Mehdi stuck on overhead press? read this

Question about the Overhead Press. My comments are below...

### QUESTION ###
"Hi Mehdi. I seem to have quickly reached my limit on the OHP. I'm still going well on squat, bench, etc... But OHP I seem to struggle with. Is this normal? Is there a pattern that you see with StrongLifts that you can share?"

*** MY ANSWER ***
Yep, this is normal.

Here's a personal example.

My best Deadlift is 225kg/500lb or 3x my body-weight.

Best Squat is 190kg/419lb - 2.5x body-weight.

Best Bench is 115kg/253lb (it stinks)

Best Overhead Press 75kg/165lb or 1x BW.

So I Deadlift 150kg/335lb more than I Overhead Press.

And unless your technique is out of whack...

... you'll Deadlift more than you Overhead Press too.

Because Deadlifts use bigger and stronger muscles.

Your back is bigger than you shoulders.

Your legs are almost twice the size of your arms.

Bigger muscles are stronger (that's why big guys usually lift more).

And so you'll progress longer on your Deadlift and Squat...

... than on your Bench Press and Overhead Press.

In fact, you should be able to increase your Deadlift to 140kg/300lb without much trouble...

... while struggling to get past 60kg/135lb on your Overhead Press.

Don't lose motivation when this happens - this is normal.

Don't cheat by using your legs and do Push Presses instead either.

And don't add a ton of assistance exercises to work your "weaknesses".

Instead, improve your Overhead Press form.

Because the better your form, the more effective you'll move the bar.

The more effective you move the bar, the better you use your muscles.

The better your use your muscles, the easier the weight will feel.

That means you'll press more weight, with less joint stress.

This guide will help you out:

https://stronglifts.com/overhead-press/


Try it and share it with your friends.

Keep it simple.

-Mehdi

P.S. If you log your workouts using my app, it will detect when you struggle. And it will then help you progress by telling you how long to rest between sets, when to deload, when to microload and much more. Download it here...

https://stronglifts.com/apps/

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