Exercise Spotlight: Push Press
The How-To:
This is a great video put together by the folks at Crossfit. I suggest viewing it straight through once or twice. It's a textbook lesson on the push press.
The bar starts at collarbone level. Jump upwards as you press overhead. If the feet leave the ground, that's fine. Keep the knees soft as you lockout, but don't re-bend too much; it shouldn't be a quarter-squat, but a slight dip.
Lower the bar under control, not super-fast, and dip the knees to cushion the catch, returning the bar to collarbone level. Try keeping the elbows pointed forwards, rather than straight down, to reduce shoulder and arm fatigue.
Main Muscles Involved: Deltoids, triceps, abs, low back, a little bit of upper back, a bit of chest, some calves.
Common Variations: 2-dumbbell push press, 1-dumbbell push press, kettlebell push press, sandbag push press.
Best Suited For: Lower reps (1-5 per set) for strength/power. Moderate reps (6-12 per set) for hypertrophy. At much heavier weights and lower reps, especially in the 1-3 range, it's tempting to dip the knees a second time as the bar approaches lockout at the top, turning the exercise into a jerk instead of a straight press. Remember to only jump up/bend the legs once on the press and once on the catch.
Contraindications/Who Should NOT Perform This Exercise: Folks with pre-existing knee, low back, or shoulder injuries. People lacking the walking-chewing bubble gum coordination factor (there is some technique involved.)
Fun Fact: The flat bench press may get lots of glory, but for my money, the push press is a much more realistic and effective predictor of athletic success because you're standing without support and making sure a large iron object doesn't fall down onto your head, as opposed to lying "comfortably" on a perfectly balanced, padded bench with a perfectly balanced weight waiting for you to lift it. Wanna kick the other team's ass? Make sure you're push pressing.
This is a great video put together by the folks at Crossfit. I suggest viewing it straight through once or twice. It's a textbook lesson on the push press.
The bar starts at collarbone level. Jump upwards as you press overhead. If the feet leave the ground, that's fine. Keep the knees soft as you lockout, but don't re-bend too much; it shouldn't be a quarter-squat, but a slight dip.
Lower the bar under control, not super-fast, and dip the knees to cushion the catch, returning the bar to collarbone level. Try keeping the elbows pointed forwards, rather than straight down, to reduce shoulder and arm fatigue.
Main Muscles Involved: Deltoids, triceps, abs, low back, a little bit of upper back, a bit of chest, some calves.
Common Variations: 2-dumbbell push press, 1-dumbbell push press, kettlebell push press, sandbag push press.
Best Suited For: Lower reps (1-5 per set) for strength/power. Moderate reps (6-12 per set) for hypertrophy. At much heavier weights and lower reps, especially in the 1-3 range, it's tempting to dip the knees a second time as the bar approaches lockout at the top, turning the exercise into a jerk instead of a straight press. Remember to only jump up/bend the legs once on the press and once on the catch.
Contraindications/Who Should NOT Perform This Exercise: Folks with pre-existing knee, low back, or shoulder injuries. People lacking the walking-chewing bubble gum coordination factor (there is some technique involved.)
Fun Fact: The flat bench press may get lots of glory, but for my money, the push press is a much more realistic and effective predictor of athletic success because you're standing without support and making sure a large iron object doesn't fall down onto your head, as opposed to lying "comfortably" on a perfectly balanced, padded bench with a perfectly balanced weight waiting for you to lift it. Wanna kick the other team's ass? Make sure you're push pressing.
posted by Chris Colucci at 10:15 PM
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