Utilizing a hip thrust at bottom of press

[SamGriffin]

Take the bar out of the rack in the correct pressing position then shift all of your weight to your heels and pull your hips back all the way to cock them. Now thrust your hips forward explosively as you shift your weight to the balls of your feet. As your hips come forward start pressing the bar.

Is this what's going on here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkY9aa3okxw&feature=channel

The bar comes off your shoulders like a rocket and the momentum allows you to get under the bar easily as it clears your head, right?

Anybody utilize this while breathing at the top and incorporating a stretch reflex at the bottom? When, exactly, do you cock your hips back?

[Beltshumeltz]

During my only private session with a certified barbell instructor, he taught me to do this as well. I didn't get it right (injury made it hard to breath and move hips) but he only told me to do it to clear the bar path, because otherwise I tended to do a rainbow motion around my head with the bar as well as move my NECK back to avoid the bar, instead of actually tilting my pelvis forward while tilting my chest back to clear the path.

I don't think it's supposed to add momentum to the bar.

DISCLAIMER: I'm only guessing here, so correct me if I'm wrong:
In the video, the first guy cheated his first rep which gave the bar momentum. His other rep was OK.

The lady's reps in particular seemed best. She would tilt backward and launch the bar - I don't feel her tilting around added momentum at all.

The first guy's second set IMO is more correct. He didn't "cheat" his reps.

So aside from the first's guy's first rep, and very few reps throughout the video, I don't think the bar launched like a rocket due to anything but their normal pressing strength.

Yes, I did the breathing at the top and a stretch reflex, or rather, I didn't breath at all However, I didn't really cock my hips back properly, I would usually just move my neck out of the way, so that's something to correct. Timing should just be to move out of the way at the last instant possible, I think.

I can tell you however that the stretch reflex WORKS and prevents the bar from stalling midway through the rep forcing you to grind through the rest.

I discovered that the few times my workouts looked like this:
4 reps, 5 reps, 5 reps
... were when I would pause at the bottom during the first set, and then use the stretch reflex and complete my sets a bit quicker in the second and third sets.

[LimieJosh]

I start in a position that somewhat reverses the curve of the thoracic spine. That brings the shoulders down and back and so as long as my neck is straight it pulls my head out of the way of a bar path perpendicular to the floor. Once the bar has cleared my head I return the thoracic spine to the natural position. If I do too much of a hip thrust I find the bar tends to get too far ahead of me.

[Lecterman]

I think it's best to thrust the hips after the press, preferably when celebrating a PR.

The level of hip thrust would then depend on whether or not ladies are present and the level of their attractiveness.

[HamptonMike]

That's probably why the press isn't a contested lift anymore, Lecterman

[SamGriffin]

I think the last set by the guy with the blue t-shirt is the best example of what I am talking about.

For reps 'from the bottom' this works great.

What I'm curious about is using this style with reps 'from the top' (breathing at the top and bouncing out of the bottom).

[confuzzl3don3]

Sami i see what you're seeing. Like you i'm also interested to see if it can be incorporated into the breathing at the top style.

[Dastardly]

Like Sam said, for reps starting from a dead stop at the bottom it works great.

There is a detailed explanation in Starr's olympic press article. I find the best technique cue by myself. "Contract glutes hard!" your body will then be under tension like a bow. Your then lean back keeping the weight on your toes to maintain balance. Then you use the tension to fire your shoulders forwards/up while pushing through the heels. It works fantastically, I have managed to work through a serious plateau on my press using the technique.

[Dastardly]

Anybody utilize this while breathing at the top and incorporating a stretch reflex at the bottom? When, exactly, do you cock your hips back?

Youve got it the wrong way-around.

You cock the hips forwards, and then spring your shoulders forwards using the tension in your hips (mainly glutes).

[SamGriffin]

Like Sam said, for reps starting from a dead stop at the bottom it works great.

There is a detailed explanation in Starr's olympic press article. I find the best technique cue by myself. "Contract glutes hard!" your body will then be under tension like a bow. Your then lean back keeping the weight on your toes to maintain balance. Then you use the tension to fire your shoulders forwards/up while pushing through the heels. It works fantastically, I have managed to work through a serious plateau on my press using the technique.

Youve got it the wrong way-around.

You cock the hips forwards, and then spring your shoulders forwards using the tension in your hips (mainly glutes).

No, I am talking about something different.

In the olympic style press (as I understand it) you start in a neutral position and then push your hips forward and lean back from your upperbody to create a spring. Then you reverse this spring (upper body comes forward/hips go back) while simultaniously pressing the bar. This will get the bar up around your face. Now you push your hips forward+lean back to create another bow and you repeat the procedure, this time to "get under the bar" and lock it out.

What I am describing is, starting from a neutral position, pulling the hips back with little upperbody movement then driving them forward + pressing and leaning back at the same time. So as the bar is going up my hips are moving forward and upper body is moving back. When the bar gets up around my nose I will have created a bow which I can reverse to "get under it" and lock the bar out. I think this is what your man in blue is doing in his last set of that youtube clip.