More about Pressing

A good rule of thumb regarding pressing ability is that a fairly skilled lifter should be able to raise about 70% as much weight in a military press as he can in the Clean and Jerk. However, because of the increased skill of today's Olympic lifters due to specializing in the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, a good military press would be about 62% or 63% of the Clean and Jerk. Vasili Alexeev, the great Olympic lifter of the 1970s, was probably capable of a military press of 350 or 360 pounds, or around 160 kg. However, during the years before it was eliminated from competition, the Clean and Press was no longer a strict military press. That is why Alexeev's Olympic press was around 517 pounds, or 235 kg. Some heavyweights and super heavyweights were able to "press" more than they could Clean and Jerk! The press was considered a strength lift. In reality, a lot of skill goes into pressing a heavy barbell. This is shown by the fact that an extremely strong man, if untrained, might be able to press 200 pounds, whereas a skilled lifter could press this much weight easily. (Of course, most of us press a lot less than this on the first day!) After several years of training, a lifter should be able to increase his press by 50% before reaching the limits of his strength and skill. This means that a lifter that is beyond the teenage growing years, and has reached his full adult, untrained strength should be able to increase his military press from 100 to 150 pounds, or from 200 to 300 pounds.