Antti
Level 10 Valued Member
How strict do you do your press?
I've been pressing both a barbell and a kettlebell. I've done less dumbbell pressing. I've noticed that even minute differences in form can have a big effect. I've also noticed that it's instinctive to alter the form. When I started pressing, my body wanted to turn the press into a jerk, without me as a novice being able to give it much thought.
In the gym, most of the time, when someone talks about pressing overhead, they turn the exercise into a push press. Some do it only at the later reps of a tough set, but it's obviously not something to be avoided. A push press is clearly different from a press. That is not to say that we do not use the legs in a regular press, or that a push press isn't a good exercise - it's just that it should be called a push press and a press a press.
When doing the barbell press, some like to recommend a degree of hip action. The legs stay locked, the feet don't leave the floor, but the hip moves and the upper body along it. Once again, a major difference, even if it fulfils a certain criteria. But everybody moves their upper body when the weight gets heavy enough. How much do you do it, and how?
Now, if we have a glimpse at how the rest of the body works, how do you press with your arms? Do you do the press from a dead stop? Do you do your next rep right away after the earlier rep ends, or how long a break do you take? Do you dip down with your arm before the move, or does the 'bell only move up after you decide to move? Do you rest the barbell on your chest, do you use the olympic style front rack, or do you drop it only to your chin like some do? Have you tried pressing from a true dead stop, like from the pins of a power rack with a barbell.
All of it makes a difference - but how big a difference do you think it is? When you say you do the press, how do you do it?
I've been pressing both a barbell and a kettlebell. I've done less dumbbell pressing. I've noticed that even minute differences in form can have a big effect. I've also noticed that it's instinctive to alter the form. When I started pressing, my body wanted to turn the press into a jerk, without me as a novice being able to give it much thought.
In the gym, most of the time, when someone talks about pressing overhead, they turn the exercise into a push press. Some do it only at the later reps of a tough set, but it's obviously not something to be avoided. A push press is clearly different from a press. That is not to say that we do not use the legs in a regular press, or that a push press isn't a good exercise - it's just that it should be called a push press and a press a press.
When doing the barbell press, some like to recommend a degree of hip action. The legs stay locked, the feet don't leave the floor, but the hip moves and the upper body along it. Once again, a major difference, even if it fulfils a certain criteria. But everybody moves their upper body when the weight gets heavy enough. How much do you do it, and how?
Now, if we have a glimpse at how the rest of the body works, how do you press with your arms? Do you do the press from a dead stop? Do you do your next rep right away after the earlier rep ends, or how long a break do you take? Do you dip down with your arm before the move, or does the 'bell only move up after you decide to move? Do you rest the barbell on your chest, do you use the olympic style front rack, or do you drop it only to your chin like some do? Have you tried pressing from a true dead stop, like from the pins of a power rack with a barbell.
All of it makes a difference - but how big a difference do you think it is? When you say you do the press, how do you do it?