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Thread: Press Question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    Default Press Question

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    I very rarely see anyone doing barbell presses at my gym. Last week, on a rare occasion, I saw someone do the press. He was lifting about 70kg, which is pretty heavy given his size, which made this doubly rare. Anyway, to the point. I do the press like you teach it. He, on the other hand, started with a stance like the finish of a clean-and-jerk;feet in lunge position. He pressed the bar overhead without the use of his legs and locked it out like the way you teach. In a sense it was a strict press except for the stance. I tried it the way he did it when he vacated the rack and I found it much easier to do than the way I am used to.

    I don't intend to press in this manner but out of curiosity what makes this way of pressing easier? I noticed that I didn't need to move my head out of the way to maintain a straight bar path and, I am not sure but I think I felt my upper back helping.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    North Texas
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    Why would your upper back help with a split stance and not help with an even stance? I'd like to see a video, because it is far more likely that you're using a little push, that you cannot feel because of the split. And you're probably starting with a layback due to the split as well, since you say you don't need to move your head out of the way. But this also means that you may not be getting back under the bar, and are therefore losing the lockout effect produced by the forward slam. Again, video would show us.

  3. #3
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    Aug 2010
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    Thanks coach. Your answer has given me pause to think. Perhaps the split stance made me get into a better start position and that could point towards form issues in how I do the standing press. I'll will have to check this carefully the next time I am in the gym along with the point you made about unwittingly using the legs to push the weight.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Colorado Springs
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    The evil layback. The bane of strict pressers past and a factor in its downfall. Stupid layback. That makes it more like a vertical chest press instead of a press. And if you pressed it from a spilt with layback you would probably have to stand up in order to get under the bar. Unless you did some sort of androidian shoulder, lumbar, abdominal...rotation/flexion/crunch/shift...thing. At which point the weight would be in an awkward position, unlike the lowering of the body during the jerk to enable overhead lockout. Bro science is phenomenal, be highly critical of things unknown when they are first observed in a gym.

  5. #5
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    You don't think we should lean back when we press, 4th?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Leaning back is good. I dislike the huge layback like some lifters used to use that had them nearly horizontal and pressing with the chest. Which I would think would be a lot like what someone would do while pressing from a split, with the head back and the chest to the sky. I am not a fan of no lean at all since heavy weight would be really unenjoyable without it. No bueno, senor. All in all I would have to say that using a layback from a standard erect position would be more respectable than using it from a split, though. The split would seem to provide almost artificial leverage and support. Plus one could use both dip and drive during the lift. And there would be less need to control and balance the load. But for back position I gotta say lean, yes, lay, no.

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