Month: July 2024

“Pressing Thoughts” July 7, 2024
On any given day I can press 5x185lbs.
PR is 10×185 to my knowledge, though it could be a little higher at 12 or so.

Most days I can press 2x205lbs.
I’ve definitely pressed 5×205, maybe 6 or 7.

On a few occasions I’ve pressed 225+, with
2X225lbs, and a 1rm of 235lbs being PR.

Basically I want my current 1rm ish weight to be 15-20rm, these alongside ≥300lbs for 1+.

From a bodybuilding standpoint, getting 75 reps across five sets with long rests is stellar.

That puts on shoulders like you wouldn’t believe!
And a lot of upper back with it.

Everyone with underdeveloped shoulders likely is not pressing hard enough, whether that’s weight, volume, or frequency wise – none of it.

75+ in 5?
I’ve done it, 75+ reps in five sets, with 155 to 165lbs, not caring if the session took around an hour (yeah with rests that long) but there’s a big but here…

I debate whether the press should be treated as a grinding strength-endurance high rep lift at all or solely as a powerful low rep lift.

With the exact same movement pattern it’s like a set of 1-3 and a set of 10+ are entirely different lifts.
I don’t observe this so much on any other big compound lift.

And a set of 5+ feels more to me like the sets of 10+ than a set of 1-3.

10×3, each set off of a clean, preferably a hang clean (this statement holds to all rep ranges – at least for me the hang clean is far more a bodybuilder) consciously driving every rep skyward with as much force as possible…that’s how the 1rm moves upward.

Honestly I have a problem with training heavier percentage wise than I should, instead of dropping the weight and/or reps per set and getting the powerful bar speed which pays off.

Either way, whatever frequency I barbell press at (and backfilling with kettlebell is amazing to barbell press low frequency while scratching my high frequency itch which I do not care to battle against)…

I’m on the journey to a 300lb clean and press.
Common yesteryear. Rare in the present.
Me. One of those who can.

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. My continued kettlebell habit, I’d say the 2h swing with the 40kg mostly, has added much ease to the barbell cleans as of late.

#barbellpress #overheadpress #militarypress #cleanandpress #doughepburn

motivation – ti (cause the instagram version has this, while all the hashtags only made it into the youtube character count)

“We Look At Bodybuilding In The Wrong Way”
Lately, more and more I’ve been coming to the conclusion that most look at bodybuilding in what is altogether the wrong way.

In an entirely incorrect manner.

People think of bodybuilding as this jacked up, juiced up, commercial gym and machine required thing – which admittedly it is when you’re trying to be on an olympia stage in the current year.

However yesteryear has a rich history of both bodybuilding and strongman (this before steroids, or so early in their history as to disregard the possibility) that people don’t look to for standards, and as a metric to reach.

No Excuses

…..

Plenty have gotten really strong with just a barbell and the floor, or these and some dumbbells and/or kettlebells.

Unlike today where it’d be dang near impossible to find a meathead doing handstands, near one hundred years ago handbalancing was a thing, whether this solo doing handstand work or as a partner exercise of hand to hand balancing.

Sig Klein, the famous Sig Klein Challenge, was him doing BODYWEIGHT for 12 reps of dumbbell clean and press, plus the man did double digit reps of freestanding hspu on the edge of a bench.

Maybe this is the peak natty middleweight goal.

He was after all.

Doug Hepburn, I mention him A LOT, and that’s cause I’m chasing him.
In my mind I’m chasing him, chasing it – the freestanding hspu.

He may have been, probably was, the heaviest to do a freestanding handstand pushup.

I’m a bit taller, similar in bodyweight…
“Heaviest To Do A Freestanding HSPU”
That title?
IT COULD BE ME!

I got a negative the other day.
I’m still not so solid on handstands.

But I’m practicing daily or near it.
I feel my upper body strength is there or if not, is close to it.

…..

You really could think of bodybuilding while looking at weight class athletes.

Think three factors :
•heavily muscled
•relatively lean
•off of COMPOUND movements

With a barbell your first movement is the clean and press, your second the deadlift.
Squat in some manner if you want to.

Now, in addition, do lots of calisthenics.
No one has been worse for the steady training of pushups, pullups, dips, walking swamp lunges.

And in addition you lift kettlebell(s).
I really am press centric, particularly bottoms up, but as long as you’re getting some volume – have at it with the movements…

Snatches are awesome. Swings are awesome.

It’s free choice after all.

I’d suggest a lot of rows as well. Whichever implement(s).

Compound lifts are the way for the natural bodybuilder, the natural strongman.

We can look at peak ped, be impressed…an not participate an iota.

Go be your best you…no crutches!

(Initially I meant that figuratively, then realized I’d seen this literally ; Unless you’ve paralyzed legs and you’re that hardcore middle aged dude who wrist crutches himself around the gym, plants himself at machine after machine, uses a good deal of weight, and repeats the process…His story being he switched from powerlifting with good numbers at the 242s to HIS bodybuilding after a car accident took the use of his legs.)

Go and be awesome!

/flow

Persistence & Tenacity

#gym #motivation #bodybuilding #strongman #oldtimestrongman #sigklein #doughepburn

make it rain instrumental – fat joe
(cause on ig it has music but not the full text and on yt it has the full text but no music)

twas a crosspost it was