THIS is Destroying Your Press . . . and Driving Me Nuts
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This makes me want to throw up in my mouth just a little bit.
Are you adjusting your wrist and elbow positioning after unracking the bar when pressing? Stop that. Stop unracking the press like a doofus. Doofusses (Doofuses? Doofusi?) are the worst at pressing.
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.
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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?
Fix Your Press - Part 7: Correct Your ABOMINABLE Knees
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(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.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?
Fix Your Press - Part 6: Get Your Eyeballs FIXED!
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(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 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 bar 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.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?
Fix Your Press - Part 5: Correct Your AWFUL Grip
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(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 bar 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 above helps greatly with picturing this).
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
