Barbell Bench press vs. military press

[footballer55]

As of now my bench is MUCH heavier than military press. Should it be like this or the other way around? Thanks in advance,
Mike

 

[taedoju]

It should be. More muscles involved = more strength, press dependent on stability as Bench gives you one

 

[JeffC]

The strict press should be at least 2/3 your bench press if you have healthy shoulders. For me it's a good rule of thumb. If you are not pressing within that ratio you need to work on technique, shoulder stability, thoracic spine flexibility, and upper back strength.

Strongmen and Weightlifters are the masters of overhead strength. Two of my favorite resources are:
Starting Strongman - Strongman is for everyone
Olympic Weightlifting: Catalyst Athletics

 

[Glen]

This also depends on how you bench - if you go full powerlifter (super arch, wider grip) your bench will be a lot more.

The 2/3 rule is good if you bench with narrower grip flat back style.

Lookat owen hubbard at 83kg he can raw press 205kg but cant press 100kg overhead strict

 

[JeffC]

This also depends on how you bench - if you go full powerlifter (super arch, wider grip) your bench will be a lot more.

The 2/3 rule is good if you bench with narrower grip flat back style.

Lookat owen hubbard at 83kg he can raw press 205kg but cant press 100kg overhead strict

Yes, I am talking about using good bench press technique. Not a 4" ROM competition powerlifters bench.

 

[footballer55]

The strict press should be at least 2/3 your bench press if you have healthy shoulders. For me it's a good rule of thumb. If you are not pressing within that ratio you need to work on technique, shoulder stability, thoracic spine flexibility, and upper back strength.

Strongmen and Weightlifters are the masters of overhead strength. Two of my favorite resources are:
Starting Strongman - Strongman is for everyone
Olympic Weightlifting: Catalyst Athletics

This also depends on how you bench - if you go full powerlifter (super arch, wider grip) your bench will be a lot more.

The 2/3 rule is good if you bench with narrower grip flat back style.

Lookat owen hubbard at 83kg he can raw press 205kg but cant press 100kg overhead strict

Just did the math- my military press is also over 2/3, is my bench too low? I can max 125 on military and 165 on bench

 

[Glen]

Depends what your goal is. Normally that's a good rule of thumb to ensure shoulder health as it will develop the upper back in OH pressing.

Just build both as if your OH goes up your bench will either follow or at least have the potential too with some technique tweaks

 

[JamesO]

I tested my bench for fun two weeks ago after not training it for a year. 245 lbs. My military press, after some training, is 140 for a rep I can be proud of (good technique). A strong military press is always impressive (no pun intended), but I'm getting on in life OK.

 

[Ny Wc]

Weird.......My clean and press is exactly 2/3 of my bench.

 

[mrdave100]

Hi Mike, sounds like your bench to standing press ratio is good. I have a similar interest in that I want to develop strength that is proportionate. However, I don't want to get too caught up in it though, skeletal structure and other factors out of my control will affect those ratios.

 

[jca17]

In line with the 2/3 rule of thumb, but also giving a decent strength benchmark to shoot for would be 1.5BW bench, BW overhead press. In Easy Strength Pavel and Dan talk about the point of diminishing returns if your focus in strength training is for another sport. They say for team power sports (football, hockey, etc), 2.5xBW Deadlift, 2xBW back squat, 1.5xBW bench. The body overhead press follows from the 2/3 rule.