Old Forum Pressing Power

[xjwestx]

I am simply amazed by the effectivness of ladders and ROP. In March 2012 I started training for RKC 1 and I decided to use a 32kg for the ROP (which I couldnt even press until I read ETK). By Sept 2012 RKC, I PR pressed 44kg. Once I got back from RKC, I took almost 2 months off (getting caught up on business, that fell behind due to RKC prep). Now back to it training for the Beast challenge Week 1 could do 40kg C&P 1 L/R (because my 40kg handle is 2x thick as DD KB) and start of week 3 already can C&P 40kg (thick handle) 3x L/R! Does everyone else find ladders to be the most effective way to increase pressing power?

 

[Geoff Neupert]

James - Pavel and I were talking about this at the Level 2 last weekend about this and he stated that he has yet to meet one person who has not done the ROP or ROTK as written who failed to get noticeably stronger.

I personally love the simple brilliance / brilliant simplicity of ladders: like daily mini-cycles, which of course, is what they're intended to be.

Geoff

 

[Steve Freides]

My 2-cents-worth on this:

With everything this good, there are often several levels of goodness in there.  IMHO, the background of the Light/Medium/Heavy rotation is the tried-and-true part of the ROP - it's been working for lots of people for a long time.

The brilliant thing is that, on top of the Light/Medium/Heavy weekly schedule, you have ladders which almost magically allow you to accumulate a lot of volume without minding it too much - constant variety of the number of reps in a set, different rest periods between rungs than between ladders, etc.   Geoff's "daily mini-cycle" - great way to say it.

And the whole thing has an end, another innovation, IMHO - you work up to 5 ladders of 12345 and you're done.  How may fitness routines are there that just have you plugging away at the same thing over and over with no end in sight?

 

[Gary Music]

We use ladders at our club works very well.  Not sure if it is the best way but it works.

 

 

[Pavel]

Thank you for your kind words, James!

In my experience, it is one of the (if not the) most reliable way to build strength. As a bonus, every week you see real gains (adding sets or reps on the heavy day), which is not possible on most plans.

 

[MikeMoran]

ETK was my first time using ladders and I must say they work. I could not even press the 24kg but after a few weeks of ladders with the 16kg the 24kg went up no problem! Now I am on the ROP with the 24kg and looking at getting a 32kg sometime soon!

Overall I find the method a great way to build strength and it works brilliantly for me.

 

[Mark Blakemore]

Gary,

Not that I don't believe you, but, what then is the best way?  I'm always looking.  Thanks.

 

[xjwestx]

Great points everyone, I hadn't thought of many of them but all very true.

One of my favourite parts is that I need the preparation of 1 rep, then 2 reps, etc. Since I am still working a making these techniques happen naturally, I find my 1st rep quite hard, that reminds me to stay focused on all the finer points of tension and pressing. By the time I get to the higher reps that first one feels light because everything else is dialed in by then.