Shoulder Press

The key elements of the Shoulder Press, and all the overhead lifts, are the setup position, the overhead position, tight belly, and the bar path. These are foundational to all the overhead lifts.

Teaching the Movement
SETUP (THIS SETUP IS EXACTLY THE SAME FOR ALL THREE OVERHEAD LIFTS): • Stance = hip width • Hands just outside the shoulders • Bar in front, resting on the “rack” or “shelf” created by the shoulders • Elbows down and in front of bar; elbows are lower than in the front squat • Tight midsection • Closed grip, with thumbs around the bar EXECUTION: • The cue for the action is “Press” • Drive through heels; keep the whole body rigid; tight belly • Bar travels straight up to locked out, with active shoulders, directly overhead • Head accommodates bar (bar path is a straight line)

Seeing the Movement
PRIMARY POINTS OF PERFORMANCE: • Good setup • Constant tightness in the midsection, ribs locked down • Overhead and active shoulder at the top of the press; overhead means that the bar is over or just behind the arch of the foot, with the shoulder angle fully open • Bar travels straight up

Correcting the Movement
FAULT – BAR FORWARD OF FRONTAL PLANE. • Fix – Press up and pull back on the bar as it travels to overhead. FAULT – LEANING BACK, RIBS STICKING OUT. • Fix – Tighten abs / suck rib cage down (be sure to check the overhead position again after this fix). FAULT – PASSIVE SHOULDERS OR BENT ELBOWS. • Fix – Cue “Press up!” “Shoulders into ears.” FAULT – BAR ARCS OUT AROUND THE FACE. • Fix – Pull head back out of the way of the bar. • Fix – Check that elbows are not too low in the setup.