The Press, The Matrix, and You

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.

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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?

Fix Your Press - Part 7: Correct Your ABOMINABLE Knees

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/17/23)

This is the seventh article in our series on helping you improve your press. Today’s topic - the knees. In this article, you’ll also find a couple of videos related to today’s topic.

Are you letting your knees unlock when you press? Knock it off - this ain’t a push press. There’s nothing wrong with a push press, but that’s not the lift you’re trying to perform, so let’s fix your soft knees.

When we talk about letting the knees unlock, we are referring to the phenomenon of the knees flexing or bending as you reach with your hips on the press. This is a no-no and is akin to letting your butt come up off of the bench when bench pressing - if it happens, the lift doesn’t count.

Consequently, when you reach forward with the hips to initiate the press, be sure to keep your knees straight - keep them tight, if you will - and with this in mind, here are a few cues to help you with this task:

“Straight knees” or “Straight legs”
This is the simple approach, and if it works, go with it. Merely remind yourself to keep your knees straight as you reach with your hips.

“Flex the quads”
Before initiating the hips movement, tell yourself to flex your quads - those muscles on the front of your thighs that are responsible for straightening your knees (and thus keeping them straight as well). Flex them so hard that you almost get a quad cramp.

“Lift your kneecaps” or “Pull your kneecaps up”
Before starting the press, cue yourself to pull your kneecaps up. If you’re not sure what this looks like, stand up tall and look down at your leg when it’s straight (your knee should be visible, so shorts or rolled up pants are necessary). Now, flex your quad, and as you do, you’ll see that your kneecap actually goes up an inch or so. Check out the video above for a demonstration of this.

“Pull your knees back” or “Keep your knees back”
This is a bit of an overcue as, when you reach forward with your hips, your knees will actually go forward slightly. However, the knees should not ever travel as far forward as the hips, so you can cue yourself to keep your knees back (even as your hips go forward), and this cue often helps solve the problem of bent knees

Keep those knees straight, and 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.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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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?

Fix Your Press - Part 6: Get Your Eyeballs FIXED!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/10/23)

This is the sixth article in our series on helping you improve your press. Today’s topic - the focal point. In this article, you’ll also find a couple of videos related to today’s topic.

Eyeballs are extremely useful body parts, so make sure you use yours effectively when pressing.

When it comes to your focal point when pressing, here’s the major takeaway - have one. The focal point will be at eye level directly in front of you, so simply pick something on the wall in front of you at the appropriate height and stare at it.

Stare at it before you unrack the bar for your first rep, stare at it during every single rep, and you’re even going to stare at it between reps - there is no need to introduce a new variable into your lifting by looking somewhere else between each rep. When you’re done with your set, keep staring at that same focal point, walk forward until the barbell hits the uprights, and then rack the bar.

Now that you’re done pressing, you can look anywhere you want.

Your focal point plays a big role in balance, and while balance is important in every lift, it’s especially important in the press because - among other things - the bar starts and finishes so far away from your balance point (i.e., the middle of your foot). Consequently, you want to have a focal point, and you want to stare at it with unwavering conviction until you’re done with your 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.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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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?

10 Ways You’re RUINING Your Press (and how to fix them!)

Are you struggling with the press (AKA overhead press or shoulder press)? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 10 common press mistakes as well as how to fix them so you can get a bigger, stronger press.

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.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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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?

Fix Your Press - Part 5: Correct Your AWFUL Grip

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/03/23)

This is the fifth article in our series on helping you improve your press. Today’s topic - the correct grip width. In this article, you’ll also find a couple of videos related to today’s topic.

It’s easy to accidentally take a grip on the press that’s far too wide, so let’s fix this quick.

The press utilizes a relatively narrow grip - simply reach out in front of you as if you’re Frankenstein’s monster, and this will give you the shoulder width grip that we’re looking for. Most guys will take their grip right on the edge of the knurl or perhaps a finger width into the knurl, while most gals (and smaller guys) might have an index finger on the smooth part of the barbell with the rest of the fingers on the knurling (see the included video for a visual demonstration).

These landmarks are not set in stone, but they will get you started. To check your press grip width, remember that when you’ve unracked the bar and are ready to press, you want to have vertical forearms when viewed from directly in front of you (you’ll need to record yourself if you don’t have a coach or training partner). If your forearms are angled out, you’ll need to narrow the grip a bit, and if the forearms are angled inward (less common), you’ll need to widen the grip a bit.

To be clear - the grip width for pressing is NOT the same width grip you use for benching, and here’s a quick way to remember the different grip widths for each lift. Note that “bench press” is comprised of two words - simply imagine the words “bench press” (in large print) floating in front of you and place your left hand on one side of “bench press” and your right hand on the other side of “bench press.” On the other hand, “press” only has one word, so if you repeat that process with “press,” you’ll have a significantly narrower grip for the press than for the bench press (the video near the beginning of this article helps greatly with picturing this).

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.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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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?

Fix Your Press - Part 4: Correct Your TERRIBLE Elbows

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 02/24/23)

This is the fourth article in our series on helping you improve your press. Today’s topic - the correct positioning for the elbows. In this article, you’ll also find a couple of videos related to today’s topic.

It’s rather easy to put your elbows in a rather awful position when pressing, so let’s fix this problem. When pressing, start by taking your grip at roughly arms’ length from the barbell. Next, walk up very close to the bar - touching your chest to the bar is a reasonable way to do this - and then dip down with your legs so that your elbows can swing under and forward. Be sure to dip down far enough so that your elbows can move into a position that is slightly in front of the bar when viewed from the side (see the video below for a demonstration).

This “elbows-slightly-in-front-of-the-bar” position should be established before standing the bar up from the rack. Do NOT unrack the bar (i.e., standing up with the bar in your hands) until your elbows are in the correct position. A common mistake is trying to get the elbows in front of the bar after you’ve unracked it and taken your stance, but this makes for a lot of wasted energy and effort since you’re already supporting the weight at this point. Getting the elbows right before you unrack it is far more efficient than doing so after the fact . . . so let’s be efficient.

After the correct elbow position has been established, simply stand up and take two short steps (two “half-steps”) back from the rack. At this point, viewed from the front, you should have vertical forearms, and viewed from the side, you’ll see the tips of your elbows slightly in front of the bar.

It’s also worth noting that if your elbows are incorrectly positioned behind the bar, you’re far more likely to have wrists bent backward in extension - a rather weak position and not the position we’re aiming for when setting up to press. Having the elbows in the right spot will help you with both bar path and wrist positioning - both of which will contribute to a better 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.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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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?