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PTC

Member
I thought I may put up some different techniques, exercises and programs. Only ones I've used or tried out on clients that I deem to be productive.

No theory here.

Press overhead everyday.

I did this and it enabled me to do a strict standing military press with 102.5kg @ 90kg, at age 45.

My brother did this and push pressed 133kg from a rack. He also increased his bench press without practicing the lift to 165kg.

Whether its dumbbells, a barbell, push press, strict press, do it standing and do it daily.

Theres a story, back in the day at York BB club, the US Olympic weightlifting team were training with a bunch of powerlifters. This gym was the mecca for strength in the world back then. Every weightlifter could do a standing press with 300lbs, and every powerlifter could bench press 400lbs.

So they had a comp, each group had to replicate the other group.

All the weightlifters bench pressed 400lb easily, but not one powerlifter was able to press 300lbs overhead.

For those that dont know, weightlifters dont practice the bench press, and powerlifters seldom press overhead.

So why were the weightlifters able to bench 400lbs?

Because the standing overhead press has far more carryover to any other pressing movement than the bench press does.

I have over 10 guys that can bench press 140kg at PTC, but not one that can MP 100kg (except for my brother, but he's not a client)

I have another 2 who have benched 160kg.

Two clients in total can MP bodyweight, Alen 90kg @ 89kg and Kelly 90kg @ 85kg. Kelly also benches 152.5kg.

Get strong overhead, and you will get strong...period.

I'll post some new ones everyday...I hope.
 
Love the military press Markos. Back when weightlifting we used to do it seated down with no back support as a supplementary exercise.

My best ever seated was 90kg at a BW of 75kg. I love anything shoulders. Period. Thanks for that powerful thread mate.


Fadi.
 
do you go to failure or stop a few reps short (as pavel tsatouline outline in grease the groove)
 
do you go to failure or stop a few reps short (as pavel tsatouline outline in grease the groove)

im also curious from memory going to total failure (and if its not on your last exercise with such a compound exercise) makes its much harder to re-cuperate on your next same bodypart exercises.
 
Couldnt agree more Marcos..

I have only been doing the strict military press for a month or so, and in that time I have found that it has improved my setaed DB press, and after a session of military press my abbs feel rocked, like deads and squats, and pull ups your whole body feels worked...

When doing bench it doesnt feel like a whole body exercise, i dont get that total fatigue feeling.
 
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I have been doing overhead press - I don't know if it's precisely what Markos is calling a military press, it's feet shoulder-width apart, press from shoulders without hip drive, sometimes with a bit of a lean back - largely in place of the bench press, for about a month.

I expected that I'd lose some strength on the bench press in doing so (only in the pecs), but when I benched on Friday, it was the same 80kg for a few reps as a month ago. Though my overhead press is only 50kg for a few reps.

I used to love the bench press, found it very satisfying - probably because for a while at least I could add weight easily. But since doing the overhead press, I've gone off the bench a bit - even though I can't add much weight to the overhead.

I think it might just be ego or something - really, standing there lifting iron overhead is pretty much the image of the strong person. If you look at old pictures of strongmen and strongwomen from the 1890s to the 1950s, that's the most common pose - a big weight overhead. Feels good, even with just 50kg :cool:
 
I'm with Fadi, I seldom allow a lifter to go to positive failure. The term leaving one rep in the tank is often used at PTC.

Seated without back support is extremely tough, thats a great lift Fadi.

For the sadists among you, try doing the overhead press kneeling down lol....got core

Your description is spot on Kyle, thats a MP.

I imagine that from prehistoric man, picking up something heavy and hoisting it overhead would be the truest test of strength.

Nothings changed.

Remember, there is only one weights sport in the Olympics, and all competitors are asked to lift something from the ground to overhead, to find the strongest in the land.
 
Vary the reps

Most of you know I've my love for strength, but never at the expense of high rep training. I did plenty when I was younger, and I have my clients do it now.

While trying to get the biggest bench I could, I managed 23 reps with 92.5kg and 19 with 100kg.

In the squat I did 107 reps with 60kg, and hundreds of 20 rep sets.

None of this hurt my ability to lift heavy weights, in fact, I feel it enhanced it.

Some of the best efforts from clients includes Nick squatting 60kg x 100, Ryan squatting 60kg x 101 and Fat dave squatting 60kg x 120 reps.

Fat Dave only started lifting at PTC 9 months ago with a squat PB of only 80kg, he is now up to 170kg.

Another way of increasing intensity on an exercise is to do more work in less time. I have clients squat, press or clean for a minute with a set weight, trying to better their total each time.

I never waste their time with isolation exercises, they get a great cardio workout as well. Try and powerclean 50kg for a minute, you should get over 20 reps, you will be breathing like a freight train.

Your joints and tendons will thank you. Lifting heavy all the time takes its toll.

Try a 100 rep set at the end of a session. It builds tremendous toughness.

Max and Nina once squatted 50kg for 500 reps in an hour and a half. They both weighed around 60kg, Nina just under and Max just over.

You wont get the same effect on a machine or with an isolation exercise unfortunately, so stick to the basics.
 
Walking deadlifts

Deadlift 80% of your 1RM, take 3 steps forward, place the bar down, deadlift it again, take 3 steps back, place the bar down, thats one rep. Try 3 reps with this bad boy.

Overhead Walks

Pick up a bar weighing around 30-40kg, press it overhead with arms locked, now walk as far as you can. Got core strength?

Tips for training at home

Some dont have squat racks, what to do? Powerclean the bar and do front squats.

You have limited weights and can deadlift the whole ammount. Stand on a 15cm block to increase the ROM and make the lift harder.

Buy a sandbag from Australian Kettlebells. Press it, squat it, curl it, heave it, clean it, deadlift it, shoulder it. It will kill you. For under 100 bucks, the best bang for your buck out there
 
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Walking deadlifts

Deadlift 80% of your 1RM, take 3 steps forward, place the bar down, deadlift it again, take 3 steps back, place the bar down, thats one rep. Try 3 reps with this bad boy.

Overhead Walks

Pick up a bar weighing around 30-40kg, press it overhead with arms locked, now walk as far as you can. Got core strength?

Tips for training at home

Some dont have squat racks, what to do? Powerclean the bar and do front squats.

You have limited weights and can deadlift the whole ammount. Stand on a 15cm block to increase the ROM and make the lift harder.

Buy a sandbag from Australian Kettlebells. Press it, squat it, curl it, heave it, clean it, deadlift it, shoulder it. It will kill you. For under 100 bucks, the best bang for your buck out there

All the above recipes sound yummy delicious; I’m drooling!


Fadi.
 
PCT is post cycle therapy, done by lifters coming off a cycle, PTC is a place that has no treadmills, steppers and definitely no CYCLES lol
 
HAHA, for some fun on the weekend (man I am becoming a sadist) I am going to try that deadlift and walk with 80%, it will be interesting.
 
We do a lift at PTC that I call "The Judd"....reason being its 5 lifts and produces excellence.

Its to be done fluently, not jerky and every lift flows into the next.

Powerclean-front squat-pushpress-lower the bar behind the head and drop into a full squat-push press behind the neck. Thats one rep.

So you clean the bar, then drop down into a front squat, on your way up you push press the bar overhead, lower it behind your head, drop into a back squat then on the way back up push press the bar behind the neck, finally returning the bar at your feet on the ground. Now go again.

Bodyweight is a good effort for this excercise, but build up to it slowly.
 
We do a lift at PTC that I call "The Judd"....reason being its 5 lifts and produces excellence.

Its to be done fluently, not jerky and every lift flows into the next.

Powerclean-front squat-pushpress-lower the bar behind the head and drop into a full squat-push press behind the neck. Thats one rep.

So you clean the bar, then drop down into a front squat, on your way up you push press the bar overhead, lower it behind your head, drop into a back squat then on the way back up push press the bar behind the neck, finally returning the bar at your feet on the ground. Now go again.

Bodyweight is a good effort for this excercise, but build up to it slowly.

Stop it Markos, you're making me drool again. This sounds like home for me. Well done.


Fadi.
 
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