CFJ Starr OverheadRising, Sport, Crossfit
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
JOURNAL
ARTICLES
Overhead Is Rising
Misunderstood, often-ignored, and unfairly tarred as unsafe, overhead exercises like presses, jerks, push presses,
and push jerks can help a wide range of athletes build wide, powerful, and lexible arms, shoulders, and back.
Here’s how to do them right.
Bill Starr
Overhead strength provides functional power to athletes in every sport imaginable, yet the lifts used to
build this strength have been largely neglected for a long time. In fact, since the bench press replaced the
military press as the standard for upper body strength and overall strength in the early 70s, (see sidebar
below, “Why the Overhead Died”) overhead movements are often banned from strength training programs
as being inefective and unsafe.
If you ask me, that is simply wrong. In my opinion, the overhead press is not only safe when you do it right
and safer than a lat bench press, it is capable of being a far superior strength and itness tool for athletes.
There are a host of reasons:
1
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
1. “Convertible” strength
The strength gained from doing presses and other over-
head exercises is applicable to more athletic events than
any other shoulder girdle movement—especially those
sports that require the athletes to extend their arms
overhead, including basketball, volleyball, tennis, base-
ball, lacrosse, swimming, the ield events in track (javelin,
shot put), and nearly every position in football. Only inte-
rior linemen beneit from doing lat benches, whereas the
backield, defensive backs, linebackers, wide receivers, and
tight ends use the strength gained from overhead work
more so than the lat or even the incline bench. There are
others, too, but you get the idea.
WHY THE OVERHEAD DIED
Prior to the 1970s, everyone who trained
with weights did a great deal of overhead
work. In most cases, at least one-third of the
routine was dedicated to those exercises.
Strength-trained athletes, itness enthusiasts,
bodybuilders, and, of course, Olympic
weightlifters always included several types
of overhead lifts in their programs.
Yes, even aspiring bodybuilders did them.
That’s because nearly all the contestants
in the top physique shows did presses and
jerks, and many also added push presses
and push jerks. They also snatched and
clean and jerked. Why? So they could
compete at Olympic meets and gain those
much sought-after athletic points. Those
ive points often proved to be the diference
between winning and loundering way
back in the pack.
Then, in the early 1970s, several events
occurred in rather quick succession that
drastically changed the face of physical
culture in this country, and proved to
be the death knell for the overhead lifts
except for those who participated in the
sport of Olympic weightlifting. However,
even this group of athletes was afected
when the press was eliminated from oicial
competition by the International Olympic
Committee in 1972.
Overhead lifts are even more convertible to other lifting
exercises. I knew of many Olympic lifters who were press-
ing 300 or more who could lay down on a bench and use
400 without any prior practice on that exercise. Conversely,
I have never seen a 400-pound bencher be able to over-
head press 300. Most are barely able to handle in the 225
to 250 range.
2. Proportionate strength
Overhead exercises develop a more proportionate
strength in the shoulder girdle than any other upper
body movement. Presses, jerks, push presses, and push
jerks create wide, powerful arms and shoulders, with less
emphasis on the chest muscles, which play a minor role
in nearly every sport. Overhead work does hit the high
portion of the chest—a good thing since that part of the
pecs helps to stabilize the shoulder girdle.
3. More lexibility
Overhead exercises do not hinder shoulder lexibility.
Rather, they enhance it—an important point for anyone
participating in a sport which requires a high degree of
shoulder lexibility, such as gymnastics, the martial arts,
and wrestling.
This decision ended up having far-reaching
implications. The reason the press was
dropped was because it was deemed
potentially harmful to the lower back.
However, those close to the sport knew the
real reason the lift was suddenly no longer
part of the competition and it had nothing
to do with safety. That was no more than
a smoke screen. Lifters were not injuring
their backs anymore than they injured their
shoulders, elbows, or knees. The press was
eliminated because judging the lift had
4. Works back, hips, even legs
While most upper body exercises only work the groups
that make up the shoulder girdle, overhead movements
also strengthen the back, from the traps to the lumbars,
and also directly involve the hips, glutes, and legs. Most
do not think about how much the back is utilized during
overhead lifts. That is, until they go though a strenuous
overhead workout. Then it becomes quite clear. When
I start an athlete on overhead presses or jerks, the area
of his body that gets the most sore is almost always
his back.
2
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
5. Protects rotator cufs
The area of the back that get the most sore is usually the
middle or right over his shoulder blades. Gaining and main-
taining strength in this latter area is extremely beneicial
since this is where the muscles that constitute the rotator
cufs are located. Back when the overhead press was the
primary upper body exercise, rotator cuf injuries were
unheard of. We didn’t even know there were such muscles.
But when the bench press replaced the overhead press
and the lifters failed to do speciic work on their upper
backs and therefore the rotator cufs, injury rates soared
for those small but critical muscles.
become very erratic and inconsistent.
Judging the newer style of overhead
press, which was much more explosive
than the traditional technique, became
more subjective and varied from class
to class, depending on who was sitting
in the judges’ seats. One group might
be allowed to knee-kick the bar upward
at the start and lay back to ridiculous
extremes, while the very next group
was required to do the lift in strict form.
On the international scene, the press
became a political football. A judge
from a rival nation would turn down
an attempt even when it was done in
perfect fashion. When those in power
determined they could no longer
control the situation, they decided that
it would be easer just to eliminate the
lift than try to enforce stricter standards
from the judges.
In this regard, I should add that the very best way to
rebuild a slightly damaged rotator cuf is by doing over-
head presses. Start with dumbells, gradually work up to
the barbell and proceed from there. It takes a bit of time,
but eventually you will be able to strengthen those small
muscles. It sure beats the alternative of surgery.
6. Balance and good looks
The overhead lifts belong in the routine of every strength
athlete—including bodybuilder. Presses, jerks, push
presses, and push jerks build a more balanced and pleasing
physique than other upper body exercises.
The early 70s saw the spread of strength
training for athletic teams sweep across
the country, especially for football, like
wildire. Even small high schools and
Division III colleges had some sort of
strength program. Those routines usually
had three or four primary exercises for
the back, hip and legs, and shoulder
girdle. The exercise of choice for the
upper body was the lat bench, not the
overhead press. The reasoning behind
this decision was based on: 1) the notion
that the press was a risky lift and 2) it was
much easier to teach the lat bench than
the overhead lift. But the bigger of the
two factors was certainly safety. School
administrators and coaches wanted no
part of exercise that an international
body had determined to be unsafe. They
were correct about the overhead press
being more diicult to teach than the
lat bench because it is. And since the
majority of the strength coaches in that
3
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
OVERHEAD EXERCISE TUTORIALS
Correct form is absolutely key for all overhead exercises,
whose balance component requires a much higher skill
level and more practice than exercise performed closer to
the core of the body. For the record, the overhead press is
a safe exercise when done right. Those very few who did
sustain some type of lower back injury while performing
a heavy press did so because of leaning back excessively.
Some were able to lean so far backward that the lift resem-
bled a standing bench press. It goes without saying that
this outlandish maneuver should be avoided, but the truth
of the matter is, this move is almost impossible to achieve
unless it’s practiced for a number of years.
time frame were really football coaches,
they did not have the expertise to
teach their players how to press the bar
overhead correctly.
While this was happening, Joe and
Ben Weider took control of physique
competition with the lure of sizeable
monetary rewards that were not ofered
by the A.A.U. or Bob Hofman. One of
the irst moves the Weiders made was
to drop the athletic points. That meant
the bodybuilders no longer had any
motivation to lift in Olympic meets,
so they stopped pressing, snatching,
cleaning, and jerking. This drastic change
in training procedure had a ilter-down
efect on younger bodybuilders. If the
top guys didn’t do any overhead lifts,
then they wouldn’t either.
A slight backward lean is acceptable, even beneicial in
helping to keep the bar over the base of power, yet in most
cases, the athlete has trouble bowing his back at all. It’s not
a natural move. I’ve never had any athlete hurt his back
doing an overhead press because of leaning too far back-
ward. The problem is getting them to bow their backs in
perfect timing and coordination with the drive and rapid
follow through.
The early 70s also saw the emergence of
the new strength sport of powerlifting,
mostly because the bench press, squat,
and deadlift were much easier to learn
than the high-skill snatch and clean and
jerk. Rarely did a powerlifter include any
overhead lifting in his routine.
In regards to injuries, the bench press ranks the highest
of all exercises in strength training, but no one has ever
suggested that this popular lift be removed from any
program. Ugly form is tolerated, even encouraged by
strength and sports coaches so that they can boast of
x-number of 300-pound benchers. Quite often, bad tech-
nique is coupled with gross overtraining on the bench and
as a result, elbows, wrists, and shoulders pay the price.
The inal straw in the demise of the
overhead lifts came with the introduction
of many well-designed machines such
as the Nautilus. Now a person could
gain size, strength, and a higher level
of itness without having to deal with
barbells or dumbells. At least, that’s what
the manufacturers and proponents of
the equipment proclaimed, and a great
many people bought the concept.
Machine training was easier than
working with free weights, and it seems
the majority of the population is always
eager to take the easy over hard.
Here’s how to perform the various overhead exercises
safely and efectively.
Military or Overhead press
This is an exercise that’s easy to learn but diicult to master.
In my 15 years of coaching at three universities, only two
athletes were able to do a 250-pound military press, while
I had several dozen who benched over 400—proof that
pressing heavy weights overhead is really a high-skill exer-
cise and takes a lot of training to achieve.
Feet irst
Stand at shoulder width, with toes straight ahead and on
a line. One of the most common mistakes beginners make
is to place one foot out in front of the other. This is incor-
rect, because it creates a weaker base and it also places an
unequal stress on the lower back.
4
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
Hand and elbow position
For most, grabbing the bar with a shoulder-width grip
works. Extend your thumbs so that they barely touch the
smooth center of an Olympic bar. Naturally, those with
narrow or very wide shoulders will have to alter their grips
slightly, but a bit of trial and error will take care of that. Just
remember, when doing any type of pressing movement,
your elbows should always stay directly under your wrists.
That means your forearms will be in a vertical position
throughout the lift.
So after only a few years, the only group
of strength athletes who continued to do
any type of overhead lifting were Olympic
weightlifters. And they, for the most part,
just did jerks. Very few did any overhead
pressing, which many strength coaches,
myself included, believed to be a huge
mistake. Those muscles and attachments
used to press heavy poundages are the
same needed to control and ix a heavy
jerk overhead.
Editor’s Note: Obviously, the full spectrum
of overhead lifts are central to CrossFit’s
programming. In addition to the press,
push press, push jerk, and split jerk, we
incorporate thrusters, swings, overhead
squats, and snatches. Coach Starr is referring
to the predominant tendencies in Globo-
gyms, bodybuilding, and the presently
established strength and conditioning
protocols for universities and professional
sports teams.
While learning this exercise, you can either clean the bar
or take it of the rack. Either way is efective. Once you
learn the proper form you might want to start cleaning the
weights because it’s actually easier to press a weight after
it has been cleaned than it is pressing it after taking it of
a rack.
Starting position
Fix the weight across your frontal deltoids, not on your
collarbones. To do this, elevate your shoulder girdle to
create a muscular ledge. Your elbows should not be high,
as in parallel to the loor, or pointed downward, but set
somewhere in between those two extremes. Your wrists
must be straight and they have to stay locked throughout
the lift. If this poses a problem, wrap or tape them. If the
wrists are allowed to twist or lex even slightly, the power
generated by the back, shoulders, and arms cannot be
transferred into the bar eiciently.
F
Once the bar is set properly on your frontal deltoids, take
just a moment to tighten all the muscles of your body.
Begin with your feet. Don’t just stand on the loor, but drive
your feet down into it and think about gripping it with
your toes. We liked to use the image of a bird sitting on a
tree limb and gripping the limb as tightly as he could. Then
move on up your body, contracting your thighs, glutes,
back, and shoulders, and arms. Now ease your midsection
a bit forward so that you’re coiled like a spring. Your knees
should be locked and stay that way during the press.
Maintain body position through the press
Look straight ahead from start to inish. Don’t follow the
bar’s upward movement with your eyes, as many do; this
will cause you to lean back and take you out of a strong
pressing position. Until you learn the form in the press,
drive the bar of your shoulders deliberately. This will
5
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
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JOURNAL
ARTICLES
Overhead Is Rising
Misunderstood, often-ignored, and unfairly tarred as unsafe, overhead exercises like presses, jerks, push presses,
and push jerks can help a wide range of athletes build wide, powerful, and lexible arms, shoulders, and back.
Here’s how to do them right.
Bill Starr
Overhead strength provides functional power to athletes in every sport imaginable, yet the lifts used to
build this strength have been largely neglected for a long time. In fact, since the bench press replaced the
military press as the standard for upper body strength and overall strength in the early 70s, (see sidebar
below, “Why the Overhead Died”) overhead movements are often banned from strength training programs
as being inefective and unsafe.
If you ask me, that is simply wrong. In my opinion, the overhead press is not only safe when you do it right
and safer than a lat bench press, it is capable of being a far superior strength and itness tool for athletes.
There are a host of reasons:
1
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
1. “Convertible” strength
The strength gained from doing presses and other over-
head exercises is applicable to more athletic events than
any other shoulder girdle movement—especially those
sports that require the athletes to extend their arms
overhead, including basketball, volleyball, tennis, base-
ball, lacrosse, swimming, the ield events in track (javelin,
shot put), and nearly every position in football. Only inte-
rior linemen beneit from doing lat benches, whereas the
backield, defensive backs, linebackers, wide receivers, and
tight ends use the strength gained from overhead work
more so than the lat or even the incline bench. There are
others, too, but you get the idea.
WHY THE OVERHEAD DIED
Prior to the 1970s, everyone who trained
with weights did a great deal of overhead
work. In most cases, at least one-third of the
routine was dedicated to those exercises.
Strength-trained athletes, itness enthusiasts,
bodybuilders, and, of course, Olympic
weightlifters always included several types
of overhead lifts in their programs.
Yes, even aspiring bodybuilders did them.
That’s because nearly all the contestants
in the top physique shows did presses and
jerks, and many also added push presses
and push jerks. They also snatched and
clean and jerked. Why? So they could
compete at Olympic meets and gain those
much sought-after athletic points. Those
ive points often proved to be the diference
between winning and loundering way
back in the pack.
Then, in the early 1970s, several events
occurred in rather quick succession that
drastically changed the face of physical
culture in this country, and proved to
be the death knell for the overhead lifts
except for those who participated in the
sport of Olympic weightlifting. However,
even this group of athletes was afected
when the press was eliminated from oicial
competition by the International Olympic
Committee in 1972.
Overhead lifts are even more convertible to other lifting
exercises. I knew of many Olympic lifters who were press-
ing 300 or more who could lay down on a bench and use
400 without any prior practice on that exercise. Conversely,
I have never seen a 400-pound bencher be able to over-
head press 300. Most are barely able to handle in the 225
to 250 range.
2. Proportionate strength
Overhead exercises develop a more proportionate
strength in the shoulder girdle than any other upper
body movement. Presses, jerks, push presses, and push
jerks create wide, powerful arms and shoulders, with less
emphasis on the chest muscles, which play a minor role
in nearly every sport. Overhead work does hit the high
portion of the chest—a good thing since that part of the
pecs helps to stabilize the shoulder girdle.
3. More lexibility
Overhead exercises do not hinder shoulder lexibility.
Rather, they enhance it—an important point for anyone
participating in a sport which requires a high degree of
shoulder lexibility, such as gymnastics, the martial arts,
and wrestling.
This decision ended up having far-reaching
implications. The reason the press was
dropped was because it was deemed
potentially harmful to the lower back.
However, those close to the sport knew the
real reason the lift was suddenly no longer
part of the competition and it had nothing
to do with safety. That was no more than
a smoke screen. Lifters were not injuring
their backs anymore than they injured their
shoulders, elbows, or knees. The press was
eliminated because judging the lift had
4. Works back, hips, even legs
While most upper body exercises only work the groups
that make up the shoulder girdle, overhead movements
also strengthen the back, from the traps to the lumbars,
and also directly involve the hips, glutes, and legs. Most
do not think about how much the back is utilized during
overhead lifts. That is, until they go though a strenuous
overhead workout. Then it becomes quite clear. When
I start an athlete on overhead presses or jerks, the area
of his body that gets the most sore is almost always
his back.
2
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
5. Protects rotator cufs
The area of the back that get the most sore is usually the
middle or right over his shoulder blades. Gaining and main-
taining strength in this latter area is extremely beneicial
since this is where the muscles that constitute the rotator
cufs are located. Back when the overhead press was the
primary upper body exercise, rotator cuf injuries were
unheard of. We didn’t even know there were such muscles.
But when the bench press replaced the overhead press
and the lifters failed to do speciic work on their upper
backs and therefore the rotator cufs, injury rates soared
for those small but critical muscles.
become very erratic and inconsistent.
Judging the newer style of overhead
press, which was much more explosive
than the traditional technique, became
more subjective and varied from class
to class, depending on who was sitting
in the judges’ seats. One group might
be allowed to knee-kick the bar upward
at the start and lay back to ridiculous
extremes, while the very next group
was required to do the lift in strict form.
On the international scene, the press
became a political football. A judge
from a rival nation would turn down
an attempt even when it was done in
perfect fashion. When those in power
determined they could no longer
control the situation, they decided that
it would be easer just to eliminate the
lift than try to enforce stricter standards
from the judges.
In this regard, I should add that the very best way to
rebuild a slightly damaged rotator cuf is by doing over-
head presses. Start with dumbells, gradually work up to
the barbell and proceed from there. It takes a bit of time,
but eventually you will be able to strengthen those small
muscles. It sure beats the alternative of surgery.
6. Balance and good looks
The overhead lifts belong in the routine of every strength
athlete—including bodybuilder. Presses, jerks, push
presses, and push jerks build a more balanced and pleasing
physique than other upper body exercises.
The early 70s saw the spread of strength
training for athletic teams sweep across
the country, especially for football, like
wildire. Even small high schools and
Division III colleges had some sort of
strength program. Those routines usually
had three or four primary exercises for
the back, hip and legs, and shoulder
girdle. The exercise of choice for the
upper body was the lat bench, not the
overhead press. The reasoning behind
this decision was based on: 1) the notion
that the press was a risky lift and 2) it was
much easier to teach the lat bench than
the overhead lift. But the bigger of the
two factors was certainly safety. School
administrators and coaches wanted no
part of exercise that an international
body had determined to be unsafe. They
were correct about the overhead press
being more diicult to teach than the
lat bench because it is. And since the
majority of the strength coaches in that
3
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
OVERHEAD EXERCISE TUTORIALS
Correct form is absolutely key for all overhead exercises,
whose balance component requires a much higher skill
level and more practice than exercise performed closer to
the core of the body. For the record, the overhead press is
a safe exercise when done right. Those very few who did
sustain some type of lower back injury while performing
a heavy press did so because of leaning back excessively.
Some were able to lean so far backward that the lift resem-
bled a standing bench press. It goes without saying that
this outlandish maneuver should be avoided, but the truth
of the matter is, this move is almost impossible to achieve
unless it’s practiced for a number of years.
time frame were really football coaches,
they did not have the expertise to
teach their players how to press the bar
overhead correctly.
While this was happening, Joe and
Ben Weider took control of physique
competition with the lure of sizeable
monetary rewards that were not ofered
by the A.A.U. or Bob Hofman. One of
the irst moves the Weiders made was
to drop the athletic points. That meant
the bodybuilders no longer had any
motivation to lift in Olympic meets,
so they stopped pressing, snatching,
cleaning, and jerking. This drastic change
in training procedure had a ilter-down
efect on younger bodybuilders. If the
top guys didn’t do any overhead lifts,
then they wouldn’t either.
A slight backward lean is acceptable, even beneicial in
helping to keep the bar over the base of power, yet in most
cases, the athlete has trouble bowing his back at all. It’s not
a natural move. I’ve never had any athlete hurt his back
doing an overhead press because of leaning too far back-
ward. The problem is getting them to bow their backs in
perfect timing and coordination with the drive and rapid
follow through.
The early 70s also saw the emergence of
the new strength sport of powerlifting,
mostly because the bench press, squat,
and deadlift were much easier to learn
than the high-skill snatch and clean and
jerk. Rarely did a powerlifter include any
overhead lifting in his routine.
In regards to injuries, the bench press ranks the highest
of all exercises in strength training, but no one has ever
suggested that this popular lift be removed from any
program. Ugly form is tolerated, even encouraged by
strength and sports coaches so that they can boast of
x-number of 300-pound benchers. Quite often, bad tech-
nique is coupled with gross overtraining on the bench and
as a result, elbows, wrists, and shoulders pay the price.
The inal straw in the demise of the
overhead lifts came with the introduction
of many well-designed machines such
as the Nautilus. Now a person could
gain size, strength, and a higher level
of itness without having to deal with
barbells or dumbells. At least, that’s what
the manufacturers and proponents of
the equipment proclaimed, and a great
many people bought the concept.
Machine training was easier than
working with free weights, and it seems
the majority of the population is always
eager to take the easy over hard.
Here’s how to perform the various overhead exercises
safely and efectively.
Military or Overhead press
This is an exercise that’s easy to learn but diicult to master.
In my 15 years of coaching at three universities, only two
athletes were able to do a 250-pound military press, while
I had several dozen who benched over 400—proof that
pressing heavy weights overhead is really a high-skill exer-
cise and takes a lot of training to achieve.
Feet irst
Stand at shoulder width, with toes straight ahead and on
a line. One of the most common mistakes beginners make
is to place one foot out in front of the other. This is incor-
rect, because it creates a weaker base and it also places an
unequal stress on the lower back.
4
of
8
®
CrossFit is a registered trademark of
, Inc.
© 2008 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Overhead Is Rising...
(continued)
Hand and elbow position
For most, grabbing the bar with a shoulder-width grip
works. Extend your thumbs so that they barely touch the
smooth center of an Olympic bar. Naturally, those with
narrow or very wide shoulders will have to alter their grips
slightly, but a bit of trial and error will take care of that. Just
remember, when doing any type of pressing movement,
your elbows should always stay directly under your wrists.
That means your forearms will be in a vertical position
throughout the lift.
So after only a few years, the only group
of strength athletes who continued to do
any type of overhead lifting were Olympic
weightlifters. And they, for the most part,
just did jerks. Very few did any overhead
pressing, which many strength coaches,
myself included, believed to be a huge
mistake. Those muscles and attachments
used to press heavy poundages are the
same needed to control and ix a heavy
jerk overhead.
Editor’s Note: Obviously, the full spectrum
of overhead lifts are central to CrossFit’s
programming. In addition to the press,
push press, push jerk, and split jerk, we
incorporate thrusters, swings, overhead
squats, and snatches. Coach Starr is referring
to the predominant tendencies in Globo-
gyms, bodybuilding, and the presently
established strength and conditioning
protocols for universities and professional
sports teams.
While learning this exercise, you can either clean the bar
or take it of the rack. Either way is efective. Once you
learn the proper form you might want to start cleaning the
weights because it’s actually easier to press a weight after
it has been cleaned than it is pressing it after taking it of
a rack.
Starting position
Fix the weight across your frontal deltoids, not on your
collarbones. To do this, elevate your shoulder girdle to
create a muscular ledge. Your elbows should not be high,
as in parallel to the loor, or pointed downward, but set
somewhere in between those two extremes. Your wrists
must be straight and they have to stay locked throughout
the lift. If this poses a problem, wrap or tape them. If the
wrists are allowed to twist or lex even slightly, the power
generated by the back, shoulders, and arms cannot be
transferred into the bar eiciently.
F
Once the bar is set properly on your frontal deltoids, take
just a moment to tighten all the muscles of your body.
Begin with your feet. Don’t just stand on the loor, but drive
your feet down into it and think about gripping it with
your toes. We liked to use the image of a bird sitting on a
tree limb and gripping the limb as tightly as he could. Then
move on up your body, contracting your thighs, glutes,
back, and shoulders, and arms. Now ease your midsection
a bit forward so that you’re coiled like a spring. Your knees
should be locked and stay that way during the press.
Maintain body position through the press
Look straight ahead from start to inish. Don’t follow the
bar’s upward movement with your eyes, as many do; this
will cause you to lean back and take you out of a strong
pressing position. Until you learn the form in the press,
drive the bar of your shoulders deliberately. This will
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