How to Press: The Setup | STOP Doing This!
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A couple of weeks back, we discussed the bench press setup, and in the near future, we’ll cover the squat setup. Today, however, we’re talking about the press setup and a common mistake that we see.
We’ve covered the press setup before in several articles and videos (some of which you’ll see throughout this article), but the major point of emphasis in today’s article is the timing of the setup. The press setup obeys the same rule as the bench press setup:
Everything that can be set up before you unrack the bar should be set up before you unrack the bar.
In other words, we’re not talking about the how of the setup as much as we’re talking about the when of the setup. Anything that can be tight, rigid, and correctly positioned before lifting the bar off the hooks . . . should be. In short, setting up for the press is a lot like pulling up your pants - be sure to do it before you walk out the door . . . not after.
figure 1: See this hideousness? these nasty elbows and wrists should have been fixed before unracking the bar.
If you find yourself having to adjust your elbows and wrists after you’ve unracked the barbell (Figure 1), you’re doing it wrong (and inefficiently), so let’s fix this.
To correctly and efficiently set up for the press, perform the following 5 steps (and watch the included video above for a demonstration of the process)
Before You Unrack the Bar
1: Grip
Take the correct grip - narrow, slightly pronated, and with the bar supported by the base of the palms.
2: Approach
Walk up to the bar - extremely close to the bar. If your chest touches the bar, you’re doing well.
figure 2: Better - note the elbows and wrists.
3: Dip
Squat down (dip down, really) as far as needed to ensure that you can rotate your elbows into the correct position - slightly in front of the bar - while keeping your wrists relatively straight (Figure 2). If you are fixing your elbow and/or wrist position after you’ve stood the bar up off the hooks, you’re doing it wrong, and this is exactly the problem we’re trying to eliminate. Remember - pull your pants up before you walk out the door - not after.
Unracking the Bar
4: Stand Up
Stand the bar up with your legs. That’s right, you unrack the bar with your legs, not your arms. Everything from your waist upward is frozen in place - it never moves again until you start the first rep.
5: Stay Close
Take 2 small half-steps back from the rack - one with your right foot and one with your left foot. Stay relatively close to the rack.
Now you’re ready to press without needing to make any adjustments to your elbows and wrists (which, under a heavy load, is a waste of time and energy).
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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