What is a Push Press? Mastering the Dynamic Overhead Lift

The push press is a dynamic and powerful exercise that is essential for anyone looking to build upper body strength and power.

Popular in both weightlifting and CrossFit circles, the push press combines elements of both strength and speed, making it a versatile addition to any workout routine.

This article will explore what a push press is, its benefits, and how to perform it correctly.

Understanding the Push Press

Definition

A push press is a compound exercise that targets the shoulders, triceps, and legs. It involves using the momentum from your legs to help press a barbell overhead. Unlike the strict press, which relies solely on upper body strength, the push press incorporates a slight dip and drive from the legs, making it a more explosive movement.

Comparison with Other Lifts

The push press differs from the strict press and the push jerk. In a strict press, the legs remain stationary, and all the lifting power comes from the upper body. In contrast, the push jerk involves a more pronounced dip and a catch phase, where you drop under the bar to catch it overhead. The push press lies somewhere in between, offering a balance of strength and speed.

Purpose

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts use the push press to improve their overhead strength and explosiveness. It is particularly beneficial for sports that require powerful upper body movements.

Benefits of the Push Press

Strength Development

The push press is excellent for building upper body strength, particularly in the shoulders and triceps. By incorporating leg drive, it allows you to lift heavier weights than you might with a strict press.

Power and Explosiveness

This exercise enhances overall power and athletic performance by training the body to generate force quickly. It's an effective way to improve your ability to perform explosive movements.

Core Stability

The push press requires a stable core to maintain balance and control throughout the lift. Engaging the core during this exercise helps improve overall stability and balance.

Functional Fitness

Mimicking real-life movements, the push press is a functional exercise that helps improve your ability to perform everyday tasks that involve pushing overhead.

How to Perform a Push Press

Step-by-Step Guide

Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the barbell at shoulder height with an overhand grip, elbows pointing forward.
Dip: Slightly bend your knees and lower your hips into a quarter squat, keeping your torso upright.
Drive: Explosively extend your legs and drive the barbell overhead, using the momentum from your legs.
Press: As the barbell moves past your head, press upward with your arms until they are fully extended.
Recovery: Lower the barbell back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Common Mistakes

Avoid excessive leaning, which can strain your lower back, and ensure your grip is neither too wide nor too narrow.

Tips for Success

Focus on maintaining a strong core and using your legs to generate power. Breathe out as you press the barbell overhead.

Muscles Worked in the Push Press

Primary muscles worked:

Shoulders (deltoids): The push press primarily targets the anterior and lateral deltoid muscles, which are responsible for lifting the arms overhead.
Triceps: The triceps are also heavily engaged during the overhead press portion of the exercise.
Legs (quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings): The push press begins with a squatting motion, which engages the muscles of the legs, including the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.

Secondary muscles worked:

Core (abdominals, lower back): The core muscles play a stabilizing role during the push press, helping to maintain proper form and control throughout the movement.
Upper back (trapezius, rhomboids): The upper back muscles are engaged to stabilize the shoulders and assist in the overhead press.
Forearms: The forearms are used to grip and control the barbell during the exercise.
Calves: The calves are used to help generate power during the leg drive portion of the push press.

IV. Variations of the Push Press

Dumbbell push press:

The dumbbell push press is a variation of the push press that uses dumbbells instead of a barbell. It is performed in a similar manner, with the dumbbells held at shoulder height and the legs and arms used to generate power to lift the dumbbells overhead. This variation allows for greater range of motion and can help to improve overall shoulder stability.

Kettlebell push press:

The kettlebell push press is another variation of the push press that utilizes a kettlebell. It is performed in a similar manner to the dumbbell push press, with the kettlebell held at shoulder height and the legs and arms used to generate power to lift the kettlebell overhead. This variation places a greater emphasis on grip strength and can help to improve overall shoulder mobility.

Single-arm push press:

The single-arm push press is a unilateral variation of the push press that uses only one arm at a time. It is performed in a similar manner to the standard push press, but with one arm holding the weight while the other arm is extended out to the side for balance. This variation can help to improve overall shoulder stability and balance between the left and right sides of the body.

Push Press vs. other Shoulder Exercises

Comparison with overhead press:

The push press and overhead press are both compound exercises that target the shoulder muscles. However, the push press is typically performed with a lower weight and involves a leg drive to generate power, while the overhead press is performed with a strict form and relies solely on the upper body to lift the weight.

The push press allows for greater weight to be lifted and can help to develop overall explosive power, while the overhead press is a more isolated movement that can help to target specific areas of the shoulder muscles.

Comparison with military press:

The push press and military press are both variations of the overhead press that target the shoulder muscles.

The main difference between the two is that the push press involves a leg drive to generate power, while the military press is performed with strict form and relies solely on the upper body to lift the weight.

The push press allows for greater weight to be lifted and can help to develop explosive power, while the military press can help to develop overall shoulder strength and stability.

Benefits of incorporating both into a workout routine:

Incorporating both the push press and overhead press into a workout routine can help to provide a well-rounded shoulder workout that targets a variety of muscle groups.

The push press can help to develop explosive power and can be used to lift heavier weights, while the overhead press can help to isolate specific areas of the shoulder muscles and improve overall strength and stability.

Incorporating both exercises can also help to prevent muscle imbalances and can provide a greater variety of exercises to prevent boredom and plateauing in progress.

Conclusion

The push press is a versatile and effective exercise for building strength and power. Incorporate it into your workout routine to experience its many benefits. Share your experiences or questions in the comments below.

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References:

Hackett, D. A., & Johnson, N. A. (2018). The benefits of the push press and power jerk for athletic performance. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 40(4), 92-99.
Kraemer, W. J., & Ratamess, N. A. (2004). Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(4), 674-688.
National Strength and Conditioning Association. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The use of specialized training techniques to maximize muscle hypertrophy. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 32(3), 34-37.
Siff, M. C., & Verkhoshansky, Y. V. (2000). Supertraining (6th ed.). Denver, CO: Supertraining Institute.