JM Presses

[Polish Hammer]

Just started incorporating them and damn am I weak.Tried a simple 135 and could barely get a few reps.Ive watched a ton of videos(including the old Westside seminar),so Ive got the movement down.Just wondering if any of you guys had a hard time with them at first?

[KarlMarx]

Yeah,
I always feel weak when I do them. But writing now, I realize I do about 2/3rds my bench max for reps on them. It just seems like a little but actually I think thats a good amount. What percent of your raw max do you JM press for reps?

[barbell01]

if your doing them right, you shouldnt be doing alot of weight.

[PDR]

if your doing them right, you shouldnt be doing alot of weight.

Yeah you should be able to go pretty heavy on these. I know they can be really awkward at first....keep at them for 3-4 weeks then reevaluate to see if they work for you or not. If you don't like them...try rack lockouts.

[Polish Hammer]

Yeah,
I always feel weak when I do them. But writing now, I realize I do about 2/3rds my bench max for reps on them. It just seems like a little but actually I think thats a good amount. What percent of your raw max do you JM press for reps?

My Raw max is around 340,but like I said I can barely do 135.

[KarlMarx]

My Raw max is around 340,but like I said I can barely do 135.

There are lots of ways to do these too--different styles. Some are definitely harder than others. The more I focus on doing it like an extension the less weight I can do for instance. Also, one of my buddies was having a real problem doing them and asked me over to take a look---his grip was awkwardly wide and when he brought it in a bit he was a lot happier with the movement.

So, I guess my experience would say look at how you are doing it and the width of your grip. But its also possible you found a personal weakness and that is a potential goldmine. I always get stoked when I am weak on a lift, then I know exactly what to train to get stronger...so maybe you're just lucky! :hello:

[sayagain]

I felt pretty weak on these when I started them. I actually didn't like the exercise at first because it felt awkward, but I kept going back to it and it is now one of my favorite bench supplemental exercises. My raw max is about 380 and I started with 135 on these and after a couple months I am now working with 225 for 5-8 reps per set.