Bench and Olympic Press Form Check

[TyphoidYellow]

Bench Press: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkGBjBGvBDg#t=28s

Olympic Press: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9AKq4_nNQ#t=20s


The Bench Press vid is here to partially save face in case my Press is an abomination.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The bench video is shitty, so that didn't work. To qualify as a full-fanatic freak Olympic press, you need a lot more hips-forward to initiate the movement. The layback in the middle will happen as you get heavier. This press -- from the two reps I see here -- is pretty decent, just needs more weight.

[Daniel's Jack]

Just my 2 cents: It looks to me like the extension of the wrist is rather extreme, there's almost a 90° angle between the back of the hand and the forearm. This gets slightly worse during the initial phase of the upwards movement. Maybe this is due to your proportions but it doesn't look like the correct hand grip (given in figure 3-8, excerpt from 3rd SS edition).

[TyphoidYellow]

It is now my mission to perfect this movement. Here're more videos:

(back 45): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLj5fcucvhs#t=19s
(side view): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ41iFapEuc#t=21s
(another side view)(took the hips forward movement to a possible extreme?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOlKSWnYP-o#t=31s

I've a question: Is the optimal initial driving position one where the hips are forward enough so that any more forward hip action would have to involve an unlocking of the lower back? That was a little tortured. What I really want to know is whether or not a good mental cue would be to push the hips forward until the lower back starts to lose position. I've found that if I move past this point, my press doesn't meet the competition press judging criterion you proposed in SS:BBT (that the bar will not move behind the back of the hips when viewed from the side). Or does that rule have to be amended in order to facilitate full-fanatic freak Olympic pressing? Would the limit then be placed on ensuring that knee position isn't allowed to change aside from the slight angle which comes from only just allowing them to unlock in order to facilitate forward hip movement?

I have no fucking idea what I'm doing.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you're looking for full-fanatic-freak status, you have to sharpen the bounce generated by the hips reaching forward and use this to launch the bar off the shoulders. The abs MUST hold the low-back tight, and the hips reach forward so far that the weight comes onto the toes just before the drive up. As the drive starts it settles back into mid-foot, but the toes cue will ensure that you reach far enough forward. If your quads lock the knees, the hip flexors will stretch and act like a "bow" storing rebound as hips go forward. You bounce off of that forward position. It looks like you're trying to do the second hip kick, and it looks early. My experience is that if you actually think about doing this, you'll miss the timing. Just let it happen as the bar slows naturally in mid-drive above your head and over the shoulder -- I think when the weight gets heavy enough you'll do it without cueing it.

[jedomann]

Speaking of presses, and specifically your adjusted press instruction (pause at the bottom, hips forward at onset, more layback), I found that I had to reset about 10 pounds lower (157.5x5x5 to 147.5x5x5). Is this what others are experiencing? Of course, I don't have the new edition yet, so I'm pretty sure my form isn't where it needs to be.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'm sure they are. Taking the rebound out of the set makes the work harder.

[Daniel's Jack]

I actually felt a little bit stronger when I realized that I have rather long forearms and adjusted my grip accordingly. Until then it always was my top priority to get the bar on my front deltoids (the meaty part you always speak of) but this was only possible when I rotated my elbows up. My new starting position (where the bar has no contact with the delts, cf. fig. 3-11) feels much better and stronger. Anyway, this has not much to do with the new pressing style as you teach it, but thanks a lot for adressing the correct grip and bottom position in the new edition. I got an e-mail tonight that my copy has been shipped and I'm pretty excited, hope it doesn't take to long to get to Germany.

[skadefryd]

I've been having good luck with my presses by resetting my valsalva at the top, but still not using a stretch reflex at the bottom; rather, I pause like one might do on a bench press, then use the hips to drive the weight up.

Does this make the lift significantly different from how you're teaching it now? For some reason, if I reset between reps at the bottom, I notice my shoulders getting very, very tired. Maybe I am holding the bar wrong there?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You're probably relaxing when you take the breath at the bottom. It is just a quick breath, not a full breath.