Why won't my press go straight?

[Elle]

July 21, 2020 - YouTube

Why am I incapable of pushing the bar in a straight vertical line when I press?

Everyone keeps giving me the queue to press the bar straight up. Someone even said to try pushing it diagonally back once that failed.
But every single time, I think that's what I'm doing, I obsess over it, and then... I watch my video and it's not.
You can see it's like I basically press it diagonally away from me until I'm forced to step forward to catch it at the top.

My press is now lagging far behind everything else because of this. I'm 5 weeks into LP and this was my first set of 5 (well, 4 because I failed) at 50. Last session was 3x5 at 47.5, and the session before that I failed on rep 13/15 at 47.5. I started at 35 press.

[Ryan Arnold]

Think about keeping the bar close to your face. It may help to think about trying to brush your nose with the bar. Also - these are strict presses. You should consider learning the Press 2.0, as you'll likely be able to press more weight that way

[Elle]

I tried the 2.0 but it made the bar path worse, so I took it back out.

I *do* think about brushing my nose. It's just that the bar doesn't go that way once I start pressing lol. I can do it ok at lighter weights, but the heavier the weight the more the bar wants to go forward.

[Ryan Arnold]

I'm thinking this may not be a quick fix and may require some experimentation with Press 1.0 and 2.0 again, preferably with a SSC. Where do you live?

[Mark Rippetoe]

The first three look pretty good. The layback on the last two looks like abs are not holding you forward. Wear a belt.

[Elle]

Thanks.

I do live near a coach but it was too much to fix in one session and the income situation is a bit tricky right now for repeat sessions. I will go back to him as I'm able. He's the one who told me to quit the 2.0 for a bit.

I feel like the layback happens because I can push out (like I'm pushing against a wall) much easier than I can push straight up. I also think that's why I tend to press diagonally out on reps where I don't lay back.
(I do absolutely believe that I also need to improve my ab strength and will invest in a belt).

[Hayden-William Courtland]

Certainly work on keeping your abs tight/ribs down and get a belt. You may still need to do some remedial work with strict pressing and pin presses. If price is an issue you can often get a month of online coaching for the price of a single in-person session.

[CommanderFun]

The first three look pretty good. The layback on the last two looks like abs are not holding you forward. Wear a belt.

I was thinking the same thing, the first two reps look like a fairly straight line, I don't see an issue. On rep three it seems the layback starts to get more pronounced, and when you shoot forward under the bar you end up with extra momentum from the longer distance traveled, causing the stagger forward. Trying to lay back is a natural consequence of shoulder fatigue building up, you naturally wanna try and get your pectorals to pick up the slack. I'm assuming this was your final set, do the prior 2 generally go well, or does it break down like that on all of your sets?

Also, It's hard for me to see from this angle, but it looks like your grip might be a bit wide. Not crazy wide, but bringing it in a bit might help, I try to line up the insides of the hands with the shoulder joint (NOT the shoulder meat, which extends a bit beyond the joint itself). I think most women are best served with some portion of their hand inward from the knurl's edge. Other than that, the belt will definitely help keep that midsection tight. The common myth is that it "weakens the core" because it does the work for it. Not true. Correctly used the belt coaxes MORE effort out of the core, and it absolutely helps keep a press stable when it gets hard. First workout I ever used one for, my abs were crazy sore the day after.

[Elle]

CommanderFun- that was my last set but they all pretty much devolve after 3 reps.

You all will be shocked to know you were totally right. I had just assumed the limiting factor was my delts and my pecs taking over was why I couldn't press straight. Once I started actively trying to keep my ribs down, it's my abs that were shaking on the last reps.

Then I remembered that back in my misguided CrossFit days, I had a habit of arching my back during handstands. My coach had me do L-Sit presses to remedy it. The theory was, that you can't arch your back during them because you'll just fall over backward. So it taught proper bracing. I don't know if you have Opinions on this.

Anyway, regardless, here's today's. Still lots of work to do.
July 24, 2020 - YouTube
(Belt order pending)

Questions:
-What weight jump should I go for? 2.5 lbs still feels like a lot. Today I went up to 47 from 45 and it was a max effort.
-Do you think I need switch to 5x3s?
-Do I need to do some kind of remedial ab exercise?