always speak to your doctor, etc...

[Brian Bedell]

Christian, those are the numbers from the CF manual for the Cert 1, which I read last nite. Of course assuming good form, which nothing against the poster, but we can assume his form is not great b/c he has never done the exercise before obviously.

And why can't people figure this out on their own in the gym?

[Jacob Cloud]

My press 5RM right now is 150, which would give me an "estimated" 1RM of about 170, which sounds about right. I played with push press a couple weeks ago and did 225x1 (probably not a true 1RM). So that's about 75%. But like Anthony said, just ramp up the weight and figure out your own %age. Better to start low with good form than to get greedy.

I'm interested in why Rip advised the push press set at the end of your workout. Are you stuck?

[Leonid Soubbotine]

Jacob - probably because the push press has higher loading on the concentric and helps get to the heavier weight in the press when stalling.

[Jason Rambo]

Start with an empty bar. Do a set. Add 10-20 pounds. Do a set. Repeat until you find something comfortably heavy.

OK. Pretty old-school, there.

Also, awesome name Rambo.

Thanks!

If you just finished 3 x 5 x 122.5, you'd probably do well with another 20lbs or so,
Why are you adding push presses as an assistance exercise here? More volume isn't always a good thing, especially when doing SS.

Thanks for the suggestions. But I gather that you don't think the addition of push presses would be a good idea.

a push press is generally about 30% higher than a shoulder press, and a push jerk about 30% higher than a push press . . .

Of course assuming good form, which nothing against the poster, but we can assume his form is not great b/c he has never done the exercise before obviously.

Hmmmm . . . again, thanks for the suggestion. And your criticism is well-taken. My form is likely to be imperfect if this is the first time I've done it.

Better to start low with good form than to get greedy.

Good point.

I'm interested in why Rip advised the push press set at the end of your workout. Are you stuck?

Nope. Just to clarify -- this wasn't advice he gave to me. He gave it to someone else who was stuck himself. I'm thinking of adding them in order to avoid getting stuck. Or, at least, avoiding it as long as I can.

The consensus here appears to be that I probably don't need the push presses. I think I'll go through the three work sets and listen to what my body is telling me.

Thanks for all of your help.

[Arturo Garcia]

If I can push press 50% more than strict press, does it mean I have weak shoulders? Gotta start doing more of both!