Crossfit HSPUs - BS?

[Garrett Smith]

Blair,
For the folks who concluded that a free HSPU, full ROM, on parallettes only required the ability to press 90+% of one's BW...just curious, how many of those keyboard warriors (not you, of course) had actually ever done one?

[jake oleander]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Blair,
For the folks who concluded that a free HSPU, full ROM, on parallettes only required the ability to press 90+% of one's BW...just curious, how many of those keyboard warriors (not you, of course) had actually ever done one?

With flexibility, body awareness, balance, and practice I would say that a freestanding full ROM HSPU is roughly equivalent to a bodyweight strict press, but there's a whole lot more to the HSPU than just pressing strength.

[Blair Lowe]

Garrett, Steve was involved in that thread over on CF but the only people's opinion I noted were the gymnasts.

I also started asking around and looking at some of the people over there with big OHP. Anthony B besides looking into Kelly Moore and asking Roger Harrell, Dan Schmeiding, Steven Low, Brian DeGennero about their OHP besides referencing my own current and past OHP.

This of course was typically regarding a HSPU full range on parallettes against a wall. Not many of us can do it on parallettes. I used to only be able to do it with a balance spot. If you do it right on floor or parallettes you can get a stretch-reflex action out of it that makes it a bit easier than just pressing it out like OHP from a standstill.

As well, for some BW OHP also uses an arch of the chest which helps out quite a bit. It also has more ROM than a parallette HSPU. You just can't get to the nipples on a parallete HSPU without starting to lean it forward like a planche/90 degree pushup/tiger-bend/whatever.

I was playing with the difference of ROM a few weeks ago including doing an OHP with a hollow torso versus a classical OHP that starts on the chest and has the elbows behind the torso. Maybe that's just how my body does it for some anatomical thing but with elbows in line with my torso during an OHP, the bar is not on my chest.

[Steven Low]

Current strength I can probably do about ~5 free full ROM HSPUs on parallettes. I'd estimate that my press would be around bodyweight or maybe a little above.

Now if you give me 2-4 weeks grease the groove I could probably bring it up at least 15-30 lbs. But pure strict press strength without any neurological adaptations to barbell... it's probably about ~90% press strength for a free HSPU -- IF you were only working HSPUs. There's obviously a lot of specific work that goes into HSPUs as well.

If you're working both HSPUs and press, I am sure that your press strength will be much higher. Probably closer to 100% for a free HSPU. Hence, my practicing both would probably get me up 15-30 lbs past a bodyweight press.

[Garrett Smith]

Well, allrighty then.

[Steven Low]

Yeah I dunno. I'm too strong to really have it be a comparison.

You'd have to build people up solely on HSPUs and compare it to a combination of HSPU + press.

[Pat McElhone]

Here is something for those collecting data.

I weighed 170-175lbs, last weekend was my first olift meet, I weighed 77kg.

2 weeks ago, after reading the GreySkull article, I was interested in my 1RM Press. I pressed 175lbs at 173lbs BW. I have done no press training in over a year. I do a fair amount on Handstand Push-Up, on parrellettes (built from the old CFJ article). I do these with my feet (heels) against the wall. My max rep is 6. So, for me...a very recent max parrellette HSPU (against a wall) of 6 correlated with a standing press of 175lbs (basically BW).

[Garrett Smith]

Pat,
Are those full ROM, shoulders to (about) hands?

[Pat McElhone]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Pat,
Are those full ROM, shoulders to (about) hands?

Yes, crown to floor, shoulders to hands, can not go any lower.

[Steven Low]

For what it's worth there's about a 3:1 ratio of against the wall to free balancing. At least from what I have observed.