What You Should NEVER Do When Pressing!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Is your bar path all sorts of terrible when you press? It's destroying your press. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers helps you fix it with 3 simple cues.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 03/27/23)

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7 Ways You're Ruining Your Press: Part 1

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 08/25/23)

Let’s cover several mistakes you might be making with your press, and then let’s fix them fast. We address a few issues this week in Part 1, and we’ll return next week and wrap things up with a few more errors in Part 2.

Mistake #1: Poor Stance
When you unrack the bar, don’t walk a mile back from the rack, and don’t take a narrow stance. Simply take two small steps back - right, then left - that’s it. Two half-steps, if you will - i.e., stay relatively close to the rack. When you do so, set up with a nice, wide stance. Your squat stance will serve as a good approximation of the stance you’re looking for, and you can even stand a bit wider than that, but don’t take a narrow stance.

Mistake #2: Atrocious Grip Width
Don’t take a wide grip. When pressing, the grip is fairly narrow - when taking your grip, simply reach out in front of you like you’re Frankenstein’s monster, and that will serve quite well for your grip width. Don’t use a grip width that looks even remotely as wide as your bench press grip.

For a lot of guys, this will place the grip right on the edge of the knurl, and for a lot of gals, this will place the index finger on the smooth part of the bar and the rest of the fingers on the knurl. These are very general approximations, so to check your grip width, remember that - when you’re setup and ready to press (i.e., at the bottom of the movement) - you want vertical forearms as seen from directly in front of you.

Mistake #3: Terrible Elbows
Don’t let your elbows be situated behind the barbell when you’re set up and ready to press. When unracking the bar, do so with your legs. Dip down far enough (with your legs) so that you can move your elbows into the correct position, which is slightly in front of the bar as viewed from the side. Every single rep should start with your elbows in this position. If the elbows are behind the bar, you will tend to press the bar forward, which makes for a miserable pressing experience.

Mistake #4: Hideous Wrists
Your wrists should not be bent back in extreme extension. Go ahead and make a tight fist - yes, right now . . .while you’re reading this . . . seriously. Notice the amount of wrist extension you see, i.e., notice how much - or rather how little - your wrists are bent backward. We’re looking for that position when pressing as well - about 10-15 degrees of wrist extension.

We want the base of the palm to support the bar so that the bar is situated directly over the bones of the forearm. On the other hand, if the wrists are bent back in extreme extension, the bar sits up near the pads at the base of your fingers with your wrists in a very floppy and inefficient position (see the video above).

Your wrists shouldn’t be totally straight (although we may sometimes use the overcue “straight wrists” when setting up), but they definitely shouldn’t be in extreme extension, so get your elbows in the correct position (see Mistake #3), and that permits you to achieve the correct wrist position as well. As the weight gets heavier, you’ll find that a decent pair of correctly worn wrist wraps will certainly help this positioning, but most of the solution is up to you.

We’ll see you next week in Part 2 of this series, 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:

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

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This One Cue Will Change How You Squat Forever

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

If your squat feels inconsistent, inefficient, or harder than it should, you might be missing this. One cue can change how the entire lift feels and moves - try it today and build from there. 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.

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?

book a free intro

Testify Community Voice - January 5, 2026

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video The Press, Corrected. 7 Errors Most Lifters Never Notice (click the title to watch):

Harry A.
That tip to lean into the bar to get the right grip is💰...super helpful!

Happy New Year, everybody! 🎉

Phil
Thanks, Harry - I'm glad you found it helpful, and happy new year to you as well!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Interested in getting stronger working one-on-one remotely with us? Click here to book your free strategy session.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start Today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

The Press, Corrected. 7 Errors Most Lifters Never Notice
If your press feels inconsistent or harder than it should, this might be why. Phil walks through 7 common errors and the simple corrections that make the lift stronger and more repeatable. Apply this in your next session. Click here to watch.

 

Why Do So Many Lifters Press with Their Hips Wrong?
There are 3 mistakes you might be making with your hips when you press - we help you fix all 3 in record time. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: What is a Hang Power Snatch? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
What is a hang power snatch? How is it different from a snatch, power snatch, or hang snatch? We cover it all here in about a minute. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The most confusing notation in lifting, explained.
Lifting notation can be a bit confusing for both new and experienced lifters. Does "3 x 5" mean 3 sets of 5 reps or vice versa? What about 135 x 5 x 3? What about 3 x 5 x 135? Phil provides one simple rule that clears everything up so you know what you actually should be doing in your programming. Click here to read.

TESTIFY TRUCKER CAPS ARE AVAILABLE!

Represent your favorite gym with this trucker cap in several color options - perfect for outdoors or a training session.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Below is one of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.

Testify Strengthlifting Challenge

  • April 11, 2025

  • The annual Testify Strengthlifting Challenge is back, and we invite you to be a part of it! This is a strengthlifting meet, which means the contested lifts will be the squat, press, and deadlift.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
“Prowler Base”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest until breathing and heart rate slow down. (45 sec – 2 min)
4. Repeat 5-15 times.

Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).

Compare to 2025.12.01.

Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on

Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.

Compare to 2025.10.13.

Option 3
Outdoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2025.09.15.

Option 4
5 rounds:
4 tire flips
8 sledgehammer strikes
6 pull-ups
10 push-ups

Pull-ups and push-ups can be modified – talk to the coaches for options.

Compare to 2025.09.15.

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

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.

Why Do So Many Lifters Press with Their Hips Wrong?

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

There are three mistakes that lifters often make with their hips when pressing, so let’s identify them and fix them quickly.

To see these three errors in action as well as how to solve them, check out the video below (as they say, a video is worth three billion words.)

Mistake #1: Winding Up
At the start of the press, you might be committing the error of reaching back - or “winding up” - with your hips.

Remember that at the start of the press, the first movement of the hips should be forward - never backward. Reaching back with your hips causes the barbell to go forward, and you don’t want any unnecessary horizontal movement of the bar when pressing.

To fix this, take a big breath and get tight as usual, then pause for a very brief moment in that upright position. Cue yourself “push the hips forward” and then do exactly that.

A final note on this error - if you’re making it, you probably aren’t aware of it, so be sure to video yourself the next time you press and check for this mistake.

(To see this error and its solution demonstrated, check out the short video below.)

Mistake #2: Reaching Back with Your Shoulders
When pressing, you push your hips forward, but you might be throwing your shoulders backward instead. If you are committing this error, your balance shifts to your heels and you don’t get a nice bounce or “throw” from the hip movement, and as a result, you have a weaker, less inefficient press.

Make no mistake, when you push your hips forward, your shoulders and head will automatically move backward slightly as part of a natural counterbalancing movement, and an advantage of this is that you clear space (by getting your head out of the way) for the bar to travel in the correct path. However, you should not try to throw your shoulders back as it will ruin the hip action (i.e., the bounce) in the press.

You’ll notice this error on camera, but you’ll also notice it by paying attention to your feet. If you feel your weight shift onto your heels as you start the press, you are incorrectly throwing your shoulders backward. If, on the other hand, you feel your weight shift briefly to the balls of your feet when you push your hips forward, you’re performing the lift correctly.

With this in mind, to correct this error, you can cue yourself to “get onto the balls of the feet” as you prepare to push the hips forward.

(To see this error and its solution demonstrated, check out the short video below.)

Mistake #3: Timing
If you press the barbell upward at the same time you push your hips forward, your timing is off, and you’re losing out on the bounce (i.e., the “throw”) provided by the hip action.

The bar should not go up when you push the hips forward - rather, the bar should momentarily dip downward when you reach with your hips. This is the beginning of the bounce created by the movement of the hips.

To correct this error, remind yourself to “make the bar dip” or that “the bar goes down” at the start of the press.

(To see this error and its solution demonstrated, check out the short video below.)

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.)

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?

book a free intro

What is a HANG POWER SNATCH? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What is a hang power snatch? How is it different from a snatch, power snatch, or hang snatch? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers it all here in about a minute.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 03/25/23)

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.

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?

book a free intro