What is the Push Press?

An exercise done with free weights, either dumbbells or barbell, in which we use the leg thrust to 
push a heavy weight using the shoulders.

Why the emphasis that a Strong Man must push press? Most muscle heads in the gym brag about the
bench press. However, the bench press is a lazy exercise which does not help our natural range of 
motion.
Any sport involving throws ultimately uses an upward motion of the shoulders, with help from
the back muscles  and explosive thigh movement for speed.

The extra weight moved by the shoulders in this exercise enhances the shoulder power dramatically.
Hence, the gains for strength events are vastly improved.

<p>The world record for the push press is less than 450 pounds for men weighing below 250 pounds, yet 
the bench press records are over 800 pounds. The 800 pound bench pressers have no olympic medals, 
yet athletes with even 400 pounds in the push press are champion throwers and lifters in a vast array
of athletic events.

</p>
<p>Try out my push press program for just 3 weeks to see the change.
[Please get a medical clearance before you commence] </p>
<p><b>Step 1</b>:
Pick a dumbbell or barbell which you can easily 
<a href="http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidAnterior/BBShoulderPress.html">shoulder press</a> 5 times from neck level to the extension of your arm.
Keep adding weight till you can barely press once.
<a href="http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/PressStandards.html">Check out this  reference chart for a standard one rep maximum</a>.
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html">Calculate your 5 rep maximum over here. 
(Also, calculate your 10 rep maximum. )</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Step 2</b>:
Study the correct movement of the 
<a href="http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/PushPress.html">push press from this site</a>:
Most gym instructors know this exercise perfectly well. </p>
<p><b>Step 3</b>:
Warm up with a 15 minute jog or stretching.
The push press your 10 rep maximum three times
Repeat after 2 minutes. </p>
<p><b>Step 4</b>:
Take a 2 minute breather, then  push press your 5 rep maximum as many times as you can. 
You may be able to do this about 12-15 times.
Rest for 2 minutes, then repeat the exercise till fatigue, which may be 9-10 reps this time.
Rest for 2 minutes, then do it once more. That's it, no lifting for one week.
</p>
<p><b>Step 5</b>: A week later, after aerobics warm up, try the push press with 
your old 5 rep max. You will find an improvement of nearly 5 reps with it, a 20% 
gain. Make sure that you have not done any lifting in the week, if so, this wont 
work. Now, add 15% extra weight to the previous week's 5 rep and 10 rep maximum, 
then repeat Step 3 and 4. </p>
<p><b>Step 6</b>: This time, use the old Step 1's one rep maximum for the 
shoulder press for push pressing. Push Press till fatigue 3 times. Again no 
exercise for a week. </p>
<p><b>Step 7</b>: Re-Calculate your shoulder press one rep maximum. How much 
have you gained? How does your back look like? How do your legs feel? This 3 
week program is guaranteed to improve overall body strength by more than 50%, 
plus revitalize your body movements for more explosive power. You are now a 
stronger person, and this strength increase is permanent.</p>