I see you guys say each Press in your training programs should be done from a dead stop. And I understand the reasoning behind this is because you and many people you train compete and so they train the press in that manner. So, my question is this: I always used the “Press 1.0” from back when I had SS 2nd edition. I then saw an SS coach awhile back who advised me to do the “Press 2.0” because he told me I could lift more weight with it. I learned it, and eventually settled on the “Press 1.5” that Michael Wolf uses where the first rep of each set is the “Press 2.0” and then every following rep is done in 1.0 fashion using the stretch reflex at the bottom. Sometimes the fifth rep is also done with 2.0 again depending. The reason for this is because honestly starting from a dead stop on each rep with the “Press 2.0” takes a lot out of you and sometimes it is fatiguing enough and hard enough to stay tight and get air by the 4th and 5th rep that a vast number of guys prefer the “Press 1.5” as the solution to this. You use the press 2.0 to initiate the initial stretch reflex on the first rep, because you have to, and then every rep after that utilizes the regular 1.0 benefits. Many feel, including myself, that they can press the most weight for sets this way.
Now I said all that to ask this: as someone who is not interested in competing and is just interested in getting big and strong, do I HAVE to do each press rep in your programs from a dead stop or can I use the Press 1.5? I have a 200lb press right now and my current goal is to shoot for 225. If I actually do have to start each rep from a dead stop, I’m obviously going to lose some strength and have to drop my work sets a bit to do so for what I see to not be completely necessary for someone who isn’t competing in the press. However, if you guys insist that I still start each press from a dead stop, would it behoove me to learn the “Classic Press” that Jordan writes about and uses? This seems to allow one to be a bit stronger, and when I watch him do reps it seems like it also allows him to do the sets a bit faster than when I see guys do the 2.0. When I see guys do the 2.0 on each rep they almost wait like 3-4 seconds before each rep. When I see Jordan do his presses, he just lowers the bar to his chest, dips back for a second and that’s it. Then each rep just hits his chest and gives him a little bit of a stretch reflex.
Sure, you can use the press 1.5. I don’t like having people wait too long before pressing their reps, so it’s important to refine your walkout and setup to minimize that “dead” time spent between reps.
There was, however, a recent thread here that discussed how the “1.5” can affect the use of RPE ratings from dead-stop singles, since they aren’t necessarily the same, depending on how many reps you’re doing in subsequent sets.
Ahh I see. That is definitely something to think about. Honestly I’ve just never been a fan of the 2.0. I used the strict 1.0 press for a while before learning 2.0 reluctantly (because I was told it was better), and the 1.0 was so engrained into my body mechanics that it made it a bit annoying. That being said, I recognize the 2.0 benefits, which is why I use 2.0 for the first rep and then 1.0 for the other 4. I noticed whenever I have seen Alan Thrall’s Instagram presses within the past year or so he does the same thing when doing reps. But what Jordan does now intrigues me, he takes a grip a finger width wider than the start of the knurling, unracks the bar, pushes his hips forward (but doesn’t thrust them to get a bounce like the 2.0) while also bringing the bar lower to his upper chest, and then presses. And between each rep he lowers it back down to that same spot for only a second to give it a dead stop before doing the next rep. This appeals to me more than the 2.0 hip bouncing annoyance that I feel almost screws me up sometimes. I’m inclined to try Jordan’s Classic Press but I am not confident I will do it right without videos. It seems a bit more nuanced than it appears.
To the extent that absolute weight on the bar matters (e.g., in competition), the 2.0 probably helps people press a bit more weight.
And thinking about it a bit more, I suppose that at a given submaximal weight, if using the 2.0 style helps you perform more sets or reps due to either 1) a more effective stretch reflex out of the bottom, or 2) a more efficient bar path by getting your head out of the way earlier, then it could have benefits from a training volume standpoint as well. But to the extent that someone has those things matched with a more “1.0” style press, those benefits diminish/disappear.
A push press is just a totally different lift. If you have a particularly effective dip and transfer of force into the bar, you can effectively “skip” the first 3/4 of the press ROM altogether. So they’re not really comparable.