A Better Way to Cue the Press | Nick Delgadillo
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Great description of the problem. The lift needs to move "back" in the first 1/2 inch of pressing. I'm of the opinion that once the bar has moved too far forward, in the absence of enough brute strength, the lift is lost.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
Two things that have helped me in the press from one of Rip's videos: A tight, narrow grip, and making a wider base with my feet, which are slightly turned out. That stance makes the whole movement easier without worrying about bending and using my knees. Am I on the right track
I love these kinds of articles!
I've recently talked my dad into getting under the barbell. He's in reasonably good shape for an almost 69 year old dude, but has pretty much no lifting experience. He's been "exercising" on and off for the last few years, but the barbell always intimidated him. I've been coaching him to the best of my abilities, and pressing the bar forwards and failing to lock it out overhead was one of his (many) early issues. The cue I used was "head through!" and it seemed to fix it up. Obviously cues aren't one size fits all and the end result is most important, but in the interest of getting better at this, I'm just wondering if there's something inherently better about cueing shoulders rather than the head.
Since you can move your head without moving your shoulders, I say so.
Thanks! Yeah I figured it would be something along those lines. I guess I'm just having trouble picturing how someone would successfully get their head through their arms without the shoulders coming along for the ride, but obviously yield the point to those with exponentially more experience. That's why I asked! I'll try this out next time I'm helping someone out with their press.
Thanks again!
If you cue the head, you'll end up having to correct a too-forward head position at the lockout. The folks who do this too aggressively end up with neck and shoulder pain as a result of the neck being pushed forward as the traps and shoulder support the load overhead.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dillon Spencer
On a PR triple today, my third rep slowed down before I expected it to, and turned into a minor grinder. I used your "shoulders" cue in my head to get through the rep. My n=1, the shoulder cue worked better than the more familiar "back back back!" cue.
Thanks, brother.
Thanks Nick! That also makes a ton of sense. I guess I've just never encountered that (in a very limited sample) with cueing the head. I've always used it as a self-cue, but I like to think I have a half decent idea of where my head's supposed to end up. Whenever I've used it with others, it's worked out fine. I've definitely seen video of people that take it too far though. I guess I was just looking for a bit of clarification on the head cue vs. shoulder cue, because the article focuses on the shoulder cue vs. the back cue.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Delgadillo
Thanks again!
