all posts post new thread

Kettlebell Can't press very much

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
slnm

slnm

Level 1 Valued Member
Hi, I'm trying to get beyond a plateau of pressing just 16 kilos overhead. I clean a pair of 16 kilo kettlebells then alternate pressing them overhead. That weight is not hard. A few years ago I was able to barbell press 200 pounds (91 kilos) so I should be able to press more than I am now. I have a pair of 20 kilos bells and those are too heavy for me right now. If 16 is too light and 20 is too heavy how can I progress? My only thought is to press the 16 kilos bells slowly to build strength.

I'd appreciate any advice anyone has.

Thanks.

Sol
 
i just noticed you mentioned a "pair" of 16's, if you are working with double kettlebells, ladders will still work great, and i would start there following the programming and advice in ETK, alternatively you cant go wrong with Geoff Neupert's KB Strong programs.
 
Thank you. I just bought a Kindle copy of ETK.

I'm reading the ladder instructions and I want to make sure I'm clear. Does, for example, the third ladder look like this?

Abbreviations: CLA = clean left arm CRA = clean right arm PLA = press left arm PRA = press right arm

CLA PLA CRA PRA Rest
CLA PLA CLA PLA CRA PRA CRA PRA Rest
CLA PLA CLA PLA CLA PLA CRA PRA CRA PRA CRA PRA Rest

And, thanks for mentioning Geoff Neupert. I had not heard of him. I will check out his programs.

Sol
 
Sinm, yes the way you describe the three rung ladders is the way they are customarily done. I would stick with the single bell press for a while and follow the progression of the ROP as written. I can't state enough how effective it is.
 
John Grahill said:
Sinm, yes the way you describe the three rung ladders is the way they are customarily done. I would stick with the single bell press for a while and follow the progression of the ROP as written. I can't state enough how effective it is.
Click to expand...

Sinm - What John said
 
Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your helpfulness. I'm starting my press ladders tomorrow. I've got a 24 kilo bell and a 28 kilo bell as well so, once I get to 20 and that becomes easy, I've got some more progressing I can do.
 
Sinm, just to add, I got a lot stronger from using the ROP and made significant changes in body composition that were noticeable to many of my friends. I went from a shaky 40kg clean and press to the beast. It added muscle where it counts, reduced my resting pulse from about 51 to 42 on average and I felt like I had much more endurance. My weight increased but my pant size stayed the same. I did not do pull-ups with my press ladders, but I guess my own WTH effect, they increased from 8 dead hangs to 15! Certainly not earth shattering but I was a 46 year old police captain who was looking for something to keep in shape and it delivered!

Since I completed it I have been doing doubles consistently and am in the middle of another round of Geoff Neuperts Strong program but I often thought I will eventually return to the ROP. For me, it was tremendously beneficial.
 
John, I'm interested to know what you weigh. The beast is 48 kilos (roughly 106 pounds). I weigh 160 pounds and pressing 106 pounds seems like a lot but it's a worthy goal! I've got very good leg strength (I backsquatted and deadlifted twice my bodyweight at age 49) but that's not going to help me develop a strong press.

Sol
 
Sol, right now I'm hovering about 205, when I did the ROP It took me nearly two years to do the beast but I did get it. I weighed about 201 or 202 then. Quite frankly I think if memory serves me that I could have gotten two reps but didn't push it as I at that point completed the goals of the ROP. The funny thing about it is that at the time I tested myself the weight I was using for press ladders was 36kg. I started with 20 kg press ladders and just kept at it, weight by weight. With the lighter bells I repeated the ladders doing them in less time, as I was in no rush until I got to the 32kg. The point being that the high volume pressing ladders absolutely work.

I started out at about 197lbs. and although I only added four or five pounds, I went up a shirt size and maintained pants size (although the hip/upper thigh area became tighter). My traps and delts got thicker. So I think it fair to say I gained some muscle and last some fat. I did not do any fancy testing of body fat or the like. Again, as I said I was a LEO looking to stay in shape and looking for a different program than the daily cardio I was doing as my knees were starting to "show their age" if you know what I mean. I followed the program to a "t" doing it in my garage before work every day. There were times I brought it to police headquarters and did it during my lunch break.

Look I'm no expert, but all too often I read where someone says they did the ROP doing five ladders of five rungs and are "looking for another program"....the fact is that you don't complete the ROP until you get that half body weight press and the snatch requirements. I humbly suggest that folks should stay on it and actually complete it, as it will make any subsequent program more effective because you'll be strong and conditioned enough to handle them.

Sorry for the long windedness, I had two cups of coffee this morning!
 
Sol,

The RoP will work a treat,I've progressed from 16 kg, through 20 kg and just finishing 24 kg ladders of presses at the moment.

In terms of assistance work - I have found bottom-up clean and presses to be a fantastic challenge you can do with a lighter weight - really teaches tension. I dont think you could do these with double bells though.
 
@slnm, we have a saying around here - to press a lot [of weight], you have to press a lot [of volume]. The ROP delivers that volume and, as a result, it delivers results consistently. A good goal is our SFG Level II requirement of a 1/2 bw press - you can see the actual numbers if you look at the certification requirements, link below

SFG Kettlebell Instructor Level II Certification - StrongFirst

-S-
 
Steve - the StrongFirst requirement for me, men 50+, 160 pounds is 28kg. That seems very doable, especially with a smart program like ROP.

I discovered this document and am filing it away for future reference:

http://www.dragondoor.com/pdf/etkb_bonus_a.pdf

Enter the Kettlebell Special Report #1, How to Complete Your Rite of Passage Sooner

It has a focus on how to press a heavier kettlebell.

Mike - thanks for the suggestion re adding dead bug exercises. I'll add those to my plan.

John - I'm not surprised that you weigh a bunch more than I do if you're pressing the beast. Does anyone know what the record is for pressing the beast while weighing the least? At 160 pounds I still have a fair amount of fat (maybe 20-25%) but body fat has been going down steadily since I changed my diet 2 1/2 months ago and lost 24 pounds. You also mention "I followed the program to a "t" doing it in my garage before work every day." If I'm understanding ROP correctly from ETK, it's a 4-day a week program, right? Pavel's schedule has you work out M, W, F, and Sa. Am I missing something?

Thanks again, everyone.
 
Sol, I did the program like this:

Monday, light ladders and snatches
Tuesday, variety day
Wednesday, medium ladders and swings
Thursday, variety day
Saturday, Heavy ladders and swings (every so often I switched it to a test day of snatches in ten minutes, 1RM press test)

The variety days were often just experimenting with racked squats, dead stop swings and never a "gasser" sometimes only 15 minutes or so.

I think Pavel said you can set your week up any way you like, even skipping variety days, but do the light, medium and heavy days.
 
Mark Limbaga said:
If you are struggling with 16s but have barbell pressed 200 lbs perhaps you need to check for reflexive strength issues and technique issues
Click to expand...

This stood out to me when I read the OP. A 91kg barbell MP, well above BW, but can't press a pair of 20kg KBs? Something is going on other than just pressing strength. You CAN press a lot -- on a barbell. Why doesn't that strength carry over to KBs is the question.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom