8 Signs Your Press is WAY Above Average

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

These 8 signs separate average lifters from serious pressers. Do you make the cut? If not, let's fix your press fast. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

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How to Press: The Setup | STOP Doing This!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are you getting setup as well as you should be when you press (AKA overhead press or shoulder press)? In under 2 minutes, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers a common error during the setup process.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/26/22)

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The One Tiny Adjustment That Will Determine Your Benching & Pressing Strength

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Think your bench and press are stuck? It might just take one tiny adjustment to unlock serious improvements. In this short video, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down the small change that can make a big difference in your pressing power.

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If Wrist Wraps Could Talk, They'd Be Screaming at You

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

WHAT A FOOL.

Good heavens. Do not do this. Do not make these mistakes with your wrist wraps.

Problem #1: Forearm warmers are cute, but not useful.
Wrist wraps are not forearm warmers, so don’t wear them as if they are. If you wear your wrist wraps this low (as seen in Figure 1), they don’t provide any stability to your wrist.

Here’s your check - if you can easily bend your wrist backward (i.e., extend your wrist), you’re wearing your wraps in the wrong place.

figure 1: Addi is wearing her wrist wrap too low on the arm, so the wrap provides no support.

Problem #2: Gloves are swell, but not for lifting.
Wrist wraps are not gloves, either, so don’t wear them high up on the hand as if they are. Wearing your wrist wraps this high on the hand (as seen in Figure 2) creates the same problem as wearing them too low - the wraps can’t provide any stability to the wrists.

The check is the same as in Problem #1 - if you can easily bend your wrist backward, you’re wearing your wraps in the wrong place.

figure 2: Addi is wearing her wrist wrap too high on the hand, so the wrap again provides no support.

The Solution
It’s a wrist wrap, so it needs to cover the wrist. Profound, I know, but be sure to realize that since the wrist connects the hand and the forearm, the wrap needs to cover both the hand and the forearm - not simply one or the other.

figure 3: Starting higher on the hand and wrapping lower to the forearm

The job of the wrap is to stabilize the wrist - to provide a belt or a cast for the wrist, in a manner of speaking. With this in mind, start with the wrap on the hand, and as you apply the wrap (Figure 3), start wrapping slightly lower so that the forearm is covered as well.

Then . . . check. Can you bend your wrist backward easily? The wrap shouldn’t completely immobilize the wrist, but it should make it harder to bend the wrist, and if it does, you’ve done your job.

Of course, you need to apply the wrap with enough tension so that it’s rather snug, but that’s a topic for another day, so be sure to check out one of the videos in this article to learn more about where and how to correctly wear your wrist wraps.

As always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

THIS is Destroying Your Press . . . and Driving Me Nuts

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/21/23)

Are you adjusting your wrist and elbow positioning after unracking the barbell when pressing? Stop that. Stop unracking the press like a doofus. Doofusses (Doofuses? Doofusi?) are the worst at pressing.

This makes me want to throw up in my mouth just a little bit.

We see this mistake often - the mistake of unracking the press, stepping back, and only then getting the elbows slightly forward of the bar and wrists neutral. This is inefficient, it wastes time when you’re supporting the bar, and it gets harder and harder to do as the weight on the bar gets heavier.

In the squat, we don’t make adjustments to the bar or our grip after unracking the bar, and the press is no different.

In fact, this same concept is how you check if you’re doing it correctly - after unracking the bar (i.e., after standing it up from the hooks with your legs), if nothing from your waist upward needs to change position before starting the set, you’ve got it right. You simply take two small steps back from the rack, take a breath, and start the set. On the other hand, if you have to adjust anything above the waist between the unrack and the start of your first rep, you’re unracking it incorrectly.

So, let’s get it right before you unrack it. Set your grip and wrists correctly, dip down far enough (with your hips and legs) so that you can get your elbows slightly in front of the bar, and then stand the bar up while maintaining that exact position. Watch the included video (above) for a quick demonstration of how to correctly - and incorrectly - accomplish this.

If you mess up, don’t fix your wrists and elbows after the unrack; when you do this, you’re reinforcing a bad habit. Instead, simply re-rack the bar, fix it, and then unrack it. Be correct and consistent - from the empty bar up to your work weight, every unracking of the bar should be the same.

If you unrack it correctly every time, your press will be better off, and you won’t look like a doofus. Which is good.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

The Press, The Matrix, and You

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

If you struggle to use your hips effectively when pressing, you’re not alone. Many lifters either throw their shoulders back instead of reaching forward with their hips, or they simply have a small, muted, and ineffective “reach-and-bounce” hip action when they press.

If either of these situations describes you, recall The Matrix.

You’ve seen The Matrix, of course, because you’re part of the human race.

If you haven’t seen The Matrix . . . get yourself cultured up a bit and watch it tonight, then come back and read this article.

For the rest of the world, you remember the ability to dodge bullets. If you saw the movie when it first came out, you remember it because your jaw dropped to the floor when it happened.

“Dodge the Bullet.”
You can use this jaw-dropping ability - or your best impersonation of it - the next time you press.

Imagine that someone is standing directly off to your side - perhaps 10 yards away - as you stand ready to press. He’s pointing a gun directly at your buttocks, and he fires.

Dodge the bullet.

You instinctively know what this looks and feels like. You slam your hips forward quickly and aggressively. You then immediately stand back up with the same aggression, and this entire motion is exactly what you want to do when pressing. 

Flex your quads hard to keep your knees straight, but beyond that, don’t complicate the issue. As you reach forward with your hips, the barbell will dip slightly, then bounce back up as you stand up and continue to press upward.

Channel your inner Matrix (or inner Dodgeball, if you prefer that movie), dodge the bullet, and you’re off to a great start in the press.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

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  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?