This Weird Press Error is A Problem

If you’re making this mistake during the press, it’s highly likely that you’re unaware of it, so let’s identify it quickly and fix it just as fast.

The Problem
When you’re set up to press, you’ve established the correct start position - your elbows are slightly in front of the barbell (as viewed from the side), you’re standing tall, your chest is up, your stance is sufficiently wide, and you’re about to start the hip motion to initiate the press.

However, instead of reaching forward with your hips, you accidentally throw your shoulders backward. This is a problem as it ruins the bounce (and therefore the upward momentum) created by the hip movement.

Be sure to watch one of the videos in this article to see this error in action (as well as the solution!).

Should the Shoulders Move Backward?
The shoulders do, in fact, travel backward a bit as you reach forward with your hips. This is a natural counterbalancing movement - your hips go forward as your shoulders and head go back a bit. This hip movement allows the face to get out of the way of the bar and also creates that lovely bounce we’re looking for to start the barbell’s upward movement.

However, there is a big difference between the natural counterbalancing movement of the upper body and the erroneous and purposeful throwing backward of your shoulders. The first helps the press while the latter ruins it.

figure 1: at left - becky correctly throws her hips forward. at right - becky incorrectly throws her shoulders backward. note the position of her head against the barbell in the background in the two photos.

How to Know if You’re Committing This Error
To ascertain whether or not you’re making this mistake, pay attention to your feet. When you correctly reach forward with your hips, you should feel your weight momentarily shift to the balls of your feet (Figure 1 - left photo).

However, if you are incorrectly throwing your shoulders backward (Figure 1 - right photo), you will feel your weight momentarily shift to your heels instead, making for a weak press.

The Solution
If you feel your weight shifting backward instead of momentarily forward, cue yourself to “get onto the balls of your feet” when you reach forward with your hips (you heels should still stay connected to the floor).

Practice this slowly a few times, and as you get the hang of it, you can be more aggressive and speed up the movement.

To see this error and the solution in action, I’d recommend watching one of the short videos included in this article.

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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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?

Flawless Press Form…If You’re Filming a Blooper Reel

Are you making this mistake when you press? Well, let’s not.

Today’s topic is an error in the start position of the press - but we are specifically not discussing the start position for the first rep. You already know how to unrack the barbell - using your legs - with elbows slightly in front of the bar and neutral wrists, i.e., not totally straight, but certainly not bent back in extreme extension.

figure 1: becky demonstrates a solid start position.

You’ve got the start position (Figure 1) for the first rep down, and if you don’t, check out the video below.

Today’s error has to do with an incorrect start position for every rep after the first rep.

Don’t Be a Bum
This is an extremely common problem in the press - you lock out the rep overhead, and then you lower the bar back to a position wherein the elbows are behind the bar and the wrists are bent back in full extension (Figure 2).

In other words, you’re lowering it like a lazy bum.

figure 2: don’t lower it to this position.

And you will pay the penalty for it. Now you have to waste energy resetting your elbows and wrists to the correct position. At best, this wasted effort makes for a more exhausting set, and at worst, it can be the reason you miss a rep and can’t successfully complete the set.

Supporting the barbell between press reps already takes effort - don’t make it worse by adding adjustments that shouldn’t have to be made in the first place.

How to Fix This
Lower the bar right back to the position from which you started. To put it simply, finish where you started (Figure 3).

(Technically, the finish position for the press is the lockout at the top, but for today’s purposes, we’ll treat the “finish” as where you are after you lower the bar to prepare for the next rep.)

figure 3: much better

First, you can cue yourself “elbows in front of the bar” as you start to lower the bar back to the start position. Second - and this goes nicely with the first cue - remind yourself to aim for your nose (or “shave your nose”) on the way down.

(Check out the the video below to see this in action.)

These two cues together help prompt you to keep the bar close to you while simultaneously keeping the elbows in the correct position.

Elbows forward, shave your nose, and finish where you started. You’ll save time, you’ll save energy, and you’ll have a stronger press because of it.

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?

99% of Lifters Don't Know These Training Tricks

Most lifters are leaving progress on the table without realizing it. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 12 overlooked training tactics, techniques, and tricks that can change the way you approach the bar. Watch this before your next session — your future PRs will thank you.

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?

He Stopped Pressing Like This. You Should Too.

Today’s press error is not difficult to correct from a technical standpoint, but it can be an annoyingly persistent habit, so let’s address it quickly (i.e., before the mistake becomes more ingrained in your movement patterns).

The Mistake: Winding Up the Hips
When you correctly initiate the press, you do so by sending the hips forward (Figure 1). As you reach forward with your hips, the barbell dips slightly, and you get a nice bounce out of the bottom of that movement.

figure 1: Mike demonstrates the correct initiation of the press.

In anticipation of the forward motion of the hips, however, some lifters will make the mistake of accidentally pushing the hips backward first - “winding up the hips” in a subconscious effort to get a bigger forward reach (Figure 2).

figure 2: Mike incorrectly reaches back with his hips at the start of the press.

Why Is This a Problem?
This backward movement of the hips causes the bar to travel forward, which means you’ve now introduced unnecessary forward motion of the bar. As the press is already very susceptible to perturbations in the bar path, this forward motion is the last thing we want to happen.

The Solution
First of all, you need to be aware of this error, and many lifters are not, so the next time you press, record yourself and then watch the video to see if you’re committing this mistake (compare your video to the demonstrations that Mike provides in the video below).

If you’re winding up the hips, simply cue yourself “hips only go forward.” You are reminding yourself that the only place for the hips to go at the start of the press is forward (and therefore not backward).

If you still find yourself pushing your hips backward first, then slow yourself down and use the following mantra: “Breath, stop - then hips forward.” In this situation, you’re commanding yourself to breathe in and get tight, then stop all motion for a moment, and only then do you push the hips forward.

By the way . . .
Don’t bother telling yourself to avoid reaching backward with the hips. Negative cues - cues wherein you try to avoid doing something - rarely work in these types of situations. You are far better off focusing on what to do as opposed to focusing on what not to do.

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?

NEVER Do This with a Heavy Press (or You’re DONE)

Your heavy press is harder than it needs to be, and here’s the one error that might be holding you back. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and covers a few simple fixes that can make all the difference.

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?

8 Signs Your Press is WAY Above Average

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.

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?