Raising the barbell while standing up. Standing barbell press from the chest: features of the exercise and technique. CrossFit complexes that contain military presses

The military press is an excellent compound exercise for working and increasing the mass of the deltoid muscles.

Army press. Vlad Demin

Despite the relative simplicity of the overhead press, many self-proclaimed weightlifting “senseis” claim to know the absolute truth of the exercise. this exercise, while making a lot of mistakes and teaching the “snowdrops” the wrong technique. About how to do it right military press, and will be discussed further.

Muscles involved

Professionals prefer to begin training this exercise after the rear deltoids have been warmed up with light weight swing exercises.

If the exercise is performed correctly, the load is distributed in the following way: deltoids, triceps, chest, back.

• The main load is placed on the middle and anterior bundles of the deltoid muscles.
• The secondary load falls on the upper back and upper chest muscles.
• Indirect load affects the triceps and posterior deltoid muscles.
• The work includes trapezius muscles, gluteals, as well as abs and thighs.

Regularly performing the military press allows you to get expressive shoulders and significantly expand your deltoids.

For athletes involved in weightlifting, this exercise provides an opportunity to increase explosive strength and improve joint mobility. shoulder girdle.

Changing body position and grip width provides load on various parts of the shoulder girdle. If you strictly follow the execution technique, you can achieve impressive results in a fairly short period of time.

Features of the exercise (classic version)

Classic version of the military bench press

In order to receive desired result and not cause harm to your own body, you should adhere to the following algorithm of actions, which will provide the necessary load on certain areas:

1. Before you begin performing the military press, it is very important to warm up deltoids and shoulder joints.
2. You need to use a medium-width bar on which the plates are fixed using special locks.
3. A basic grip involves placing your hands on the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
   Beginner athletes can make the task easier by notching on the bar; more experienced athletes measure 4-5 cm from the edges of the bar.
4. The chest and shoulders should be positioned directly under the bar, after which the barbell is removed from the rack.

Having stepped back a comfortable distance, you need to take the original position, namely: your back is straight, your legs are slightly wider than your shoulders, your knees are slightly bent. The bar is pressed up until the arms are fully straightened, after which the bar slowly lowers back to chest level. In this case, the bar should not touch the body to maintain proper load. When the required number of repetitions is completed, you need to carefully place the barbell on the rack or on the floor, paying attention to your back, which in no case should bend like a “wheel.”

Above is the classic technique for performing the exercise from a standing position. You can achieve impressive results by adopting the military press exclusively in its basic version.

However, there are many variations that allow you to increase the load on certain muscle groups. Let's consider those that are most worthy of attention:

Seated press

Seated military press

1. To begin with, it is important to do a warm-up, which includes rotational movements of the shoulders, bending and warming up the joints of the shoulder girdle.
2. The bench should have a virtually vertical back, slightly tilted back.
3. The barbell is carefully removed from the racks and pressed upward as you exhale.
4. As you inhale, the bar returns to its original position.

A narrow grip places the main load on the front deltoids and triceps. A wide grip allows you to work the deltoids in the middle beam.

Standing overhead press

First of all, it should be noted that this exercise is considered quite traumatic, so it is not recommended to include it in your routine. training program for beginners and athletes with various pathologies of the shoulder bag or joints of the shoulder girdle.

The exercise works well on the middle and anterior deltoids, the long head of the triceps and a number of stabilizers. It is performed as follows:

1. The barbell is carefully removed from the racks, after which you need to move away from them to a safe distance. The bar should be slightly below the neck.
2. The rise up occurs while exhaling until the arms are maximally straightened.
3. After holding this position for a couple of seconds, the barbell slowly returns to its original position.

During the exercise, it is very important to monitor your posture, pushing your chest forward slightly. It is necessary to lower the bar while maintaining a right angle (90 degrees) in the forearms. First stage“Adaptation” to the exercise should occur using light weights.

Advice: If you do not perform the military press in front of a mirror, then without experience it will be difficult for you to maintain a right angle at the elbow. Therefore, when lowering the barbell, you focus on your earlobes.

Seated overhead press

The exercise is aimed at working out the middle and upper delta bundles. Experienced athletes usually resort to it, since for beginners such a variation of the bench press is very traumatic, and instead of a positive result, it can “knock out” the neophyte for several weeks, or even months, from the training cycle.

The press is performed first on the day of shoulder training after a five to ten minute warm-up. The grip width should be greater than in the case of a classic military press performed from the chest. It is not recommended to use heavy loads when working with free weights.

Smith machine press

The Smith machine is a kind of rack that limits the movement of the bar exclusively down or up. The overhead press on such a machine is performed virtually identical to the free weight exercise described above, but has a lower risk of causing harm to your own body. Therefore, beginners can be recommended to perform it according to the following algorithm:

1. The bench is installed so that the bar is located directly above the seating area.
2. Having fixed the barbell at a slight elevation from the head, you need to grab it so that the grip is wide enough and your elbows form an angle of 90 degrees.
3. After removing the bar, you need to lift the barbell up, but unlike a free weight exercise, your elbows do not straighten completely.

You need to lower the bar slowly and very carefully. When the bar lowers to the level of the back of the head, it can be held for a moment. The number of repetitions per approach usually varies from 8 to 12.

Previously, we looked at options for performing bench presses with a barbell, but the exercise can be done effectively with dumbbells. The difficulty of using a dumbbell increases slightly.

Trivial advice, but when performing military presses with dumbbells, it is important not to increase the weight of the projectile, but to use the correct technique.

You can replace this exercise with the Arnold press, the difference is that in the final phase of the press the arms are brought together in front of you, thereby the deltoids always remain tense.

Tips for beginners and common mistakes when performing the exercise

• Suffering from protrusion, hernia or osteochondrosis lumbar region, it is important to use an orthopedic belt while performing exercises both with free weights and in the Smith machine.
• It is strictly forbidden to skip the warm-up stage, as sooner or later this will lead to injury. It is extremely important to follow the execution technique, doing the repetitions slowly.
• It is also necessary to monitor the position of the body, without tilting it back.
• You shouldn’t chase heavy weights without honing your bench press technique to perfection.
• An athlete's shoes should be comfortable and have a solid, stable sole.
• When performing a bench press from a seated position, it is important to take care of backup from an experienced athlete in advance.

Be sure to read about it

Published in Basic exercises Training the deltoid muscles still causes a lot of controversy among athletes: it is necessary to find the optimal method for muscle development and, at the same time, not cause harm. The shoulder joints are very fragile and therefore require exceptional proper training.

Today we will talk about one thing...

Standing press in bodybuilding

Training the deltoid muscles still causes a lot of controversy among athletes: it is necessary to find the optimal method for muscle development and, at the same time, not cause harm. The shoulder joints are very fragile, and therefore require exceptionally proper training. Today we will talk about one of the most effective exercises– standing press in bodybuilding.

Let's talk about how to perform it correctly, and why athletes who did the standing press in the pre-steroid era had such gorgeous deltoids.

Standing Press Goals

The standing press in bodybuilding allows you to:

1. Build proportional, round, attractive and strong muscles shoulder. This is one of the best exercises for men: the shoulder girdle, when performed correctly, develops at a colossal pace;
2. Increase muscle gain rate. The standing press is a basic exercise that works the deltoids, triceps, upper pectorals, forearms and also gives static load all muscles of the upper and lower body. This is a basic movement. Its implementation leads to the release of anabolic hormones, without which muscle growth impossible;
3. Change the proportions of a figure. Do you want to place a bet on the shoulder girdle or observe that the shoulders are out of the overall picture? developed body, – use the standing press;

Key aspect of the exercise

We have moved away from the old format of bodybuilding, in which the standing press was one of the main exercises. It has been replaced by the bench press, which does not allow the shoulder girdle to fully develop. The technique of performing the standing press has changed. We currently have 2 popular options:

• "Shvung" technique. Cheating that leads to wear and tear shoulder joints in natural athletes. A harmful and ineffective technique. Valid only in the last repetitions of the last approach;
• Snatch technique. We quickly raise and quickly lower the barbell. We don’t have time to feel the muscles. The brain-muscle connection is not developed.

Both options are ineffective for bodybuilders. The correct technique is a smooth press at a slow pace. With the ability to feel the muscles. We perform from 6 to 10 repetitions. 3-4 seconds to raise and lower the barbell. Only this option develops the neuromuscular connection and allows you to get core shoulders, which 99% of modern bodybuilders lack.

Standing press in bodybuilding. Exercise technique

We will entrust the demonstration of the equipment to Denis Borisov:

Standing barbell press

Standing Dumbbell Press

Barbell vs dumbbells

The best option is a combination. In one workout we perform standing barbell presses, in the second we work with dumbbells. The effectiveness is the same, but when combined we do not give nervous system adapt to the load, prevent overtraining and “plateau”.

A more popular option is the standing barbell press. This is due to the fact that athletes of the past achieved success in building great deltoids using the “barbell” option.

In fact there is no difference.

How to use the standing press in bodybuilding?

Even the most best exercise will not give results if you do not know how to train.

The vast majority of athletes believe that they are engaged in bodybuilding, but perform physical exercise. Bodybuilding is distinguished from physical education by the following principles:

• The principle of load progression. It says that the body adapts to any load, as a result of which the muscles stop growing. At each (or every 1-4) workout, we must increase the weight of the apparatus, the number of approaches or repetitions, so that muscle growth becomes possible;
• Supercompensation principle And. Separates training process into phases. Tells you how often you should do the standing press, and what moment is optimal for training. More details below.

Program for pumping up the shoulders with a standing press

We isolate the standing barbell press from other movements, and show how to follow the principle of load progression:

Naturally, when working with 42.5 kg, your shoulders will look much better than when training with a single bar (20 kg). Keep progressing like this until you are satisfied with the result. Next is keeping fit.

Shoulder pumping program

A deltoid workout day might look like this:

Legs+shoulders

How often should you lift your shoulders? Supercompensation principle

The training process is divided into 4 phases:

1. Injury. Here the muscles receive stress, which is a prerequisite for eventual muscle growth;
2. Recovery. Muscles and other body systems return to their pre-training state. During the recovery phase, training is ineffective;
3. Super compensation. The standing press in bodybuilding only works if used in this phase. The body creates a muscle reserve in case of repeated training. Only here is it possible to observe the principle of progression of loads in the medium and long term;
4. Loss of super compensation. If an athlete has not trained for a long time, the body stops spending energy on maintaining reserves, and a rollback occurs to the pre-training state.

The training schemes are clearly shown in this diagram:

The diagram shows how entering the supercompensation phase allows an athlete to grow at an incredible rate. This is the maximum that exists in natural bodybuilding(article about how fast muscles grow in a straight man).

Read more about supercompensation in bodybuilding here.

You can find out about the progression of loads here.

Still confused about how to use the standing press in bodybuilding? Share your experience in the comments! Don’t forget to save the article so as not to lose valuable material, and tell us about effective training friends.

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Source: www.realkachalka.ru

Excellent, effective, powerful exercise for a total workout of all the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle and triceps. When performing it, all bundles of deltoid muscles are evenly involved, which over time gives them power and strength, promotes maximum growth muscle mass and volumes. This movement, natural in its simplicity, is used by weightlifters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders, and with amazing success. You don’t have to do chin-up rows or dumbbell flyes, but your mass and strength will still grow great if you supplement your workouts with such a wonderful exercise...

Execution technique

1. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and straighten your body. The bar of the barbell should touch your thighs.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart so that they are parallel to each other, and bend your knees slightly. To increase stability, you can move one of your legs forward a little.
3. Take the starting position: take the barbell to your chest. The bar of the bar should touch the upper chest, with your palms facing up, your back straight and arched at the waist, your shoulders back and your chest out.
4. Take a deep breath and, holding your breath, press the barbell up.
5. You have completed the most difficult part of this exercise, now exhale. At the top of the exercise standing barbell press, raise your shoulders to the maximum and straighten your arms. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then tighten your deltoids as much as possible.
6. Inhale, hold your breath and lower the barbell to your chest. Now you can start the next repetition.
7. Do not push the barbell with a sharp push, allowing it to freely travel the distance from the top to the bottom point. Lower and raise the barbell gradually, feel the muscle tension during the lifts, you must be in complete control of its movement.

1. It is strictly forbidden to relax the muscles of the back (which are adjacent to the spine) and the press. These muscles hold the spine tightly in correct position(S-shaped). If you do not follow these instructions, you could easily lose your balance during the exercise and injure your spine or lower back in particular.
2. The gaze should be directed forward, the head should be motionless. If you do not control the position of your head during a standing barbell press and involuntarily tilt it back, this will lead to a backward tilt of your torso. When your lower back bends far enough, you can tip over backwards.
3. It is important to straighten your arms (even lock your elbows) at the end of each repetition in order to achieve the greatest intensity of contraction of the deltoids and triceps muscles. But if your elbow joints If you are not strong enough or have a predisposition to sprains, we do not recommend that you straighten your arms until you hear a specific click in the elbow joints.
4. The exercise can be performed in two versions: standing and sitting. We advise you to choose to perform the standing press, because maintaining a perpendicular position of the torso (relative to the bench) without support for the back is difficult, and the torso will inevitably lean back.
5. To make it easier for you to hold your torso in a stable, strong position, we recommend keeping your elbows turned outward when doing the press.
6. Do not underestimate or neglect holding your breath. It ensures complete immobility of the back, protecting our spine, and significantly enhances contraction muscle fibers shoulder girdle.
7. There is another option for performing the exercise standing barbell press. The only difference is the starting position from which execution begins. The grip should be narrower than shoulder width, elbows pointing forward, and one leg extended in a wide stride. This version of the exercise makes it easier to maintain balance and control the barbell. It is used for basic training in the American army.

Application

Intended for: Athletes of ranks 2 and 3 (intermediate and high level preparation).

When: This exercise, also called the Army Press, should be performed at the very beginning of shoulder training, while you are still full of energy. Then you can also perform dumbbell presses and flyes, dumbbell raises and flyes.

How many: 2-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Sports instruction: In modern bodybuilding, the barbell press is used to broaden the shoulders, increase volume, acquire a clear shape, and expressiveness of the front and middle deltas. Moreover, this exercise helps develop the power of the torso muscles.

If you regularly perform standing barbell press, you will increase the level of athletic performance in some sports: weightlifting (lifting, pushing and jerking barbells), gymnastics (exercises on the uneven bars), tennis (serve from behind the head), badminton (serve the shuttlecock from behind the head), volleyball ( serving the ball at the net).

Video "Military press"

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Source: builderbody.ru

About why you need to perform a standing chest press and how to improve your performance in this exercise.

Why you should do the standing barbell press

Many athletes and bodybuilders only do the bench press because it is a compound exercise that allows you to lift heavier weights than the bench press. However, you should not cross this exercise out of your program. Here are a few reasons why you should mix up your base with the standing barbell press:

There seems to be enough reason to occasionally include this exercise in your program. Now let's talk about how to improve the standing press and increase the weight in this exercise.

How to improve your standing barbell press

1. Don't use too wide a grip

When you grab a barbell with a wide grip, you shorten the range of motion, which should make the exercise easier. However wide grip takes your hands out of the s zone better conditions to show strength. In this zone, your shoulders are at the perfect angle so that you apply maximum force to the barbell when pressing.

Also, a wide grip will not allow you to keep your elbows opposite chest and engage latissimus muscles back, which significantly reduces strength indicators.

To find the ideal grip, grip the barbell at a distance slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your forearms and elbows close to your front. serratus muscle. Try to keep your elbows rigid during the movement.

2. Keep all muscles tense

You should tense not during the bench press, but even before it begins. Press into the floor of your foot, tighten calf muscles, quadriceps, buttocks, abdominal muscles and latissimus dorsi muscles.

Tensing your muscles throughout the exercise will make your press more powerful.

You can check how this works using a simple handshake as an example. First, squeeze your friend's hand, tensing only the muscles in your hand. Then try to tense all the muscles in your body mentioned above and squeeze your hand again. This time the friend will hardly be able to stop himself from screaming.

3. Keep your head down

If you're already familiar with barbell overhead raises, and especially variations like the press and jerk, you're probably accustomed to lifting your head and looking at the ceiling to avoid hitting your chin with the barbell.

By lifting your chin up, you protect your jaw from impact, but at the same time the bar moves slightly forward, deviating from the ideal trajectory.

Instead of looking up, try pulling your head back to create a double chin. This way the bar will pass right in front of your face, and its trajectory will be optimal.

4. Shift your focus to your quads.

When it comes to the bench press, push press, or clean and jerk, most of the power comes from the quadriceps. If you try to perform the movement using your buttocks, you will have to move your hips back. As a result, the bar will move forward and deviate from the optimal trajectory.

If you perform the movement using the quadriceps, the body will remain straight, and the bar will follow an ideal trajectory - strictly in the center.

5. Work on your weaknesses

To increase the weight on the standing press, you need to put good technique, pump up target muscle groups (front and middle deltoids and triceps), as well as strengthen antagonist and synergist muscles.

Your program should include shoulder external rotation movements to strengthen the posterior deltoids. For example, you can use bent-over dumbbell flyes.

It's also worth working on your oblique abdominal muscles. Incorporate exercises such as side plank and a farmer's walk with a weight in one hand.

If you have tips and observations about the standing press, share your experience in the comments.

Article Source: 5 Tips For A Bigger, Badder, Overhead Press

Source: lifehacker.ru

How to do a standing military press correctly?

The military standing press is a subtype of basic exercise that helps to maximally load the deltoids, shoulders and develop strength. Thanks to the powerful load, it helps to increase the bench press. Let's find out what the army version is, what muscles are involved, technique, benefits and interesting facts.

The main load falls on the shoulders. The exercise pumps up the front deltoids more powerfully. At the same time, the rear and middle deltas are actively involved in the work, although they receive less load.

Military style work uses trapezoids, pectoral muscles. Squeezing the bar upward engages the triceps. Using a wide grip on the bar reduces the load on the triceps. Narrow grip style – increases.

The world record in the military bench press is 235 kg.

The classic grip is slightly wider than shoulder width. As a result, the body core will be stabilized.

The wide range of effectiveness of the military press for the development of an aesthetic body core requires the use of additional exercises. It is impossible to get impressive shoulders by working exclusively on the front deltoids. It is prudent to rock three bundles together. This one is suitable, it will force the middle delta to come out. You will have bulging, pumped up arms. To do this, take into account the following varieties:

• Seated dumbbell press;
• Lateral dumbbell raises;
• Army style.

It is appropriate to include the military press after the main chest workout. Then swings, machines and bar rows to the neck. Your deltoid muscles are fully pumped. It is inappropriate to use huge weights on deltoids.

After information about which muscles are effectively loaded while standing, let’s consider the technical component. Knowing the secrets will allow you to take the right steps to get into athletic shape quickly.

We begin mastering the technique with a warm-up. Well-warmed joints and muscles will protect you from stretch marks, dislocations or severe fractures.

An important nuance that experienced athletes often forget about. Before starting the press, try to check the fixed weight with the levers. Rational weight selection will increase delta hypertrophy.

We take the barbell in our hands and at the same time look a little upward. We take one step back with each foot. We become comfortable. We place our feet shoulder-width apart, and our toes point to the sides. Bend your legs at the knees. The back should be in one position - flat. Bend your lower back slightly. You can't lean back or forward - this is a chance to get serious injury spine.

Now we place the bar on the chest. It should lightly touch the upper chest.

Take a deep breath, tense your body from the very bottom. Hold your breath a little and press the barbell above your head. At the level of the mouth we begin to exhale air. It is not necessary to straighten your arms at the elbows. It is better to keep them in a slightly bent position.

At the top, pause for a second to feel the tension in your deltoids. Return to the starting point. Touch your chest and do more reps.

We do it as many times as necessary. We lower the barbell to the chest and place it on the platform racks.

Errors during execution:

1. You cannot jerk the barbell;
2. Push randomly along a different trajectory, removing the stability of the body.

The military bench press with a barbell is one of the powerful exercises for the back and lower back. To stabilize the body and spine, it is better to wear a weightlifting leather belt. It will help to properly fix the spine, and the internal pressure outward will not bother you.

This option involves regular dumbbells. Which is better to choose? Everything depends on you. The strategy can be based on changing the bar with dumbbells every two weeks. Two styles specifically target the anterior deltoid, so do it for variety.

Dumbbells are better for beginners. For athletes with straight shoulders, it is advisable to supplement delt training with dumbbells. Athletes whose shoulders have become curved or convex primarily work with the bar. Please note that the recommendation is conditional. It is not supported by research. Every rule has an exception, so use what you like.

Vary the activity, including options:

• behind the head and immediately on the chest;
• to the top of the head - half the trajectory.

The seated military press will allow you to concentrate on pumping up your shoulders. You don't have to worry about stabilizing your body.

Other subtypes of execution are more necessary for variety of training. Any option is effective if done correctly. Different methods are suitable for other exercises and will help you get relief and beautiful volume of deltas.

Military standing press - a basic exercise for working out the relief and growth strength indicators. At the same time, many people are interested in what to replace it with? It happens that the exercise needs to be changed. Building mass on the shoulders depends on a set of combinations with other vertical and horizontal training. It cannot be completely replaced.

Let's summarize. The army version is aimed at almost one group. Combined with isolation exercises, the upper body responds significantly. It is difficult to replace it in terms of efficiency, so you will have to learn how to work with it. It is very valuable and often underestimated by many athletes. In the hall you can see that many people’s shoulders are lagging behind.

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Source: x-power-club.com

In this article we will look at standing press, as an exercise in the bodybuilding environment, not weightlifting (there are serious differences between the two).

Standing press in bodybuilding

The standing barbell press is multi-joint, complex exercise, which perfectly loads muscles such as deltoids, triceps, and pectorals.

The classic standing chest press is a powerful base for your upper body.

The standing position engages stabilizer muscles that help hold the body in space. At the same time, the load from the barbell in a standing position will be evenly distributed through the legs to the feet, protecting your spine from injury. Because The standing press exercise is basic, we should load the target and indirect muscles efficiently and safely.

Place the barbell on racks or a power rack at a height just below your shoulders. Why not from the floor? Don't lift the barbell off the floor! If you have a lot of weight, you will not always be able to fix the correct and comfortable position when you throw the barbell onto your chest. Plus, the clean movement itself requires a lot of force and, without proper attention to it, will lead to injury and frustration from training.

You should approach the bar and sit down a little and place it on the chest (not on the deltoids), as close to the neck as possible. The elbows should be placed under the bar, the hands will naturally be turned towards the face, the palms will be facing upward.

Starting position for standing press

It is worth saying that there is no uniquely correct and comfortable grip width for everyone when performing a standing bench press with a barbell. You will have to choose it yourself through practice. Start from 5-10 cm from the shoulder. Your forearms should be parallel to each other.

Take a deep breath and hold your breath. This little life hack will help your back bear the load more smoothly. Without jerks, explosions or squats, just with the movement of your hands, start squeezing the barbell up. Slightly tilting your body and head back, keep your center of gravity passing through the center of your feet.

The deflection in the lower back is present as a natural position of the body - the barbell is forward, the body is back. This prevents you from losing your balance. Control the curvature of your back. Try to make it as small as possible - this will protect you from injury.

The trajectory of the barbell during the standing press

When the bar passes your face and goes above your head, the body moves forward, the bar goes back along the trajectory, as a result, the projection of the bar with your body forms a straight line.

In the final part of the movement, with a powerful exhalation, the barbell is pressed overhead, fixing the elbows in a straight position. This is how we maximally load the deltoid muscles and triceps. Then, while inhaling, we slowly and under control lower the barbell to the same starting position, on the chest.

The effect of this exercise is achieved by observing several factors:

• Correct body position in the initial state. We repeat once again, the barbell is on the chest, as close to the neck as possible, the elbows are tucked under the bar, the hands are turned towards the face.
• Correct body position in the final state. Mandatory straightening of the elbows at the end point of the amplitude. A straightened arm is a natural position for our body. The center of gravity passes through the middle of the bar, head, shoulders, pelvis, middle of the foot.
• Firmly fix your back and stabilizer muscles. Maintain this tension until the end of the set.
• Avoid excessive arching in the lower back, sudden, jerking movements, perform the exercise slowly and under control.
• Look only forward.
• Lock your elbows in a straight position - this will be the maximum impact on the deltoids and triceps.
• Don't put one foot in front of the other! Never.

Having mastered knowledge, we master technology. Don't rush to hang huge pancakes. Don't be shy about working with light weights. Spend at least a few months working with light weights. In such basic exercise Like the bench press, technique plays a key role. Your body will get used to this movement, and the muscles involved in the exercise will get stronger and be ready for heavy loads.

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The main goal of these exercises is to develop the muscles of the arms and shoulders; they are also called the military press. Moreover, the standing barbell press is considered a classic today and was part of the program until 1972 Olympic Games in weightlifting. But the second type - sitting, is actively practiced among bodybuilders. Regular training help make your shoulders visually wider.

3 reasons why the barbell press is useful

This exercise is one of the basic ones. What are the main reasons athletes give for doing the barbell bench press? The main reasons are:

More stress on muscles

Studies have shown the following result: if you press a barbell while standing, the load on the rear deltoids increases by about 25%, while on the triceps by 20%. Therefore, the standing barbell press turns out to be more effective in this case than the seated barbell press. Also during the experiment, the effectiveness of the barbell press was compared with the dumbbell press. It turned out that the load on the biceps during a barbell press increases by 16% compared to dumbbells, and on the triceps by almost 40%.

The barbell press is one of the most successful options for uniform pumping of the shoulders.

Almost all bundles of deltoid muscles are effectively worked out during such training. At the same time, experts recommend combining the barbell press while sitting, standing, and even lying down.

Area of ​​muscles involved

During the barbell press, the deltoid muscles, pectoral muscles, triceps, and serratus anterior muscles are involved.

The basic features of the barbell press that you need to know about

Experienced athletes note that this exercise is of average difficulty, and the main muscle involved in the work is the anterior delta, the additional one is average delta and triceps.

The low load on the spine in a sitting position allows you to train even in cases of lower back pain, hernias or osteochondrosis, provided that acceptable standards loads and compliance with safety standards during training. This type of exercise is considered basic for the development of shoulder muscles. The main points to remember are as follows:

Cons of the barbell press

There are two main disadvantages of the military press, including the risk of injury and the likelihood of damaging the barbell or falling during training. Due to the increased load, athletes are recommended to exercise in a special athletic belt, and for those who have back problems, in an orthopedic one.

Why might the barbell fall? The most common reasons: too heavy weight and inexperience of the trainee. What to do in such cases? It is recommended to first practice the exercise technique and not exceed the permissible working weight, as this can have an extremely negative impact on an unprepared body. And one more important note - in no case should you start doing the military press without first warming up.

Considering all the subtleties of the barbell press while standing and sitting, you can achieve good results, avoid the risk of injury and pay attention to some subtleties during training.

Main working muscles:

Short description:

While sitting or standing, press a weight overhead.

Introduction

The overhead press can be performed while sitting or standing. The standing press is often called "military press" ("military press"). When holding a weight above your head, the muscles of the entire body are involved in the work. This exercise can also be done while sitting to minimize the tendency to lean back. And if you perform such a bench press while sitting, leaning your back against the back of an inclined bench set at a large angle, this can significantly reduce the load on your lower back. This version of the overhead press is the safest. However, do not bench press while sitting on a bench with the back completely upright. The tilt angle should be approximately 75-80 degrees.

Preparation and starting position

To perform a standing overhead press, grab a barbell from a squat rack or press inside a power rack. The bar should be mounted at a level that is just a few centimeters below the height where the bar ends up in the bottom position when pressing. Both options ensure that you don't have to grab the barbell from the floor to start doing the press.

When performing a standing press, place your feet shoulder-width apart. And in the sitting version, you can spread your legs even wider and turn your toes out for greater stability.

Before pressing, both standing and sitting, apply chalk to your palms and grasp the bar with a pronated grip so that your forearms, at the moment when the bar is in the lower position, are perpendicular to the floor - and as in the front view, as well as when viewed from the side. Try to first grab the bar with a grip a few centimeters wider than your shoulders, and then adjust the grip width to suit you more precisely. Do not grab the bar with an “open” grip. Thumb should securely grip the bar.

In order to take the starting position in the standing overhead press, grab the bar standing on the racks with your hands, place your feet under the bar, arch your lower back, slightly bend your knees, place your hips under the bar, grab the barbell on top part chest and then straighten your legs. If you take the barbell from a squat rack, take a step back. That's it, you are ready to press.

When it comes to the barbell seated press, many gyms have equipment specifically designed for this purpose, with a fixed backrest and built-in vertical barbell racks. Some of these simulators are good, but others are better not to approach. If the back is too vertical, then you will have to squeeze the barbell directly in front of your face, which is uncomfortable. In such machines, as a rule, the vertical racks intended for the barbell are located behind the athlete, therefore, in order to take the barbell from such racks and return it to them, you will need an assistant. If you try to lift the barbell yourself from such racks, you will put your shoulders in a position very vulnerable to injury, similar to the one in which the shoulders are in an overhead press.

Don't bench press on a machine that forces you to move the bar in a perfectly vertical path. An example of such a simulator is, for example, the Smith simulator. A completely vertical trajectory is not natural for the shoulders and, sooner or later, this will lead to problems with the shoulder joints.

Regardless of whether you do the bench press while sitting, leaning your back against the back of the bench or without such support, I recommend that you do the bench press in a power rack. When performing a seated bench press in a power rack, it will be easier for you to take the starting position. Place the bench inside the frame so that when performing the exercise the bar does not touch the vertical posts. Place the bar on the stops set at the level from which you will be doing the bench press, and load the barbell with weights.

You can also do the seated press by placing the bench close to the squat racks. Position yourself and set up the racks so that you have no problems lifting the barbell from the racks before performing a set and returning the barbell back to the racks after completing the set. It is recommended to invite an assistant so that you do not have to “struggle” with the barbell.

Starting position for seated bench press from the power frame restraints. Please note two violations of the technique: 1) The elbows must be pushed forward so that the forearms are perpendicular to the floor. 2) The lower back is arched too much, primarily due to the athlete placing his heels behind his knees.

The seated press can be done without racks and a power frame. To do this, you will need to sit down, and two assistants will have to hand you the barbell from the floor. Then, after you finish the set, they should remove the barbell from you. If you want, you can even grab the barbell yourself from the floor, step back to the bench and then sit down, holding the barbell at your shoulders. But this will lead to the expenditure of energy and strength that would be better spent on the bench press itself.

The power rack will allow you to do each repetition from the bottom position, i.e. from the limiters. As with the bench press, you can do the overhead press either to touch or from the bars. When performing bench presses in a power rack, set them at the height of your collarbones (at the moment when you are in the starting position before the press) or slightly higher. For the safety of the shoulder joints, people with long limbs will need to set the limiters slightly higher than the level from which people with short limbs can press. If you have long limbs and you place the restraints too low, this will create unnecessary traumatic stress on your shoulder joints.

If you place the barbell on the stops at the end of each repetition, this simplifies the pressing technique. In this case, you will not need to take the barbell from the racks before starting the set or return it to them after completing the set. It is enough just to take the correct starting position and remain in this position until the very end of the set.

Performing a barbell overhead press

Having taken the correct starting position, press the barbell up, fixing the rest of your body in a motionless manner. When pressing the barbell while standing, do not bend your legs. There is no need to throw the barbell upward using a squat. Whatever overhead press you do, never allow the bar to move forward. Press the bar up near your face. But be careful not to let the bar fall on your face. Squeeze symmetrically with both arms and shoulders; neither arm should straighten faster than the other or go ahead of the other.

When lowering and raising the barbell in a standing press, keep all the muscles of the body tense, especially the muscles of the abs, hips, buttocks and back.

Lower the bar under control, do not lower it below a safe point and do not perform a chop press. At the bottom, before pressing the barbell up again, take a short pause, but do not relax lowest point. Imagine that you are a compressed spring, maintain tension. If you perform each rep from the restraints, you can pause longer between reps and even relax your body for a few seconds before tensing up again for the next rep. The breathing rate is the same as in the bench press.

Don't do overhead presses. The chest press is a more natural and safer movement for the shoulder joints.

Other tips

There is a tendency to lean back when standing. However, by performing the standing press with good technique, you can avoid excessive lean back. By performing a seated press, you reduce this traumatic tendency to a minimum. This is one of the reasons why the overhead press is usually done while seated. If you want to do the bench press as safely as possible, then do it while sitting, leaning your back on the high back of an incline bench.

If you do the bench press while sitting on a bench, the seat of the bench should also be slightly tilted (if it is adjustable) so that you do not “slide” off the seat during the press. Regardless of whether the seat of your bench is adjustable or not, your feet need to be spread wider and firmly resting on the floor. And be sure to make sure that the bench on which you do the bench press is strong, heavy and stable.

Dumbbell press

Dumbbells can be used for any of the three main variations of the overhead press: standing, sitting, and sitting with your back against the back of the bench. Dumbbells allow you to hold your hands parallel to each other with either a pronated grip or a mixed grip. During each repetition, you can change the position of the hands directly along the movement, if it is more convenient for you. Try different hand positions and find the one that allows you to make the most powerful and comfortable movement. You may find that it works best for you to keep your hands parallel to each other at shoulder level, and then rotate your hands into a pronated position as you move through the upper half of the range.

When doing dumbbell overhead presses, be sure to hold the dumbbells above your shoulders. Don't let them "drift" to the sides and drop too far down in the bottom position.

Dumbbells can be pressed simultaneously or alternately, i.e. her hand straightens at the moment when the other goes down. Or, you can raise and lower one hand while the other hand waits its turn at your shoulder. However, this technique results in asymmetrical loading and a tendency to lean laterally. If you have a bad back, it is safer to squeeze both dumbbells at the same time. If you don’t want to lift two dumbbells at the same time, then try doing a dumbbell press with one hand.

The one-arm dumbbell press can be done while sitting or standing. Using both hands, grab a dumbbell and bring it to your right shoulder. Holding the dumbbell in your right hand, grab something strong and stable with your left hand. Holding the support with your left hand in this way, perform a dumbbell press right hand, moving the weight along a trajectory that seems most powerful and comfortable to you. Then grab the support with your right hand and perform the exercise with your left hand. By holding onto the support with your free hand, you will be able to perform the exercise more technically and reduce the tendency to lean back.

The dumbbell press forces you to control your balance more than the barbell press, and is great for working your shoulders, upper back, and core. It also puts more stress on your core muscles if you do it while standing. But probably its most important advantage is that it allows you to find the position of your hands and the trajectory of movement that suits you ideally. The barbell limits your freedom in choosing the position of your hands, because you are forced to grip the bar with a pronated grip.

The disadvantage of dumbbells is that they make it more difficult to take the starting position and maintain balance during the exercise. It is much easier and safer to perform the barbell press inside a power rack with the restraints set at the correct height.

How to get into the starting position for the dumbbell overhead press

To get into the starting position for the overhead dumbbell press, find a helper or two or use the method described below. But if you intend to do a seated bench press with your back resting on the back of the bench, then first prepare the bench - set its back at an angle of 75-80 degrees and tilt its seat if it is adjustable.

Stand directly in front of the bench, with your feet hip-width apart. Each dumbbell should lie on the floor touching its corresponding foot. The dumbbell handles should be parallel to each other. Bend your legs and grab the dumbbells from the floor with a parallel grip and good form, just like a deadlift. Standing straight, hold the dumbbells so that the center of the back end of each dumbbell rests on the corresponding thigh, just above the knee.

If you use dumbbells with protruding ends or locks (probably collapsible dumbbells), then combine only inner part bottom plate of each dumbbell with the outer bottom of the corresponding thigh. You can do this if the radius of the dumbbell plate is large enough so that the dumbbell sits vertically on your thigh when you sit down. But make sure the locks are securely in place. What could be more dangerous than a dumbbell that falls apart during an exercise?

Sit on a bench, rest your buttocks on bottom part its back, if you are going to do bench presses while sitting on incline bench. When you sit down, the dumbbells will be in a vertical position. The dumbbells should still remain on your thighs, just above your knees.

As soon as you sit on the bench, sharply lift your right knee up and at the same time powerfully pull the dumbbell with your right hand to throw it towards your right shoulder. Then do the same with your left knee and left arm to throw the second dumbbell to your left shoulder.

Once the dumbbells are at your shoulders, you have three options. You can stand up and do a standing press, or you can do a seated press, or you can do a seated press with your back against the back of a bench. If you choose the last option, then without arching your lower back, lean back to rest your back against the back of the bench. You will be in the starting position for the press.

After completing the dumbbell press, lower the dumbbells straight to the floor under control. Bring your knees together so as not to touch your legs with the dumbbells.

Before you do heavy overhead dumbbell presses, learn to get into the starting position. Over the course of a couple of workouts, do sets and reps with relatively light weights so you can get the hang of it. correct technique necessary for safe work with dumbbells.

In addition, there is another possibility of performing any variant of the dumbbell press - be it standing, lying on horizontal bench or incline: using adjustable length chains, you can hang dumbbells from the bar at the top. The dumbbells should hang at the point where your bottom position will be in the exercise. However, make sure that this design is reliable.

The picture shows a way in which you can pick up dumbbells from the floor and take the starting position.

Insurance

By the end of the set, you will be very tired and can easily lose your trajectory. The first sign of deteriorating technique in the standing press is too much arching in the back. In addition - and this also applies to any barbell press, not just overhead - the assistant must ensure that the bar does not tilt to one side, that one hand does not go ahead of the other, and that the grip is symmetrical and in the center. As soon as the assistant notices one of these signs of deterioration of technique, he should intervene and provide sufficient assistance to prevent injury from further deterioration of technique.

An assistant should stand on a stand behind the lifter performing the overhead press. standing. Only in this case will he be able to easily provide assistance if needed. If an athlete performs a seated press, then it is easier for an assistant to belay. The assistant should help with both hands and provide assistance evenly and symmetrically.

Covering someone doing incline dumbbell presses can be a challenge. You should apply pressure with one hand to each elbow from below. However, such assistance only allows you to do the last repetition with good technique. Note that one assistant will not be able to simultaneously pick up a pair of dumbbells from a person who is unable to complete the repetition. This will require two people. When pressing dumbbells, a sign of technique degradation is the “drift” of the dumbbells to the sides, uneven extension of the arms.

Attention!

To prevent back injuries while performing any pressing (standing or seated), you need to minimize arching in your back, however, a slight arch in the lower back is necessary. When bench pressing on an inclined (up or down) or horizontal bench, the arch can be eliminated almost completely, because the spine is not in a vertical position and does not bear the load. The load falls on the shoulders and shoulder blades. But when you are doing an exercise with your spine in a vertical or nearly vertical position - such as in overhead presses - it is very important to leave small arch in the lower back. This position is natural for the spine under load.

To avoid arching your lower back too much during a seated press, place your entire feet on the floor. Your heels should be in front of an imaginary straight line perpendicular to the floor and drawn through your knees. And always wear shoes with non-slip soles to prevent your feet from slipping.

Re-read the chapter from time to time "Critical Common Factors". It is very important to observe these sixteen factors - they apply equally to all exercises.