The Push Press: Build Dynamic Athleticism and Strength

    You've been training your Strict Overhead Press for several months now, consistently seeing gains in your strength...until the past couple of weeks. You've plateaued and you just can't seem to increase the weight on the bar. You're frustrated with your lack of progress, and you curse the lifting gods. You're stuck and you don't know what to do. Enter the Push Press. 

    A well-known exercise in the Olympic Weightlifting and Strongman communities, the Push Press has been a staple exercise in these long-standing strength communities for decades now, and for good reason. It works. Very well. If you are currently struggling with increasing your Strict Overhead Press, the Push Press can help you push through (pun intended) your strict press plateau. 

    The Strict Overhead Press - aside from the recruitment of lower body stabilization - isolates the usage of only the upper body to press the weight up and overhead from a dead stop. Because of this, the Strict Overhead Press - in comparison to the Push Press - is a better test of absolute upper body pressing strength. 

    In contrast, the Push Press while likewise heavily recruiting the shoulders and triceps also recruits explosive extension of the hips and lower body to allow for the lifting of loads overhead that the shoulders and upper body alone could not do. By its nature, the Push Press is an excellent exercise for developing greater power output and overhead stability that can then translate to an increase in your strict overhead press strength. This makes the Push Press an awesome exercise for the general trainee as well as the athlete.

So, how is the Push Press performed? The movement is similar to the overhead press, but there are a few, stark differences you must account for.

1. The Setup - 

The grip on the barbell/dumbbells/kettlebells is the same as the grip you would use for a strict overhead press. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be about hip-width apart - similar to the stance you would take if you were about to perform a max vertical jump onto a box. The weight implement you are using is resting on your body the same way it would for if you were performing a strict overhead press with that weight implement.

2. Brace and DIP - 

Now that you are setup properly, you will go into the first movement of the Push Press progression. Take a sharp inhalation of air into your abdomen/stomach region and DIP straight down approximately 1-2 inches, bending your knees forward to achieve the depth.

3. REBOUND and Exhale - 

As you dip down quickly, the weight on your shoulders will feel weightless. You will want to take advantage of this weightless feeling and "elasticity"/build up of kinetic energy (physics). Immediately upon dipping down 1-2 inches, you will want to violently drive your hips forward and up, exhaling sharply while you do so. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRESS THE WEIGHT UP OFF YOUR SHOULDERS IMMEDIATELY. The quicker you can rebound from your dip and start to extend your hips forward, the greater power output potential you will be able to generate when you do begin to press the weight upwards.

4. The PRESS - 

You are now driving back up with the weight. This final step of the Push Press progression is vital to getting the result you want. Ideally, you do not want to press the weight up and off your shoulders until you have reached full hip extension and are standing up fully. You want to time your press with the moment you reach full hip extension. This will help to fully translate all the power output generated by your hips into the weight and allow you to lift heavier weights above your head than you could do from a dead start Strict Overhead Press. 

5. The DRIVE and PUNCH - 

You have timed your hip extension perfectly with your press, and the weight is floating up overhead. As the weight travels upwards and past your face, you want to actively drive your head forward under the barbell/dumbbell/kettlebell as you "punch" the weight up overhead. This head drive forward allows for better recruitment of the traps and shoulder stabilizers to allow for safe stabilization of the weight overhead. Remember to stay actively engaged with your shoulders, and "punch" your palms up into the weight overhead. 

Pro Tip: FEET - 

Throughout the entire movement, your feet should not move. They should stay stable and glued to the floor through the entirety of the movement. The heels and toes should not rise noticeably off of the ground.

Are you ready to try out the Push Press and get stronger in the overhead position? Use these tips to help break through your Strict Overhead Press plateau! 

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