Ironfist and pressing the 70

[fa_jing]

So did you do it?

[Ford Prefect]

I actually got a 32kg one a couple days. It was a lot harder than I expected. I'm ordering it's twin tomorrow.

[fa_jing]

Harder based on your prior experience with a 70 lb dumbell, or harder based on your prior experience with the 53 lb kettlebell? I don't know what it's like pressing dumbells, myself.

PS I benched pressed the other day and bench press ROCKS! Huh huh...I didn't get the quite the carry over I hoped for from kettlebells - I realize now that it takes some dedicated chest work to be able to bench alot of weight - still, I'm at about the same BP 1RM that I was back when I actually performed the exercise, 7-8 years ago. Not so great, considering I weigh 15 pounds more now, mostly muscle. OTOH my squat must be pretty large, would like to test that.

[Ford Prefect]

Based on my prior experience with the 53 lbs KB. I can press 70 lbs DB's relatively easy, but this was a lot more work. I expected it to be more work, but not as much as it actually was. I'd be interested in your squat results. I front squat my 53's and it is a lot harder than front squatting 135 on a barbell. I'm still having problems OH Squatting the 53's even though I could do that with a barbell no problem at all. Funny that Pavel says it would be easier with KB's.

I think there are more stabilization issues with the KB's in both the front and OH squat which makes them more difficult. I'm curious to see what type of transition that has to regular barbell back squat. More importantly, I'm curious to see if I can work my legs just as well without the standard barbell powerlifts.

The reason why I'm getting all these KB's and CB's now is because I figure once I get married in 3 f'ing months !! :eek: !! and buy a house, I might have to hold off an a gym membership. Since I can't buy a power rack now and put it in my small appartment, I figured I get the full set of KB/CB and see if I could possibly survive for a while on those. I've been doing some heavy experimenting, but the results have been promising at least. I figure by the time I could do high-rep stuff with 88 lbs KB and the 45 lbs CB, I'll be able to get a power rack and everything. The old lady already wants us to buy a treadmill and a versa climber. Woman after my own heart! ;) Now all I have to do is sell the idea of an indoor pool...

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect
once I get married in 3 f'ing months !! :eek: !!

Yikes! Congrats, Ford.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by fa_jing
So did you do it?

Like I said, I can side press a 70lb Barbell. I haven't had a chance to try the kettlebells yet because I won't join that gym for like another month.

And I completely forgot to try and press a 70lb dumbell. Oops! And I just worked chest (and therefore front shoulders for me) last night, too. Next week I'll try and do it.

Did you want me to side press it or overhead press it? I'm pretty sure I'll be able to side press it since I can (could) do a 70lbs barbell and a DB is smaller. Not sure if I'll be able to do a strict overhead press, tho. Maybe, tho. I can do a two handed overhead press with 135 on a barbell, so I don't know.

Tell me again exactly what you want me to try.

[Ford Prefect]

Iron,

I jerk over 200 lbs and the 72 lbs KB was still difficult enough to force me to focus and strain.

[IronFist]

^ Side press or strict military press?

Actually, my "side press" is kind of like a combination of a bent press and a side press. I bend to the side a bit, but not quite as much as you do with a traditional bent press.

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect
The reason why I'm getting all these KB's and CB's now is because I figure once I get married in 3 f'ing months !! :eek: !! and buy a house, I might have to hold off an a gym membership. Since I can't buy a power rack now and put it in my small appartment, I figured I get the full set of KB/CB and see if I could possibly survive for a while on those. I've been doing some heavy experimenting, but the results have been promising at least. I figure by the time I could do high-rep stuff with 88 lbs KB and the 45 lbs CB, I'll be able to get a power rack and everything. The old lady already wants us to buy a treadmill and a versa climber. Woman after my own heart! ;) Now all I have to do is sell the idea of an indoor pool... Congrats and all, but take my advice - buy your power rack and all your toys now, before you get married, even if you don't have the room! I struggle to buy toys, unless I buy her something first. Or else, just buy things that she doesn't know the price of, like she thinks my power rack and weights were around AUD$300 when really they were more like AUD$1200.

[Ford Prefect]

Haha! That's ok. We're keeping seperate accounts for the most part with one joint account for vaca's and bills, etc. I bring in 80% of the money, so I'm allowed to play. :) For now...

[IronFist]

Alright, I'm going to the gym now to try it.

In my defense, if I fail, my front delts are sore from doing bench on Wednesday, and we did a ton of shoulder intensive punching/blocking drills last night in class, so my front delts are kinda sore already.

But if I get it, then that just makes me a super stud. :D

[IronFist]

Alright, I didn't try the 70. I did a 40, a 50, and then kind of struggled with a 60, but I still got it up on both sides. Like I said above, my front delts are still kinda sore, and plus I'm nowhere near my max bench so my shoulders aren't as strong as they were.

But I have no doubt that I could press a 70 within a short time if I trained for it.

But since just looking at weights makes my shoulders grow, I doubt I'll be specifically training for it any time soon :D

[fa_jing]

Iron - I don't think your soreness would affect your 1RM more than 5-7 pounds, but then again my shoulders don't really ever get sore.

"I can do a two handed overhead press with 135 on a barbell"

Well that sounds pretty strong! Unless your cheating somehow? Leaning back? I don't see why a 1-armed lift with half the weight wouldn't be as easy or easier....Unless you were a bodybuilder with a fake pump who didn't know how to integrate his upper and lower body. (J/K) actually, you have to keep a tight core, and have the alignment correct so that the weight is over your hip, etc. It takes a little practice. I haven't done the barbell press since I lifted weights, which was several years ago.

OTOH, I don't think you have exceptional shoulder strength, to be honest. All fat as I said b4. ;) You should do some pure strength work, and kettlebells would be great - just don't do negative presses, stick mostly to the clean and jerk and double snatch with the 16's at your gym and your strength will go up.

Recently, I side pressed the 88 lb kettlebell on my left side. Failed on the right. I never practiced the side press seriously, or PTP. It's a nice exercise though, I can see. Like I said before, my shoulders are not exceptionally big. I feel we all have a long way to go - a 150 lb. 18-year old Russian Kettlebell athlete we have on the dragondoor site says he can get 10/10 standing MP with the 32kg.

Ford:

I think that Kettlebell OH squats would be easier than barbell OH squats in that your arms go straight up over your head, requiring less upper back flexibility - but then again, you could hold the barbell straight up too, but obviously people find some mechanical advantage in leaning the torso forward with the barbell more behind the back. I've never tried barbell OH squats, but also, you can pull the bar apart which helps with stabilization - which you can't do with kettlebells. However, I am of the opinion the that limiting factor in Kettlebell OH squats is not the overhead stablization component, rather the strength in the legs and spinal erectors coming out of the hole.

I recently did a double on each side 32 KG pistol, BTW. Kettlebells rock. They won't do much for your bench, though.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by fa_jing
"I can do a two handed overhead press with 135 on a barbell"

Well that sounds pretty strong! Unless your cheating somehow?

No cheating. I clean the weight, and then I strictly press it up. No jumping or any "push press" type stuff.


I don't see why a 1-armed lift with half the weight wouldn't be as easy or easier....

It's harder for the same reason that dumbell presses with x weight are harder than barbell bench presses with x weight.


OTOH, I don't think you have exceptional shoulder strength, to be honest. All fat as I said b4. ;)

My shoulders are remarkably strong considering I never train them, ever. They still overshadow my arms and chest to an extent in terms of size. It's not fat because a) I have striations and b) I don't think my body would be all low body fat and then have tons of fat in my shoudlers. So, I hope you were joking when you said it was all fat.


You should do some pure strength work, and kettlebells would be great - just don't do negative presses, stick mostly to the clean and jerk and double snatch with the 16's at your gym and your strength will go up.

Maybe, but I doubt I'll be doing any overhead pressing work anytime soon. Maybe if my chest and arms ever catch up in size.


Recently, I side pressed the 88 lb kettlebell on my left side. Failed on the right.

When you say "side press" are you talking about a side press when you bend over? Or a strict overhead press where your torso stays more or less vertical?


a 150 lb. 18-year old Russian Kettlebell athlete we have on the dragondoor site says he can get 10/10 standing MP with the 32kg.

10 sets of 10? Holy crap! Not to say he's lying, but on the internet you can say whatever you want. I'm pretty sure some people have lied on this forum, too, but I don't really care.

Anyway, the time I overhead pressed 135 was when I was doing PTP stuff. I got at least two, and possibly 3 reps with it. I don't remember exactly, tho. But right now I haven't been doing much strength stuff and my bench is far below what it has been, and that's why I struggled with the 60lb DB. I haven't tried to overhead press 135 in about a year, anyway, so I don't even know if I could still do that.

[fa_jing]

The fact that you deny your shoulders are fat is the proof that they are fat. :D

Seriously, I base my workouts on a different ratio of relative goals: looks vs. function that you do. I just focus on function and I'm already good looking. ;) I like giving you a hard time, for no real reason. :D

My side press with the 88 was like a very high bent press - I flexed my lat, kept my upper arm against my side as I leant over, until this reached the peak of potential movement - then basically locked into placed, and pressed it out. Not the perfect form. Little or no bending of the knees.

The kid isn't lying - that's one set of 10 L/R - not 10 sets of 10

[IronFist]

Giving me a hard time keeps me on my toes :D

One set of 10 on each side is more believable than 10 sets of 10!