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Shoulder more weight: a trick to help you lift heavier—right now!
Men's Fitness, August, 2005
Even when you think you're training as hard as possible, you're probably capable of lifting a lot more weight than you'd imagine. The trick to doing it, though, is convincing your body to suck it up and try. Luckily, your muscles don't need a motivational speech in order to become stronger. But they do need a good priming-in the form of an even heavier lift. According to Baton Rouge trainer Todd Scott, by doing two sets of an exercise he calls "push presses" you should be able to instantly add some poundage on your shoulder press.
Here's why: When you lift heavy, you cause the nerves in your central nervous system to recruit a backup supply of muscle fibers-think of them as your body's Army Reserve. Once these fibers have been called into play, your muscles are temporarily stronger, and able to lift significantly more weight in subsequent exercises.
Employ the strategy
After your warm-up, place a barbell on the supports of a power rack at about shoulder level. Load it with 40%-50% more weight than you would use for 8-10 reps on a set of regular shoulder presses. Then lift the bar off the rack and lower it until it rests against the front of your shoulders. Bend your knees, lowering your body as if you were doing a half squat [1]. Without pausing, explode upward by straightening your legs, pressing the bar directly overhead [2]. That's one rep. Do two sets of three reps, resting 2-3 minutes between sets. Then, rest another 2-3 minutes before your first set of shoulder presses. You should get 5-10 pounds more than normal.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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