When Your Overhead Press Stalls: The Full-Spectrum Fix

THE COMPLETE JHEPC CONJUGATE STRONGMAN SYSTEM - 12 Months of Programming, Peakin

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When Your Overhead Press Stalls: The Full-Spectrum Fix

So your overhead press is stuck. Again. Whether it’s the strict barbell, the log, the axle, the jerk, or the push press -it just won’t move. Or worse: you hit the same number every 4–6 weeks and convince yourself that’s “holding steady.”

This article is here to break that cycle.

Not with generic cues. Not with rehab  fuckery. And not with another watered-down progression you’ve seen copy-pasted across a dozen Reddit threads. We’re here to rebuild the entire system.

Because when your press stalls, the problem isn’t just the press. It’s your triceps, your upper back, your leg drive, your timing, your bar path, your setup, and all the small, easy-to-ignore pieces in between. If you’re serious about fixing it, you don’t need a cue  - you need a full-body intervention.

This is your overhaul, not your deload.

It’s also the natural evolution of topics I’ve already covered:

• Why Strongman Competitors Should Bench Press

• Log Press: Key Programming Considerations Everyone Else Overlooks

• Mastering Overhead Press Variations

• The Entire Tricep Training Treasury

• The Importance of Triceps Training for Powerlifting and Strongman

  
  

But this is where it all comes together.

A full-spectrum fix for the stuck press. Every tool, every angle, every trick I’ve used with lifters who needed their overhead to actually go up, not just “maintain under fatigue.”

Because let’s be honest…

If you’re not actively getting better at overhead pressing, you’re getting worse. And if you’ve convinced yourself that “I just don’t press well,” this is the article that finally proves you wrong.

Let’s rebuild it.

The Log (Clean &) Press for Dummies: A Practical Guide to Mastering One of Stro

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Step One: Identify the Sticking Point

Before you throw more weight at the problem or spam close-grip triples, stop and actually assess where your press is breaking down.

Every overhead press  - whether strict, log, axle, push press, or jerk  - has weak links. They just show up in different ways depending on bar path, rack position, timing, and technical demand. If you don’t know what failed first, you’ll waste months hammering muscles that aren’t the real issue.

Let’s break it down.

Common Sticking Points

• Off the shoulders: You fail to launch the bar cleanly from the rack. Often due to poor positioning (e.g. elbows too low, soft upper back), weak starting strength, or a rack height that’s sabotaging your bar path before the lift begins.

• Mid-range stall: The bar moves but slows drastically or halts around forehead height. This is typically a combination of poor tricep timing, inefficient transfer of force, or loss of technical tension  - especially in push presses, jerks, and log variations.

• Lockout issues: If the bar gets close but won’t finish, that’s often triceps again  - but not always. Poor bar path, soft elbow positioning, or failing to maintain full-body tension are just as likely. Remember: it’s not just about “more tricep.” It’s about firing them in the right pattern from a stable base.

What to Look For in Your Videos

• What failed first? Was it your elbow drive, bar speed, position, or leg timing? Don’t just watch the fail  - analyse the moments leading up to it.

• Did bar speed die, or was it never there? A slow grind is different from a press that never had intent or acceleration. That tells you where the issue starts: intent vs strength vs timing.

• Did the torso collapse, or stay stacked? Loss of posture often means upper back or rack issues  - especially on the log, axle, and push press.

✅ Fast Fix Checklist

Run through this checklist before blaming “weak triceps” again:

• Is your rack height correct? If it’s too high or low, you’ll leak power before the bar even clears your shoulders.

• Are your elbows under the bar, or behind it? Poor elbow position ruins force transfer and puts pressure on the wrong structures.

• Is your dip vertical and controlled, or collapsing forward? In jerks and push presses, a bad dip kills the whole lift.

• Are you actually using leg drive, or just faking it? If you press before the legs fully extend, you're losing free power.

• What’s your bar path doing? If it loops forward, you’re pressing out in front  - which often turns a tricep-dominant lockout into a full-body salvage attempt.

You Can’t Out-Tricep a Systemic Issue

The slides don’t lie  - and you’ve probably felt this before:

• Triceps determine how efficiently you transfer force, but they don’t do the transfer for you.

• If your rack position collapses, upper back disengages, or your elbows flare early, it doesn’t matter how strong your arms are  - you’ve already lost the lift’s structure.

• Over-relying on triceps can mask deeper problems in shoulder health, mobility, and bar control. That’s why plenty of lifters with big bench numbers still struggle overhead  - it’s not lack of force, it’s lack of structure and sequencing.

  Don’t guess. Watch your lifts. Check where things start to go wrong  - not just where they end. Because if your position sucks, your triceps will always be too late to save you.

The Log (Clean &) Press for Dummies: A Practical Guide to Mastering One of Stro

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Step Two: Diagnose the Actual Weakness

Before you write another “press every day” plan or waste six months chasing a strict press PB, you need to ask the harder question:

What actually failed? Not just where the bar stalled, but why it stalled.

Because not all failures are created equal. A press can break down due to:

• Technical failure  - you moved incorrectly or at the wrong time.

• Muscular failure  - something wasn’t strong enough.

• Positional failure  - you couldn’t maintain the joint angles or leverage you needed.

If you treat every breakdown as a strength issue, you’ll miss the real problem.

Below are the six most common culprits behind a stalled press  - not just in powerlifting or strongman, but across Olympic lifting, CrossFit, and hybrid systems. Most lifters have more than one. All of them are fixable.

1️⃣ Weak Triceps (The Lockout Killer)

Everyone says they train triceps. But 90% of lifters still fail to build real, competition-carryover tricep strength.

Here’s what most get wrong:

• They do too much volume and not enough load.

• They chase pump work but never train lockout angles under fatigue.

• They train bench-style tricep patterns, but their overhead press demands a very different tricep pattern: vertical, stacked, and often under instability.

• 
  

Fix it by:

• Building absolute strength with movements like JM Press, close-grip incline, rolling DB extensions, nose height seated pin presses and pin lockouts overhead.

• Programming tricep accessories at multiple angles (not just horizontal).

• Adding fat bar or log-specific tricep builders to match sport-specific needs.

Remember: if the bar gets to your eyes but never finishes, the triceps didn’t do their job  - or weren’t in a position to.

Want the full triceps breakdown? See:

 The Entire Tricep Training Treasury 

The Importance of Triceps in Strongman & Powerlifting

2️⃣ Inconsistent Leg Drive or Dip Mechanics

This is the silent killer in push presses, jerks, and even log press  - the lifter dips and drives, but the bar either floats up without connection, or they’re already pressing before their legs finish extending.

Bad dip = no drive. Bad drive = disconnected bar path. Disconnected bar path = weak press that isn’t really a press.

You think your press is weak - it’s not. It’s just missing 20% of the power your legs were supposed to deliver.

Fix it by:

• Practising strict tempo dips with a pause at the bottom.

• Performing dip+hold drills to engrain vertical descent.

• Using pause jerks and push press variations with a deliberate timing cue: legs first, THEN arms.

Bonus: If your torso collapses forward in the dip, fix your core and quad control  - your upper body isn’t bracing enough to hold position under leg drive.

3️⃣ Poor Rack Position or Elbow Position

Let’s get one thing straight: You can’t press from a bad rack.

• If your elbows are too far behind the bar, you're pressing backwards  - not up.

• If the bar is resting low on your clavicle or chest, not stacked over the forearms, you're losing force before you even initiate the lift.

• If the log rolls or the axle crushes your windpipe, you’re not going to get a clean press no matter how strong you are.

• If your front rack collapses in the dip its game over.

In Strongman, this is magnified tenfold. Logs, axles, and sandbags don’t give you “perfect” racked positions - you have to force them into position through tight upper back engagement, high elbows, and maximum control.

Fix it by:

• Training front rack isometrics with log, axle, and barbell variations.

• Strengthening elbow-up rack support through zombie squats, SSB front holds, and bottom-up pressing setups.

• Practising clean-to-rack transitions with speed and precision  - don’t “catch and collapse.”

4️⃣ Lack of Upper Back Stability

Think your back isn’t involved in overhead pressing? Try unracking 100kg on a log without a tight upper back.

The upper back:

• Holds the rack position

• Keeps the thoracic spine extended

• Controls the bar path mid-range

• Anchors the arms so the triceps can lock out

If it caves, rounds, or softens  - everything downstream suffers.

Fix it by:

• Training log cleans from pins, using the upper back to crush the handle in and elevate the elbows.

• Doing snatch grip high pulls, reverse flies, and bent-over rows specifically with shoulder retraction under tension.

• Paused overhead work from a deadstop  - including seated overhead lockouts and Z presses with a pause on the chest.

If your back collapses, your press dies before it starts.

5️⃣ Poor Core or Breath Control Under Load

Breath drives posture. Posture drives power. Power drives the press.

If you’re leaking air halfway through the dip, or if your ribs flare and spine overextends at the bottom, you’ve already compromised bar path and joint integrity.

A bad breath or brace doesn’t just affect the midsection  - it ruins leg drive, back tension, and tricep alignment.

Fix it by:

• Training overhead carries with intentional breath-hold cycles (e.g. 3–5 steps per breath).

• Incorporating seated overhead breathing presses  - inhale, pause, press with breath held.

• Adding anti-extension and anti-lateral flexion work weekly: side planks, suitcase carries, banded deadbugs.

This isn’t about abs. It’s about creating a trunk that can press something skyward without collapsing under its own air pressure.

6️⃣ Weak Shoulders (But Not How You Think)

Everyone loves blaming the shoulders  - “just do more overheads,” they say.

But the truth? Most people don’t have weak shoulders. They have shoulders that can’t stabilise and hold under pressure, especially in different planes or with odd implements.

Your shoulders fail when:

• They lack isometric control

• They fatigue under time or volume, not just load

• They can’t adjust to unstable loads (e.g. sandbag, log, Swiss bar)

Fix it by:

• Adding long-duration overhead holds (log, axle, barbell, dumbbell).

• Programming single-arm overhead work (KB or DB) with rotation control.

• Using slow eccentric dumbbell presses, Bradford presses, and plate raises through full ROM.

Train the shoulders to support, stabilise, and last, not just press.

The Bottom Line: A stalled press isn’t just “weak.” It’s imbalanced. Disconnected. Technically broken. Or all three.

Diagnosing the actual weakness lets you stop wasting time on junk volume and start targeting the true limiting factor.

Now that you’ve identified it  - we build the solution.

Fix Your Weaknesses: A Conjugate Guide to Building Unstoppable Strength 2.0

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Step Three: Select the Right Fix

You’ve diagnosed the problem. Now it’s time to treat it with the correct prescription. This is where most lifters go wrong.

You don’t fix a technical breakdown with brute force. You don’t solve a lockout problem with more strict press volume. And you sure as hell don’t “just press more” when your leg drive sucks.

What you need is a targeted, rotating system that:

• Attacks absolute strength AND speed

• Builds stability AND skill

• Cycles through enough variation to address every weak link

• Teaches your body to press under pressure, from awkward positions, and through fatigue

Here’s how we do that:

Max Effort Rotation (Conjugate Style)

This is where specific strength gets built. One heavy, well-selected press variation per week  - rotated weekly or biweekly to match your current goal, weak point, or implement focus.

Forget doing 3x5 strict press forever and hoping it pays off.

We build strength where it matters by pressing from angles and positions where you currently fail.

Core Max Effort Presses to Rotate:

• Push Press (axle or log) – build leg drive strength + coordination

• Strict Log or Axle Press – reinforce stacked pressing, pure upper body drive

• Floor Press (fat bar, log, axle) – kill sticking points and tricep collapse

• Incline Log or Swiss Bar Press – mimic poor rack positions and challenge midrange drive

• SSB or Front Rack Jerks from Pins – teach explosive lockout and core-stacked posture

  
  

Programming Style:

• 1RM or 3RM each week

• Rotate movement every 1–2 weeks

• Match implement to your sport or comp priority

• Treat it like a skill lift: warm up methodically, film it, and track performance over time

Why pins and incline matter: Pressing from pins, especially at eye-level or just above the chest, eliminates momentum and isolates the most compromised joint angles. Incline variants shift the load toward upper pecs and anterior delts while exposing stability leaks you’d otherwise mask with full ROM speed.

Dynamic Effort Pressing (Speed Kills Stalls)

This is where we fix bar speed, timing, and technique.

DE pressing isn’t just about moving fast  - it’s about moving right. Every rep becomes a high-speed technical rehearsal under manageable load. It’s where we drill leg drive timing, elbow tracking, torso alignment, and rhythm.

Used correctly, DE work is precision-engineering under a stopwatch.

Sample DE Press Waves:

• 3-week waves at ~60–75% bar weight, plus 10–20% band or chain tension

• 8–12 sets of 2–3 reps (barbell, axle, or log)

• 30–45 seconds rest between sets

• Cueing focus: down fast, up violently, lockout clean

Dynamic Implement Variations:

• Log or Axle Speed Presses – teach timing, dip, and clean leg–arm separation

• Viper Presses & Jerky Medleys – condition sport-specific explosiveness under fatigue

• Banded Push Press or Power Jerks – challenge stability and acceleration at lockout

• Chain Overhead Presses – force clean bar path and explosive finish

Add Plyometric Support Work:

• Clap Push-Ups – for explosive chest and shoulder drive

• Overhead Med Ball Tosses – build neural drive through full extension

• Plyo Wall Throws (kneeling, rotational) – train triple extension and full-body press synergy

This is where bar speed meets bar skill. It also lets you train pressing more frequently without accumulating max effort fatigue.

Weak Point Accessories (Pick What Fixes the Fault)

This is your muscle-building and movement-cleaning section.

Every movement here plugs a known leak in your pressing system.

Rotate accessories every 2–3 weeks and prioritise:

• Targeted isolation of known weak points

• Implementation-specific variations (e.g., log vs axle vs barbell)

• Hypertrophy and positional reinforcement  - not just “chasing fatigue”

Triceps (Lockout Authority)

• Close-Grip Board Press (2–3 board) – emphasises final range elbow extension

• Rolling Dumbbell Triceps Extensions – combines stretch and drive in shoulder-friendly position

• JM Press – hybrid of skullcrusher and press, ideal for midrange breakdown

Shoulders (Stability and Strength)

• Z Presses – crushes core+shoulder integration, reveals compensation patterns

• Bradford Press – dynamic shoulder control under constant tension

• Chinese Snatch Press – overhead skill + thoracic extension in one

Upper Back (Rack & Press Anchor)

• Seal Rows – strict, no-cheat scapular retraction builder

• Rear Delt Flys (Prone or Reverse Pec Deck) – target postural balance

• Band Pull-Aparts & Face Pulls – volume tools to restore retraction endurance

Core (Breath & Brace Builders)

• Front Rack Carries (Axle, Barbell, Sandbag) – full-chain trunk stability

• Banded Planks – reinforce anti-extension with load

• RNT Offset Carries – correct asymmetries and anti-rotation weakness

Grip (The Axle Isn’t Going to Hold Itself)

• Thick Handle Holds – build crush and support strength for axle/log

• Sandbag Cleans + Holds – teach tension through the entire kinetic chain

• Wrist Roller, Plate Pinches, Farmers with Towels – overload grip in sport-relevant ways

  If you know your weak link, you owe it two slots per week until it’s fixed: one heavy/specific, one volume-based/supportive.

No one stalls a press because their triceps are too strong, or their rack position is too stable. Address it with the right tools. Then rotate the stimulus and attack it again.

From Training to the Podium: Conjugate Peaking for Strongman Competitions 2.0

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The Secret Weapon: Bench Press

Why pressing horizontally fixes vertical press weaknesses.

This one still gets eye-rolls from the old-school overhead purists. “If you want to press more overhead, just press overhead.” Cool. And if I want to be a good strongman, should I never squat either?

Here’s the truth: If your overhead press is stalling, it’s often not because of the vertical plane  - it’s because you haven’t built the muscular armour and technical control that feeds into it.

And nothing feeds it quite like the bench press.

Bench Press Is Your Overhead Insurance Policy

You don’t need to bench to compete in strongman  - but you’d be a fool to ignore it if you want bigger overhead numbers.

The horizontal press isn’t just a different direction. It builds:

• Triceps with more overload potential than overhead pressing can ever provide

• Upper back tightness that translates directly to rack position and bar path control

• Pec tension and anterior chain engagement that reinforces bar drive

• Midline control through bracing, leg drive, and shoulder packing under load

• Pressing confidence  - because heavy benches make you feel like a tank

And that confidence bleeds into your log, axle, and jerk work. You stop being the lifter who tips over during a heavy clean or folds under a misgrooved press.

Train Both to Feed Each Other, Not Compete

The trick isn’t to “pick” one or the other. It’s to program both in a way that builds synergy  - not fatigue.

For example:

• Monday: Max Effort Overhead (Strict Log 3RM)

• Thursday: Volume Bench + Triceps (Close-Grip Bench 4x6 + Board Presses + DB Extensions)

Or:

• Tuesday: DE Log Speed Work + Plyometrics

• Saturday: Heavy Incline Swiss Bar Bench + Shoulder Accessories

And in peak phases:

• Pair an incline log press with a close-grip bench press in the same week  - one builds bar control and rack awareness, the other stacks pure lockout strength.

This isn’t about “more pressing.” It’s about strategic pressing across both movement planes to reinforce every piece of the chain.

But There’s a Caveat...

If your pec minor is locked up, your scapulae don’t move, and your shoulder blade rhythm is shot, the bench won’t fix your press  - it’ll just hurt more.

This is where mobility and positional prep matter:

• Open up the anterior chain (pec minor, anterior delts, lats)

• Restore scapular control and rhythm (scap push-ups, banded wall slides, serratus activation)

• Relearn how to pack the shoulders without losing range

Fix the system, not just the lift.

Bench Only Coaching

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The bench press isn’t optional anymore. It’s the secret weapon that builds the pressing musculature you’ll never get from a log alone. Don’t ignore it. Deploy it with intent.

How to Coach Yourself - Micro Ebook For Lifters Who Want Clarity, Confidence & C

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Movement Mastery: Fix Your Technique

You don’t just lift more. You get better at lifting. And in overhead work, technical mastery is non-negotiable.

This is where most lifters stall  - not because they’re under-trained, but because they’re misfiring. The bar’s out of position. The elbows lag. The legs dip unevenly. The timing’s off. And every inch you lose to poor mechanics becomes 10kg you’ll never see on the bar.

Let’s fix that.

The Three Pillars of Technical Success

1. Rack Position The launchpad. If your elbows are behind the bar, chest collapsed, or lats disengaged, you’ve already thrown away 30% of your power. A good rack isn’t just about “elbows up.” It’s about creating a shelf with the torso and upper back to drive from.

2. Bar Path The make-or-break line. Too far forward and you’ll lose leverage and force a triceps-only bailout. Too far back and you’ll lose balance. The optimal path is slightly back and up  - keeping the bar close and stacked over the midfoot and hips as early as possible.

3. Leg Drive Timing The biggest killer of push presses and jerks. If your press starts before the legs are fully extended  - or the arms delay after the leg drive  - you’ve lost the transfer. This is what separates a smooth, snappy press from an awkward grind.

Targeted Fixes for Real Problems

• SSB Jerk Dips One of the best drills for cleaning up leg drive. The Safety Squat Bar forces a vertical dip, loads the midfoot, and highlights imbalance. Perfect for teaching a controlled down-phase and an explosive, even drive.

• Pause Log Push Press (From Rack) Forces you to own the bottom position. No bounce. No fake dip. Just control. Teaches position, posture, and true transfer of leg drive. Bonus: it punishes anyone who cheats their rack or lets their elbows drop.

• “Tension Down, Violence Up” One of the most effective cues you can use. Stay tight, braced, and intentional on the descent  - then unleash max intent on the press. Think of coiled aggression: quiet on the way down, explosive on the way up.

• Viper Press An underrated movement for timing and flow. There’s no pause between clean and press  - it teaches bar-body connection, force sequencing, and fluid transfer. When done fast and clean, it feels like a slingshot. If it’s awkward, it shows you’ve got leaks in your chain.

🇨🇳 What Chinese Weightlifters Get Right

Watch any elite Chinese lifter hit a clean & jerk or snatch, and you’ll notice a few things:

• Incredible vertical force production

• Ruthless bar proximity and posture

• Fluid joint stacking and overhead mobility

• And a massive emphasis on technical drills and specific isometrics

They don’t just lift. They master positions through constant repetition, targeted correctives, and deliberate tempo work.

Key Lessons:

• Mobility work isn’t just stretching. It’s loaded position work (e.g., overhead squat holds, snatch grip press from split)

• Stability drills matter. Standing vertical press holds, banded scap work, and shoulder control are daily staples

• Force is trained in context. They don’t just do plyometrics. They do overhead med ball throws, jerk dips, explosive partials  - all tailored to the lift

Borrow that mindset. Master each piece of the lift, not just the outcome.

Technique Isn’t Just Form  - It’s Power Efficiency

A strong press with poor technique is a grind. A strong press with great technique is a launch.

Fix your positioning, clean up your timing, and sharpen your patterning. Because the better your movement, the fewer your limits.

The Conjugate Method for Dummies : A Modern Guide to the World's Most Misunderst

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Specialty Bars & Variations That Fix Overhead Stalls

You don’t always need a new program. Sometimes, you just need a bar that fixes the problem for you.

The right specialty bar or implement variation can highlight technical flaws, build neglected muscle groups, and force you into better positions  - without having to overthink it. These aren’t gimmicks. These are precision tools.

Here’s how to wield them.

SSB Jerk Dips

The Safety Squat Bar is one of the most powerful fixes for unstable or uneven dip mechanics in the push press and jerk.

• It shifts the centre of mass forward and up, which means you have to brace harder and control the descent.

• The camber punishes lateral drift or collapsing chest  - making it a built-in coach for leg drive timing.

• Perfect for teaching vertical force application and midfoot balance.

Use it as a warm-up drill, or load it for 3–5 rep sets to groove mechanics under fatigue.

Cambered Bar Z Press

If your bar path sucks or your upper back can’t stabilise heavy loads, this is your fix.

• The cambered bar swings. If your bar path isn’t vertical and tight, it exposes you instantly.

• Seated Z position eliminates leg drive  - so there’s no cheating. Just pure shoulder, core, and bar control.

• You’ll feel every inch of instability  - and learn to control it.

This isn’t just hard. It’s humbling. Run it for 3–6 weeks to rebuild shoulder coordination and core integrity.

Football Bar (or Swiss Bar) Strict Press

Neutral grip pressing is criminally underused in overhead work  - especially in off-season and GPP phases.

• Less strain on the shoulders

• More long head triceps engagement

• Easy to build elbow drive and vertical bar tracking

• Great for high-volume work or tempo control

Alternate between strict reps, slow eccentrics, or even slight push-press if shoulder fatigue is high.

Swiss Bar Standing Overhead Triceps Extensions

Yes  - an overhead triceps extension. Yes  - standing. Yes  - with a Swiss bar.

This forces you to:

• Stay vertical and braced

• Extend under load with full ROM

• Train the long head of the triceps in the exact angle used in the lockout of a log, axle, or barbell press

Perfect as a secondary or tertiary triceps builder in a pressing day. Start light. Control the descent. Then build to 8–12 rep sets with meaningful load.

Seated vs Standing Pressing Cycles

You need both. But you don’t need both at the same time. Here’s how to rotate them:

• Seated Pressing Blocks (3–6 weeks): Focus on shoulder and triceps dominance. Removes legs, exposes core control. Great for hypertrophy and patterning.

• Standing Pressing Blocks (6–12 weeks): Emphasise positioning, bar path, and leg timing. Transfer-driven. Must-do for peaking and event-specific prep.

A smart year cycles between seated and standing phases, each feeding the next.

Log, Axle, Barbell, Dumbbell: When to Rotate What

Every implement teaches something different:

• Log: Teaches bar path control, rack position, and full-body coordination. Prioritise in prep blocks.

• Axle: Builds midline bracing, pure pressing strength, and grip demand. Use in GPP and overload phases.

• Barbell: Still king for volume, progression, and speed work. Use in off-season or between events.

• Dumbbell: Unlocks unilateral weaknesses, shoulder stability, and lockout precision. Great as a secondary movement or on upper body accessory days.

Rotate based on:

• Upcoming competition events

• Current weaknesses

• Joint health

• Nervous system fatigue

Just because you're strongest with a log doesn't mean it should be your only implement. Variety builds the system. Specificity reveals it.

You don’t need a magic cue  - you need the right tool for the job. These barbell and implement swaps fix what cues can’t.

Strongman: Beyond Barebones Volume 1 (The Off-Season)

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GPP, Recovery, and Soft Tissue

Sometimes it’s not about adding a new press variation. It’s about recovering from the ones you already did.

If you’re constantly switching lifts, hammering overhead volume, and wondering why nothing’s sticking  - the issue might not be effort. It might be your recovery pipeline. You can’t adapt to training you haven’t recovered from.

This section is your insurance policy. It’s how you stay in the game long enough to win.

🔄 Recovery Isn’t Optional

Most lifters treat recovery like a side quest. Something to maybe fit in if there’s time. That’s a mistake.

You can have perfect technique and strong muscles  - and still stall if you’re inflamed, tight, and neurologically fried.

Especially in overhead pressing, where:

• The shoulder joint has insane mobility but very little passive stability

• The triceps and upper back take a beating every time you go heavy

• Your breathing and bracing patterns affect everything from bar path to lockout timing

Neglect recovery → Lose positioning, timing, and strength.

✅ Daily Recovery Primer (10–15 mins)

Use this every day you press  - or every day you’re sore. This is priming the system to move, recover, and improve.

🔹 Band Pull-Aparts & Dislocates

• 3x20 pull-aparts

• 2x15 shoulder dislocates with band or PVC → Activates rear delts, traps, rhomboids. Restores scapular rhythm.

🔹 Floor Angels or Wall Slides

• 2x10–15 slow reps → Opens up thoracic extension, shoulder ROM, and scapular glide.

🔹 Rotator Cuff Work (Cuban rotations, external rotations)

• 3x15 with light DB or band → Keeps your rotator cuff from becoming the weak link in your press. Especially important for log and axle lifters.

🔹 Banded Breathing

• 2–3 minutes with a light band around the ribs → Reinforces diaphragmatic control, core coordination, and trunk pressure under fatigue.

🔹 Recovery Sled Work

• 8–12 minutes light sled drags, forward and backward → Increases blood flow, improves connective tissue health, and aids systemic recovery without CNS fatigue.

Recovery work should build you up, not just “relax you.” Think: circulation, posture, movement quality, and stability  - all restored, daily.

Travis Mash’s Insight: “Master the Mundane”

Most lifters chase novelty. Elite lifters chase mastery.

As Travis Mash teaches  - the lifters who rise to the top aren’t just the strongest… they’re the most disciplined. They do the boring stuff with world-class consistency.

That means:

• Never skipping band work

• Never coasting through warm-ups

• Never letting mobility regress because you’re “off-season”

You don’t need a new magic exercise. You need to consistently own the recovery process like it matters  - because it does.

Your next 5kg press PR might not come from a new bar. It might come from your first pain-free block in months.

Invest in your recovery like it’s part of the training  - because it is.

Outsider Strength: Everything They Didn’t Want You to Learn About Lifting - Con

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Bonus Section: Clean Up the Clean

Don’t miss presses because your clean sucks.

You can have the strongest press in the world… But if your clean is trash, you’ll never show it.

Weak cleans ruin more strong presses than people realise. And in strongman, Olympic lifting, and axle events  - your press starts with how you receive the bar.

The Clean Is Half the Battle

If you treat the clean as a throwaway  - something to rush through just to get to the press  - here’s what you’re actually doing:

• Fatiguing your press muscles before the bar even touches your chest

• Losing your tight rack position before the dip even begins

• Letting the bar crash, bounce, or tip out of position, forcing you to recover mid-rep

• Burning energy in the catch that should’ve gone into the drive

Every one of those is a missed lift waiting to happen.

The Three Most Common Clean Issues

1. Weak Upper Back → Collapsed Rack

• The bar lands too low

• Elbows drop

• Thoracic spine rounds

• Dip timing falls apart

Fix it with:

• Front-loaded yoke walks

• Snatch-grip rows

• Upper back-focused GPP

• Chinese barbell front rack drills

2. Poor Front Rack Mobility → Bar Slips or Collapses

• Wrists over-extend

• Bar slides forward or digs into the throat

• Can’t control bar path or leg drive

Fix it with:

• Double front-rack kettlebell holds

• Wall-facing front squats

• Banded lat and pec minor openers

• Paused front squats with perfect posture

3. Lazy Pull or Bad Timing → No Control

• Bar loops out

• Elbows rotate late

• Feet land wide

• Core isn’t braced on catch

Fix it with:

• Axle cleans from blocks

• Clean pulls with vertical finish

• Clean-to-push press complexes

• Pause cleans with fast elbows

If It’s Floor-to-Overhead, Train the Floor

In strongman, Olympic weightlifting, and hybrid events  - the clean isn’t optional. It’s 50% of your lift.

That means:

• Train your clean like it matters

• Program it as a primary lift

• Cycle heavy cleans, volume cleans, and clean + press complexes

• Build your position, power, and posture  - not just your brute strength

You didn’t miss that log press because your triceps were weak. You missed it because the clean dumped the bar halfway to your chest and made the press twice as hard.

Clean up the clean  - and your press will follow.

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Example Overhead Press Block (Conjugate Style)

If your press is stuck, your program is broken. Here’s how to fix it  - without guessing.

This sample 4-week block is designed for lifters whose log or axle press has plateaued. It follows Conjugate principles: rotating Max Effort lifts, building power with Dynamic Effort work, and attacking weak points with surgical precision.

Each week includes:

• 1x Max Effort Overhead Lift

• 1x Dynamic Effort Press Session

• 3x Targeted Accessories

• Optional conditioning and recovery (see Section 8)

You can run this as-is or use it as a template to build longer blocks.

Week 1

Max Effort: 🔸 Log Press from Pins (top single)

• Crushes the sticking point off the shoulders

• Reduces fatigue from the clean

• Builds tension and posture under load

Dynamic Effort: 🔸 8x3 Push Press with Chains @ ~65–75% bar weight + 10–15% chain

• Trains bar speed, dip rhythm, and lockout precision

• Chains teach acceleration through the full range

Accessories: 

✅ JM Press – 4x8 

✅ Seal Row – 4x10–12 

✅ Front Rack Carry – 3x20m

• Triceps, upper back, rack stability. Everything that supports the press.

Week 2

Max Effort: 🔸 Incline Log Press (top 3RM)

• High carryover to shoulder and upper back strength

• Forces mid-range control and tight bar path

Dynamic Effort: 🔸 Viper Press EMOM – 10 mins @ moderate weight

• Conditions timing, breathing, and leg drive under fatigue

• Builds event-specific flow and transition power

Accessories: 

✅ Rolling DB Extensions – 4x12 

✅ Z-Press – 3x10 

✅ RNT Split Squat – 3x8/leg

• Targeted triceps, upright posture, and unilateral stability

Week 3

Max Effort: 

🔸 Axle Clean + Push Press (top 3RM, no belt)

• Demands full-body control, bar path integrity, and grit

• Builds clean–to–press flow under pressure

Dynamic Effort: 

🔸 Banded Barbell Push Press – 7x3 @ 60–70% + light bands

• Speed, timing, and reactive strength in the dip–drive transition

Accessories: 

✅ Close-Grip Floor Press – 4x6–8 

✅ Chinese Snatch Press – 3x10 

✅ Yoke Zercher Carry – 3x15m

• Builds pressing force from the floor, scapular control, and front-loaded trunk integrity

Week 4 (Deload OR Peak Challenge)

Choose your goal:

• Use this week to recover and deload, or…

• Use it to test and display the press you’ve rebuilt

Option A: Deload Week 

🔸 Strict Log Press – 3x5 @ 65–70% 

🔸 Technique-focused Viper Press – 5x2, clean reset each rep 

✅ Light accessories + recovery work (see Section 8)

Option B: Challenge Week 

🔸 Push Press for Reps @ 85% of old 1RM 

🔸 Timed Log Clean & Press Medley (e.g., 60 seconds max reps @ 80%) 

✅ Post-lift recovery circuit: band work, planks, sled drags

Notes for Progression

• Rotate your Max Effort movements weekly or every 2 weeks

• Cycle DE variations: bands, chains, straight weight

• Keep accessories for 2–3 weeks, then swap based on what’s lagging

• Re-test the main press at Week 5 or 6 using log clean & press (1RM) or Axle (3RM)

The best overhead press blocks don’t just build strength  - they eliminate weaknesses, improve movement quality, and keep your body healthy.

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3-Week Log Press Peak Program

This 3-week peaking block is designed for strongman athletes looking to build a big log press  - both strict and leg-driven. The structure blends Max Effort and Dynamic Effort sessions, plus targeted accessories to support shoulder health, pressing power, and overhead stability.

Week 1

Max Effort Upper:

• 2 Count Pause at Dip Axle Overhead Press  - Work to a new 1RM Focus: Control and stability in the transition from dip to drive

Dynamic Upper:

• Log Press from Rack vs Mini Bands: 6x2 @ 60%

• Log Clean: 2x2 @ 70%

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Unstable Overhead Press Variation

  • 2x Upper Back Movements (e.g. rows, face pulls)

  • 1x Heavy Triceps (e.g. JM press, rolling DB extensions)

  • 1x Light Triceps/Biceps/Shoulders (pump work or supersets)

Max Effort Lower:

• Deficit Deadlift vs Chains  - Work to a 3RM Focus: Starting strength and lockout with chain overload

Dynamic Lower:

• Front Box Squat: 5x5 @ 65%

• Deficit Deadlift vs Bands: 8x2 @ 55% + Monster Mini Bands

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Anterior Hip Hinge (e.g. front-loaded RDLs)

  • 1x Knee Prehab Movement (e.g. Spanish squats, terminal knee extensions)

  • 1x High-Rep Hamstrings (e.g. leg curls, banded GHR)

  • 1x Dynamic Core (e.g. med ball throws, ab wheel rollouts)

Week 2

Max Effort Upper:

• Z Press  - Work to a new 1RM Focus: Midline bracing and pure pressing strength

Dynamic Upper:

• Log Press from Rack vs Mini Bands: 6x2 @ 65%

• Z Press: 3x5

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Unstable Overhead Press Variation

  • 2x Upper Back Movements

  • 1x Heavy Triceps

  • 1x Light Triceps/Biceps/Shoulders

Max Effort Lower:

• SSB Squat vs Bands  - Work to a 2RM Focus: Midline control and upper back tension under load

Dynamic Lower:

• Front Box Squat: 6x2 @ 70%

• Deficit Deadlift vs Bands: 6x2 @ 60% + Monster Mini Bands

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Anterior Hip Hinge

  • 1x Knee Prehab Movement

  • 1x High-Rep Hamstrings

  • 1x Static Core (e.g. planks, side holds)

Week 3

Max Effort Upper:

• Log Clean and Strict Press  - Work to a heavy max Focus: Precision off the clean and brute overhead strength

Dynamic Upper:

• Log Press from Rack vs Mini Bands:

  • 3x2 @ 70%, 3x1 @ 75%

• Z Press: 3x4–5

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Unstable Overhead Press Variation

  • 2x Upper Back Movements

  • 1x Heavy Triceps

  • 1x Light Triceps/Biceps/Shoulders

Max Effort Lower:

• Pause Front Squat (can be off a box)  - Work to a new 1RM Focus: Staying tight and upright in the hole

Dynamic Lower:

• Front Squat or Front Box Squat: 5x2 @ 75%

• Deficit Deadlift vs Bands: 5x1 @ 65% + Monster Mini Bands

• Accessory Work:

  • 1x Anterior Hip Hinge

  • 1x Knee Prehab Movement

  • 1x High-Rep Hamstrings

  • 1x Static Core

Week 4 (Test Week – Optional)

Max Effort Upper:

• Log Clean and Press Anyhow  - Build to competition-style max Focus: Combine leg drive, timing, and confidence

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What NOT to Do

Fixing your press isn’t just about doing the right things. It’s also about stopping the stuff that’s holding you back.

If you’ve been grinding for months with no progress, there’s a good chance you’re stuck in one of these dead-end loops:

❌ Stop Maxing Every Week on the Same Bar

Maxing your log press or strict barbell press every single week isn’t grit  - it’s bad strategy.

• No movement variation = no new stimulus

• No recovery = no adaptation

• No weak point exposure = no growth

You’re not training anymore  - you’re just testing. And that’s why your numbers haven’t changed in 3 months.

❌ Stop Living on 5x5 Seated Dumbbell Press

It’s fine as a warm-up. It’s fine for hypertrophy. But if your entire overhead plan is 5x5 DB press every Tuesday? You’re not building force, position, or coordination.

You’re just inflaming your front delts and calling it “shoulder day.” Meanwhile, your triceps, upper back, and timing are all still undertrained.

❌ Stop Skipping Bench and Back

You’ve heard it before  - but most lifters still do it: They hit one overhead day, ignore horizontal pressing, throw in some shrugs, and wonder why the press won’t move.

Your log press is only as strong as your bench and back.

• Bench = triceps, control, lockout force

• Upper back = rack position, posture, clean

• Rows, seal rows, snatch grip work = overhead stability and rack tightness

If you’re only training vertical, you’re leaving 30% of your potential on the table.

❌ Stop Hammering Shoulder Raises When It’s Not a Shoulder Problem

Lateral raises, front raises, rear raises… sure. But if your issue is:

• Triceps not finishing the lockout

• Poor leg drive coordination

• Elbows flaring too early

• No power from the clean…

You’re not going to fix that with another set of 20lb lateral raises. Train the problem  - not just the pump.

You can’t grind your way out of a technical or structural failure. 

You can’t “out-volume” with specific work your way through a weak tricep or bad rack position.

If you’re willing to do the work  - make sure it’s the right work. Fix what’s broken. Don’t just keep training around it.

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The Long Game: Pressing Progress That Stays

You didn’t come this far just to stall at a 90kg log forever. Short-term hacks and “press harder” plans might move the needle… for a while. But if you want overhead strength that actually lasts, you need to train with foresight, not desperation.

Why Your Progress Dies

You start strong. You hammer your log press or push press week after week. And then… it dies.

Not because you’re weak  - but because the system broke down.

• No rotation → you burn out or plateau

• No balance → you develop new weak points while old ones fester

• No recovery → you accumulate fatigue faster than you accumulate strength

Pressing progress dies when the rest of your system isn’t built to support it.

The Real Long-Term Fix

If you want your overhead numbers to rise consistently over months  - not just peak for a PR and crash  - you need to structure your press the same way you’d build a squat or deadlift cycle:

Press Rotation = Progress Preservation

Rotate implements, angles, and stimuli every 1–6 weeks:

• Week 1–3: Barbell push press or strict press

• Week 4–6: Log press with controlled eccentric

• Week 7–9: Axle clean & press for speed

• Week 10: Peak or test (only if needed)

• Then: Reset with a new cycle, addressing the weakest part first

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It has to be consistent.

Maintain vs Peak

Not every month is a PR month. Your progress plan should account for:

• Maintenance phases between comps (high technique, moderate load)

• Peak blocks when you need to hit top-end numbers

• Rebuild blocks when recovery or injuries demand it

Rotate with purpose  - not panic. Your press can stay strong all year, but only if your body does too.

Ready to Solve It for Real?

Let’s be blunt: You can keep throwing exercises at the wall and hope something sticks… Or you can get a real plan that addresses every single piece  - top to bottom.

Fix your triceps 

Fix your rack position 

Fix your leg drive, timing, technique, and event transitions 

Get a rotation and peaking structure that doesn’t crumble under pressure

This article was the blueprint. Now let’s build the structure.

  Let’s fix it properly  - and permanently.

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Fix It for Good

Still stuck? Still second-guessing?  You need a real plan that builds power from every angle.

Start here:

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Or go all in  - and apply for coaching. I’ll analyse your press, your technique, your weak points, and your weekly structure  - and we’ll break the plateau together.

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Best of the Rest

60-Second Self-Diagnostic Flow

Film from a front-quarter. If the bar leaves the rack with elbows behind it, jump to Rack Position Fixes. If the dip travels forward or the heels peel, go to Leg Drive Mechanics. If bar speed dies between eye and crown, hit Triceps Timing. If torso angle changes during the press, address Upper Back Stability. If breath leaks on the dip or you gasp before lockout, fix Breath and Brace. If the clean crashes or elbows lag on receive, Clean Up the Clean. Add a one-page printable of this tree as a content upgrade.

Objective Standards and Test–Retest

Targets to keep you honest: strict barbell press sits around 65–70% of close-grip bench for men and 60–65% for women with strongman backgrounds; push press about 110–115% of strict press when timing is sound; log strict about 90–95% of barbell strict for trained log lifters; axle push press typically 2–5% below barbell push press unless grip or brace is the limiter. Pick one weak-point lift and one skill drill. Test in Week 0, train three weeks, retest in Week 4 under the same set-up. If the weak-point lift climbs by at least 2.5% and the main press does not, run the same chain for one more block. If nothing moves, change the accessory chain, not the whole template.

Velocity and Tempo Guardrails for DE

Keep speed work fast, not fatigued. With a budget bar-speed app, aim for 0.65–0.85 m·s⁻¹ concentric on speed presses. If you dip under 0.60 for two sets, cut the session short or drop load by 5%. No tech available? Use a simple cadence: one second down, no float at the dip, violent up, 30–40 seconds rest. Stop when bar pop clearly fades.

Warm-Up Ladder

Eight to ten minutes, same order every press day: banded breath for 10 nasal breaths into the belt, scap wall slides 2×10, SSB jerk dip iso holds 3×5 seconds, empty bar tall presses 2×8, push press timing drill with a two-second dip and late arms for 3×3. Only load the first working set if the dip stays vertical and elbows stack under the bar.

Symptom to Solution

Bar drifts in front → late head-through or soft lats → pin press at forehead, log press with a two-second hold above eyes.

No pop off shoulders → dip forward or quads not stacked → SSB jerk dips, vertical dip tempo 3×5, front-foot pressure cue.

Mid-range stall → triceps timing and bar path → push press with chains 8×2, JM press 4×8.

Locks halfway then dies → breath leak or rib flare → seated breathing presses 3×5, front rack carries 3×20 m.

Clean crashes → upper back collapses → zombie front squats, axle cleans from blocks 5×3.

Implement Rotation Cheat-Sheet

GPP 3–6 weeks: primary axle strict, secondary close-grip bench. Brace and grip focus.

Build 6–9 weeks: primary log push press, secondary incline Swiss.

Timing and mid-range.

Specific 3–6 weeks: primary comp implement, secondary speed barbell. Rehearse event rules.

Commercial-Gym Substitutions

No log: football bar or barbell with two bumpers strapped high to mimic diameter and wrist angle.

No axle: double fat grips from clean to lockout.

No bands: chains, or cluster sets with 15-second intra-set rests to simulate ascending resistance.

No jerk blocks: use rack pins set 2–4 cm below rack height.

Female Athletes and Lighter Classes

Expect more passive shoulder mobility. Prioritise isometrics and long holds over chasing end range. Leg speed can outpace bar path in the push press. Cue a longer dip count and a harder brace.

Volume per session can be higher, but weekly absolute tonnage is lower. Keep Max Effort, then bias accessories into two longer slots each week rather than three short ones.

Pain Decision Lines and Red Flags

Sharp anterior shoulder pain on dip or eccentric that worsens across sets means no vertical pressing that day. Swap to incline Swiss or neutral-grip floor press and keep your pulling volume. Numbness or tingling on axle cleans needs wrist position addressed, straps for clean pulls, forearm soft tissue and nerve glides, then reassess next session. Lockout pain at full elbow extension calls for a two-week break from heavy lockouts, with high-rep cable press-downs and close-grip push-ups using slow eccentrics.

Mini Drills

Viper press: hips through as elbows rise.

Pause jerk dip: knees forward, heels kissed, chest high.

Cambered Z press: knuckles to the sky, ribs down.

Chinese snatch press: scaps up, elbows under, bar behind ears.

Front rack iso: collarbones up, throat free, elbows to the wall.

If possible, attach 10-second looped clips for each.

Two Ready-to-Run Templates

Six-Week Strict-to-Push-Press Bridge

Weeks 1–2: ME strict barbell 1RM then 3RM. DE 8×3 at 65% bar weight, 30 seconds rest.

Weeks 3–4: ME strict log 3RM from slight deficit. DE push press 8×2 at 70% with around 10% chains.

Weeks 5–6: ME push press 1RM, then 3×3 at 85% of that. DE viper EMOM 10 minutes at a moderate load.

Accessories each session: one heavy triceps, one shoulder isometric, one upper-back pull.

Time-Crunched Three-Day Split

Day 1 Dynamic Upper: speed press, plyometrics, triceps.

Day 2 Dynamic Lower: squat or yoke speed, moving events, core.

Day 3 Max Effort Upper: overhead or incline ME, back, triceps.

Keep log as the primary on Dynamic Upper. Keep moving events on Dynamic Lower.

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