Press Every DAMN Day!

 This morning, I checked my email - as I routinely do most mornings - and found an interesting question from a young man who wanted to increase his overhead pressing strength.  It was "interesting" in the sense that this young lifter says he has made great gains in the squat from using the classic 20-rep breathing squats regimen as espoused by Randall Strossen in his generally awesome and perennial bestseller Super Squats.  It was also "interesting" because this is the 3rd time that I have seen (or heard) this question asked - or at least questions incredibly similar to this one.  The first time I saw it was when I was perusing some of my Uncle Kirk's old IronMan magazines from the '60s and '70s that he kept in one his sheds on his ranch in East Texas.  (Speaking of my Uncle Kirk - who can still deadlift over 400lbs at 70 years young - I need to write a series of articles/posts on "Tales from East Texas Powerbuilders", where I can introduce you to a motley crew of "old-time" bodybuilders, arm wrestlers, and powerlifters, but I digress...)  In the Ironman column, a reader mentioned using Peary Rader's 20-rep squatting program, and getting fantastic results in his lower body and back muscles, but asked Charles A. Smith (who wrote a column for Ironman at the time) how he could increase his upper body strength and power.  The second time I read a similar question to this was in an issue of Muscle Media magazine (at first, it was known as Muscle Media 2000 - sometimes just abbreviated as MM2K - but later was changed to just Muscle Media).  The question was posed to Pavel Tsatsouline in his column for MM, and he gave much the same answer as Smith did decades before.

And what WAS the answer that both Tsatsouline and Smith gave? (It's THE answer that I also gave to the questioner this morning in my email.)  Simple: PRESS MORE.  As in a LOT more!  As in press EVERY DAMN DAY!

The legendary Bill Starr is seen here overhead pressing.

Before you start decrying overtraining, let's go back to that old Ironman magazine, and see the answer that Charles A. Smith gave to his questioner.  Because IF you are going to press every day of the week (or at least most days) then you need to know the how of what you will be doing.

Smith recommended that his questioner stick with the 3x-per-week system of 20-rep squats, but for overhead pressing, he suggested something decidedly different:  "Most lifters (when overhead pressing) use the three-workouts-per-week system, some manage 4 or 5 days per week, but you will have no fear of staleness or of working too hard even if you press 7 times per week 7 times per day.  There is only ONE secret of success in pressing - and that is to press and press and press each and every time that you get near a bar."

Later in the article, Smith had this to say: "It is said that only one man in 150,00 can overhead press his bodyweight.  As we see it, there is no earthly reason why any man with a year's experience in weight training cannot perform this feat.  The reason why the records in the press have reached such astonishing heights is because of the intensive application of specialized training in the press.  The Russian champion Novak presses every day, likewise does the American champ Davis."

So, what would a week of workouts look like using this method?  Something such as this:

Perform the following workout 3 non-consecutive days-per-week (say Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for instance):

1. Squats: 1x20 reps of "breathing" squats (perform a few warm-up sets before doing this one "work" set)

2. Dumbbell or Barbell Pullovers: 3x15 reps

3. If needed: 2 or 3 sets of barbell curls or chins or any other exercise for your back or your biceps.  This 3rd exercise is NOT NECESSARY, and, in fact, might be too much for some lifters.  Other lifters, however, will get great results from an extra set or two of chins or curls or whatnot.

Perform the following workout every day of the week*:

1. Overhead presses (alternate barbell or dumbbell movements if you so choose): "Ramp" sets of 5, then 3, then 1 rep.  You should never push yourself hard on these sets.  No grunting, screaming, straining, or "psyching" yourself up for a lift, etc.  Let's say that your max on the barbell overhead press is 175 lbs.  Start off with the bar for a set of 5 reps; add 10 pounds on each side and do a set of 5.  Add another 10 pounds and do another set of 5 reps.  Once the 5 reps start to get "hard", then do 3 reps, and continue doing ramps of 3 reps until you get to a "hard" set.  At this point, either STOP the workout or add more weight and start doing singles until you reach 150 lbs or so (less than your "max", but still pushing it just a little bit).  NEVER should you go for any hard, "maximum effort" sets - it's the daily training that produces the results, NOT an "all-out" workout session.

*By "every day of the week", I mean you should never "plan" a day off, but just take a day off when you feel really fatigued or when "life gets in the way", such as when your wife or boyfriend ask you to take them out to eat instead of training.  In other words, don't get "stressed" if you miss a workout now and then.  That's perfectly acceptable.