help me understand this exercise please

Hi All,

The third exercise of workout today was press or dumbell press with the following sets 70%e1RM x AMRAP x 1 set. 63% e1RM x 12 x 2 sets

Since I don’t have dumbells or a pressing bench/seat I did standing OHP.

I have a pretty strong standing OHP press but this seems impossible if I’m reading it correctly, so I suspect I’m not.

This was the third exercise and followed incline benching so I was already gassed when I got to this. so I performed it this way.

I used my actual 1RM for the first set to calculate the weight (.7 x 220 = ~155). I managed 10 reps at 155, which I then used to determine a new “current” 1rm based on my current fatigued state. It came to ~206. Then, I tried 2x12 using 130 (close enough to .63 of 206). I failed to get 12 reps on either set with 3 minutes rest. I got 11 on the first and don’t even know on the second, but it was low.

Did I do this wrong or do I just need better interset recovery/endurance? Coming as the last exercise, following incline bench, it just seems very difficult as written or as I understood it.

Thanks!

You did it right. 70% is approx. a 10RM, so your first set was right on the money, and the weight for the back off sets seems appropriate. If high rep OHP is pretty new to you, it could explain the unexpected interset fatigue. I’d say just try again next week and expect things to be fine!

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It sounds like you did it right you just need to work on the endurance…which that work undoubtedly improved.

My upper body lifts tend to fall off really fast in higher rep ranges just like you describe. Drop the weight some and get all the prescribed reps. You’ll adapt to it in some time.

Thanks guys, Just finished week two and had the same issue (though I adjusted my e1rm down to 210 per last weeks performance). When I got the 220 PR it was at the end of a deload/taper in my previous program (and several weeks ago) and I’m finding this programming pretty challenging comparatively so the dip is fine by me. Im hoping to hit two plates by the end.

My OHP is very strong relative to my other lifts (+~30-35 over bodyweight when I hit my PR) so I wonder if that has something to do with it. I was running Andy Baker’s Garage Gym Warrior, which is press focused (as opposed to bench) for a several cycles and before that did a ton of handstand pushups as I was doing a lot of calisthenics. So, I may be closer to my max potential in OHP compared to my other lifts and it’s the only lift that I’m having trouble finishing workouts with, so… I wonder if I should be using a lower percentage of my e1rm due to having a fairly well developed max OHP. I dunno, just speculating.

In any case, I’ll keep on truckin’ - I love the program so far. Had massive DOMs in posterior chain for the first week+ but that’s backing off now. Recovery, with the GPP work added in, is challenging at my age but I think I can do it.