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Kettlebell Losing pressing strength on S&S.

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Darren Best

Darren Best

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I was able to do 2 to 3 solid reps with a 32kg prior to starting S&S two months ago, now I can barely manage one shaky rep.

Am I doing something wrong?

I was doing 5,3,1 with a barbell prior to S&S and my pressing was going up nicely, now it's stalled and declining.
 
I had the same experience. Pressing a weight over head, and supporting a weight over head. If you are not pressing you cannot build pressing strength. You can support and lower significantly more weight than you can press.
 
I disagree, I originally used heavy get ups as a means of working towards pressing the 40kg, and despite doing nothing but S&S for the past few months I was able to press it for a relatively easy double the other day. I was initially concerned myself about losing pressing strength on S&S but this hasn't been the case; if anything it increased. What size bell are you using for your S&S practice Darren?
 
Perhaps everyone's experience and gains (or not) will vary somewhat.

I was comfortably clean & pressing 10x3 double 24s with 60 seconds rest a year ago.

I was on S&S with 32kg until a recent wrist injury, was very close to the simple. My ability to C&P the 24s has decreased, perhaps due to lack of practice of the groove for quite some time. Earlier this week, a 10x3 session with 2 minutes rest was a real struggle.
 
I am primarily using the 24kg for get ups while phasing in the 32kg for a single here and there.

Mark, I will start giving that a try, thanks.
 
Darren Best said:
I was able to do 2 to 3 solid reps with a 32kg prior to starting S&S two months ago, now I can barely manage one shaky rep.

Am I doing something wrong?

I was doing 5,3,1 with a barbell prior to S&S and my pressing was going up nicely, now it's stalled and declining.
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Darren,

Your pressing strength will likely decrease just doing the TGU, but i have found that when you lay a solid foundation with heavy (at least 32kg) TGUs your potential for pressing increases. In other words, when you return to a program like ROP you'll likely find that you are able to progress faster to heavier bells than before. This has been my experience. My recommendation: continue with S&S through a 36 or 40kg and then return to a pressing program like ROP.
 
I find my military press to be a high maintenance exercise. If I don't press, I get weaker in the press. In the fall was pressing 32's for 10 sets x 3. Now, can only do 1-2 reps because of a back injury

Doing getups will improve your shoulder stability, and they're a great exercise, but see it as an ASSISTANCE exercise to pressing. It's like doing leg extensions exclusively and expecting your squat to go up.

Why would you quit 5/3/1 if your press was going up nicely? If it ain't broke don't fix it. Everyone gets stuck on the press first in 5/3/1 then you reset the percentages down. If anything, and I know people are going to disagree with me, you could have done 5/3/1 and do S + S for assistance or as a finisher.
 
My personal experiences is that doing TGU's only has a substantial carry over to pressing when I'm doing the TGU's with a weight that is equal to or heavier than the one I'm interested in pressing. For instance, I was able tp press the 32K for the first time while on S&S, but at that point I had been doing at least half of my TGu's with the 40K for a few weeks.
 
Brian, I had recurring issues with my back and barbell squatting, military press was the only thing steadily improving.

Today I hit 60 days of S&S without a day off and my squatting is vastly improved from all the goblet squats I have been doing and I am pain free in my back. I know everyone says TGU's are great for shoulders, but I think they are even more awesome for backs.

Jon, thanks for the idea, if GTG starts interfering with my progress in the get up then I will take your advice and just be patient until after I pass the simple standard.
 
@Snowman

I had a similar experience: after regular 40K TGU in S&S, I was able to get real 32K presses with both arms. That was really a nice benefit: I didn't achieve that my first time through ROP.
I also could do 24K snatches for the first time after S&S, so it really helped other programs a great deal, for me.
 
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If one has hit a pressing plateau, continuing to press while doing getups with the goal weight or heavier can help. E.g., you can press a 32 but not a 40, but you get getup with a 40, so your getups will help your press in this situation.

-S-
 
Mr. @Darren Best ,
Sir, FWIW, in order to press a lot, you have to press a lot. (I am stealing a quote here)

What I have experienced, is that get ups translate to pressing strength better if you spend more time under tension (TUT) under the bell for get ups. That means slowing down your movements, focusing on keeping the bell up and stable. The lock out from the press is the lunge to standing from the get up. Maybe somewhere along the way you lost tension. Tight tight TIGHT! That is the way we press. Check your cues, check your tension; I bet you are stronger and better at pressing than you think!
 
Some people like to add a press (lower to the rack and press back up) at the kneeling and standing positions of the get-up. I haven't done it regularly myself, but does seem like it could be a good addition, if you like to stick to the S&S routine.
 
i am on the side of the TGU helping my press. but i noticed in past posts when i have mentioned really crushing the handle during certain parts of the TGU (coming from lying to sitting, crush the bell, coming from lunge to standing, crush the bell) that instructors and trainees alike have commented that it is not taught that way during the SF seminars and that i am "not supposed to" do it that way. Well, that's how I do it because i believe crushing the handle helps me to tighten up my entire body which helps me lift more smoothly from certain positions when i am holding a heavy bell. this philosophy has helped me to perform 5 TGUs per side with the 48 and i can say without hesitation that my presses do not fade when i am focused on S&S for 5-6 weeks, in fact they typically benefit from the focus on get ups - as long as i am using my hands and body the same way as i would use them in a press -get tight and crush it!
 
@Keep Lifting I totally agree with crushing the handle. When I was doing getups with a 40kg it became really obvious how much a tight grip on the handle made, both for keeping my shoulder packed and for stearing the bell where I wanted it to go. I think that contributed to my ability to keep tight and I actually saw my RM of the 32kg go up on the press.
 
Having recently been through the SFG we were told to crush the handle, especially when it gets heavy.
 
I remember that from the SFG also, but I realized when I read Steve's article from way back when (cited on another recent thread) that there are some differences in technique for a maximal attempt that may not be appropriate to use in everyday practice. I thought that was a great distinction made in the article.
 
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