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February 26, 2024
Dirty Nose Edition
On Starting Strength
In the Trenches
Gilead Mooseek successfully pulls 365×5 during a form check session with Inna Koppel while visiting New York from Israel. Improve your performance in the deadlift in our next NY training camp. [photo courtesy of Inna Koppel]
Ron finishes pulling 81 kg for a set of five on Monday morning as he continues his linear progression at Testify Strength & Conditioning in Omaha, NE. [photo courtesy of Phil Meggers]
This noon class at Starting Strength Austin has been lifting together for over a year. [photo courtesy of Andrea Mates ]
Get Involved
Best of the Week
Heavy bench day for OHP specialization
Adriano Alves
What do you think about separating a heavy bench day in order to help the press specialization, but still doing 3 OHP a week?
Example:
Monday
Press 5×5
Bench 5×5
Wed
Bench – 10×1
Pin Press – 5×3
Friday
OHP – 10×1
Pin Bench – 5×3
Mark Rippetoe
I don’t understand. You are benching and pressing 3 days here.
Maybach
If you’re asking this question, you’re making adjustments before the need is actually presenting them. You don’t need to contemplate specializing in the bench or the press until you can’t progress both at the same time, either because heavy lifting on one is interfering with the other (less likely) or because you need to increase the volume of one to keep progress going (more likely).
As Rip said, this isn’t a press specialization. You’re benching and pressing the same amount each week. You could cut bench volume to make it press specialization, but if this volume is allowing you to make progress on both lifts…why would you?
It is possible, though unlikely, that running this program causes your press to stall because of too much bench volume, and so removing the heavy bench would allow the press to start progressing. But that almost never happens. A more likely scenario is you need to add in more press volume either by adding an extra day of just pressing (if you want to get a big press, eventually you will need to press four days a week), increasing the volume on the pin presses or replacing them with higher volume regular presses, or (least likely) you will need to replace a bench exercise with a press exercise (for example, heavy presses on both Wednesday and Friday.)
If you’re heavy benching, you’re not specializing in the press. And specializing the upper body lifts is something you shouldn’t do until you have to.
Adriano Alves
Yes as an assistance exercise for pressing.
On Wednesday the 10×1 bench is before the pin press because I want to know if it is a good strategy to focus on the bench in order to assist the press.
On Friday the Pin Bench is after the 10×1 press and follows the same idea, assisting the press and bench press in order to increase The press making the bench stronger too.
I remember you saying if someone wants to have a big press they must practice the press a lot and have a strong bench press too.
I forgot to mention that all my bench press is close grip variation.
My numbers are:
Press: 10×1 – 92kg (I know, a shameful number for press)
Close grip bench: 10×1 – 122kg
Height: 1,83
Weight: 124kg
31 year old
Mark Rippetoe
The horrible truth is that you cannot specialize in both types of pressing. After the novice progression, a big bench does not contribute to a big press, and vice versa.
Best of the Forum
Zero Carbs – Calorie Deficit
JosephMayoGolf
I have a friend – 51 years old – who I’ve introduced to Starting Strength. Gave him the book and explained it top to bottom. That said, there’s an interesting situation in that he was diagnosed with insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome 10 months ago. He decided to stop eating carbohydrates – ALL CARBS – in an effort to fix his metabolic issues. He refuses to eat carbs again out of fear of falling back into the same problems. My question is what can he expect to accomplish with SS while eating zero carbs and being in a deficit? Obviously long term linear progress is out the window. What benefits can he get? What expectations other than being exhausted?
Mark Rippetoe
He’ll need carbs for recovery, and chronic soreness will be a problem if he’s eating no carbs. Mention it to him, and just let him figure this out for himself.
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