Do the standing press correctly. All about the military press: correct technique, eliminating mistakes

Many athletes and bodybuilders only do the bench press because it basic exercise, which allows you to lift more substantial weights than in the standing 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:

Pumps up the shoulders evenly. During the standing barbell press, all bundles of the deltoid muscles are worked out, while in the bench press the main load falls on the front part. This does not mean that you need to replace the bench press with the standing press. These exercises complement each other perfectly and help your shoulders get faster.
Uses many muscle groups. The standing barbell press targets the triceps, deltoids, pectoralis, trapezius and serratus anterior muscles. Also, due to the lack of support, they are well loaded, which keep the body in balance during the press.
More stress on the muscles. As part of the study, scientists compared the load on muscles during bench presses of barbells and dumbbells while standing and sitting. It turned out that during a standing barbell press, the rear deltoids are loaded by 25%, and the triceps - 20% more than during a seated barbell press. Also, the standing barbell press is more effective for pumping up the biceps and triceps than the standing dumbbell press. In an exercise with a barbell, the biceps are loaded 16% more, and the triceps - 39% more than in a standing press with dumbbells.

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, a wide grip takes your hands out of the 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.

Good grip

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 the serratus anterior 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.

Head position

Instead of looking up, try moving your head back so that 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.

Pull your hips back

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.

Lifting through the quadriceps

5. Work on your weak points

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.

Bent-over dumbbell raises

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

Classic and side planks

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

Military press (also called standing barbell press from the chest or classic bench press shoulder exercise) is an excellent exercise aimed at developing the muscles of the arms and shoulders. At the same time, the athlete improves the support and shock-absorbing qualities of his body.

Muscle work in exercise

The military style barbell chest press (military, soldier) is a basic exercise. That is, when performing it, several muscle groups work at once. The main load falls on the deltoids - the muscles covering the shoulder joint. The work involves the rear, front and medium bunches. The front is used as much as possible, the rear is minimally used.

Regular training of the deltoids makes the shoulders visually wider and more voluminous.

In addition to the shoulders, the movement engages the triceps (you extend your arms when you lift the barbell in front of you) and top part large pectoral muscles.

The muscles of the abs, back, legs and buttocks are responsible for stabilizing the body while performing the exercise while standing. If you do a barbell bench press while sitting on a bench with support on a vertical backrest, the load on your legs is completely removed and the load on your back is significantly reduced. In general, the seated press is a slightly simpler and safer option for the exercise.

The delights of the military press

As the name suggests, the military press is a traditional exercise. physical training military personnel. The name came from in English, but was completely adapted among Russian-speaking athletes.

The functionality of the exercises in the case of military training comes first. The standing press (lifting the barbell overhead) allows you to increase the force of the vertical push from the shoulders, allowing you to effectively set up fighters when needed. For example, to overcome high obstacles, or when you need to get into a high window.

The exercise is performed while standing (the seated barbell press is a simplified version), and the weight of the barbell rests on the entire body. You need to maintain balance throughout the exercise. This allows you to develop muscles that stabilize the position of the human body in vertical position. As a result, the muscles of the legs, back, and lower back are strengthened.

Since the standing barbell press engages the triceps (this was mentioned above), this will also be useful during wrestling, when you need to push your opponent away from you.

Thus, the military press (aka vertical press) is a basic exercise for a fighter.

Civilian athletes are interested not only in muscle strength and increasing the capabilities of their own body, but also in the harmony of the figure, which is achieved through the development of the shoulder girdle.

In fitness clubs, athletes perform overhead presses both standing and sitting. Both options develop the shoulders well. The first is suitable for experienced athletes, and the second is good for beginners or people with spinal problems.

If we consider the front chest press as an element of strength training, then there is a push, a jerk, and braking due to the shock absorption of the legs. More about this in the execution technique.

The big advantage of the exercise is that it develops the whole body (not just the shoulder muscles), overall coordination and stability. This is good for both the soldier and the civilian athlete.

In civilian life, it is unlikely that you will need to lift someone over your head, sit them down, and so on. But very useful exercise will be for opening hatches, skylights, lifting something high up. So tone up your shoulders.

Now let's talk about the cons

The military bench press combines two serious disadvantages:

Danger of injury (muscles and joints can be damaged).
Risk of falling and dropping the barbell (especially when the technique is incorrect).

The fact is that the overhead press involves movement to dampen the inertia of the descending projectile. This occurs by bending the knees and slightly tilting the pelvis from its original position.

If you perform a standing press with straight legs, there will be no shock absorption, and the shock will be absorbed due to the elasticity of the articular cartilage. This means that the joints of the knees, pelvis, spine, and ankles will receive a harmful load. All this can be easily achieved if you do the military press with straight legs (that is, with your knees “locked”).

Another risk is increased stress on the lower back. Therefore, it is recommended to perform the exercise with a special athletic belt. If for some reason you have osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, and the doctor recommended an orthopedic belt, wear it during approaches. This will reduce the degree of compression of the spine.

The most ridiculous thing that can happen is the barbell falling or being thrown to the floor. This can happen for several reasons: you took on a lot of weight, you are not an experienced athlete. For athletes with little experience, we strongly recommend that you practice the technique of the exercise before increasing it.

Also at risk are the muscles of the shoulders and shoulder joints. Under no circumstances should you start doing the military press without thoroughly pre-warming up.

Exercise technique

Prepare the racks for the bar: set them to the desired height. Can be used power frame, or regular squat racks. To warm up, do 10–12 repetitions with an empty bar.

An empty bar (Olympic) weighs about 20 kg, together with plugs - 25 kg. This is a hefty weight for beginners, so look around the gym for lighter bars.

Technique for performing the military press:

The bar should be positioned just below your shoulders so that you can lift it by straightening your knees rather than lifting your body on your toes.
The position of the hands should be shoulder width or slightly wider than shoulder width. Elbows point down, palms point up.
Go under the bar until you touch the bar, place your feet shoulder-width apart, feet parallel, you can point your toes slightly apart.
Grasp the bar as described in point 2. The bar should be located on your collarbones, and on the sides of them should be fixed on your palms.
Bend your legs at the knees for shock absorption. Lift the barbell up in front of you, bringing it above your head. The bar should be on the same axis with your head, pelvis and heels. If the bar deviates anywhere, you are doing the overhead press incorrectly!
Lower the barbell back onto your collarbones, squatting slightly when the barbell touches them. Movements are carried out at a moderate speed, not slow, but not fast either. From the outside it looks like jerking, but it's not. Each movement must be completely under the control of the athlete.
Do 10–12 repetitions in three sets.

Don’t forget that when lifting the bar (with effort), you need to exhale through your mouth, and when lowering, inhale through your nose.

Anyone who wants to completely protect themselves from injury can perform a barbell press while sitting on an incline bench, placing the back at 90 degrees to the floor and pressing your back tightly against it. In this case, you completely eliminate injuries to the lower back and back, since they are fixed on the back of the bench and receive only part of the load. However, the seated press will not allow you to improve your pushing skills, develop greater strength, or learn to maintain better balance. Therefore, think for yourself which option is best suited for you: standing barbell press, or still in a sitting position.

Monitoring equipment: common mistakes

Confused with other exercises

The overhead barbell press is often confused with the military press. In the second case, the barbell moves up and down behind the head, and the athlete’s hands grasp the bar wider than shoulder width. When the barbell is lowered, it goes to the top of the trapezius, or more often, it does not go below the athlete's ears. In the case of a military press, the barbell should be held on the chest-clavicles, supported by the palms, fingers facing the athlete.

Extra movements

We are talking about unnecessary pelvic vibrations, head movements, and jumps. If you move your pelvis too far back while lifting the barbell, you are doing the exercise incorrectly.

If you jump to lift more weight– you are cheating; when lowering, there is a risk of injury. Before your sets, remember how to do the exercise using an empty bar.

Incorrect body position

Some lovers thrills lift the barbell up in front of them, tilting the body back, thereby overloading the stabilizers of the vertical position of the body. Firstly, you can fall, and secondly, you can injure your shoulders and lower back.

The bar should be held above your head (with your gaze directed forward), and your body vertical.

Weight too heavy

The most common mistake for newbies, it’s the desire to impress. Remember, for long-time residents gym you won't make any impression, except maybe make you laugh. And it’s not even worth showing off for the sake of other newcomers. The price is too high.

For example, you take a barbell weighing 50 kg and try to lift it upward in the clean and jerk. You will succeed once, and then you will not be able to keep it. You need to choose the weight wisely. To begin with, ensure that the execution technique is close to ideal, do the exercise correctly. Then you can increase the weights. Technique is everything. If there is a technique, there will be a result. Without it, there will be injury.

No warm-up

A very risky and common mistake is to immediately take on working weights. The shoulders and their muscles are very vulnerable to injury. Many of you know perfectly well how all this happens - first there is a sharp pain, then for six months it is difficult (or even impossible) to raise your arm in any direction. This is exactly how the process of tearing the deltoids occurs.

All of this takes a long time to cure and requires compliance with restrictions and additional warming up in the future.

Do you need this? Warm up your muscles well before exercise. After cardio, work on your shoulder joint, then do this exercise with light weights. If all the barbells in your gym weigh 20 kg, try warming up with dumbbells. This is very convenient - because the weight is much less than that of the bar. Do 10–15 warm-up reps. Then grab the bar and gradually approach the working weight.

It’s better to do 2-3 intermediate sets of 4-5 reps than to strain your shoulder. And remember - the correct execution technique is no less important than warming up.

For example, if your working weight is 55 kg, start your warm-up with an empty bar (that's 20 kg). Do 15 reps. Add 10 kg, do 4-5 repetitions. Hang another 10 kg, perform the exercise 5 times. Now you can hang the working weight (55 kg) and perform the required number of repetitions and approaches.

Possible problems and their solutions

It hurts to lift the barbell

The pain is most often observed in the shoulders, triceps and wrists. If you work without a special belt, your lower back may also hurt.

If your shoulders hurt, one of the deltoids is pulled (your choice: middle or anterior). You need to wait a while without training - let your muscles recover for at least a month.
If your lower back hurts, always wear an orthopedic belt (not an athletic belt, mind you).
For wrist pain, you can use elastic bandages.

Can't keep my balance

There is another way to place your legs - one in front, the other slightly behind. However, it is more likely to be used by weightlifters. Thus, a person stands more stable on his feet, but a traumatic load is created on the spine. Therefore, place your legs straight (feet parallel) and take as much weight as you can support in this position. For convenience, practice in front of a mirror.

Insufficient joint flexibility

If your joints do not allow you to perform the barbell chest press correctly, don’t. We'll have to limit ourselves to other options for pumping up the shoulders. Don't worry, there are plenty of other exercises.

If your back hurts

The seated barbell press is an option for people with weak backs. Lean against the back incline bench. This will reduce the stress on your lower back. Also, the seated barbell press will reduce the risk of falling or dropping the barbell.

Overtraining

Don’t forget which muscle groups work when you do a standing or seated barbell press, and plan your workouts correctly. Don't overload the deltoids.

The military standing press is a subtype of basic exercises that helps to maximize the load 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.

What muscles work?

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 involves the trapezius and 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.

A wide range of military press effectiveness for developing an aesthetic body core needs to be used 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:

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.

Military bench press: execution technique

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.

Warm-up

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

Weight fixation

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.

Approach to the projectile

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.

Working with the fingerboard

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 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:

You cannot jerk the barbell;
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.

Military dumbbell press

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.

Other types of execution

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.

What should I replace it with?

The military standing press is a basic exercise for working out the relief and increasing 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.

Table

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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What muscles work when doing a standing barbell press?
Technique for performing the exercise;
Common mistakes beginners;
CrossFit complexes containing military press.

What muscles work when performing this exercise?

The key muscle group that works when doing a standing barbell press from the chest up is the shoulders. The largest part of the load is concentrated on the front deltoid, a little less on the middle deltoid, rear delta practically does not participate in movement, but carries an indirect static load.

A small part of the load is also shifted to the upper chest and trapezius muscles. The triceps are also actively involved in the movement; approximately the last third of the movement is covered by them. The wider the grip, the shorter the amplitude and the less the triceps are activated; The narrower the grip, the lower the amplitude and the more the triceps are activated.

For optimal load distribution and maximum control over movement, I recommend using a grip slightly wider than shoulder width.

It should be noted that despite all the benefits of the military press, this exercise alone is clearly not enough for the uniform and aesthetic development of the deltoid muscles. Yes, it creates enormous stress for the anterior deltoid, but remember the following principle of deltoid training: if you want to build truly voluminous and spherical shoulders, it is advisable to pay no less attention to working out the middle and posterior deltoid muscles than the anterior one, since the anatomically posterior the beam is larger than the other two, the developed rear delta will “push” the middle delta outward, due to which the visual massiveness of the shoulder will be created.

Use dumbbell swings to the sides various options performances for the development of the middle bundle and swinging dumbbells in an inclination/abduction of the arms in a simulator for the development of the posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle.

Moreover, for those athletes who have difficulty feeling the contraction of the deltoid muscles during the military press, I would recommend placing the standing press at the very end of the shoulder workout. The point of this is that shoulders that are tired from swings, abductions in the machine and rows to the chin will react to the military press in a completely different way, all the load will fall on the deltoids in isolation. Of course, the working weights will be significantly less, but this method of shoulder training is also extremely effective.

Standing barbell press technique

Let's talk about the technique of performing the standing barbell press in more detail. It's no secret that basic movements with a barbell are a universal indicator of the strength of our torso and general physical fitness, and a set muscle mass directly depends on the progress in strength indicators in such exercises - the more you lift, the bigger you become. However, this statement should not be taken too literally; it makes no sense for an amateur athlete to perform military bench presses with a monstrous weight, without following the correct technique and doing only 2-3 repetitions.

Less - you won’t have time to properly feel and “pump” your shoulders with blood; more - the strength component of the exercise is lost; such high-repetition work is best left for isolating movements, such as standing dumbbell swings to the sides, barbell rows to the chin, one-arm swings from the lower block and etc.

Doing a standing barbell press using the correct technique should be done as follows.

Initial position

Remove the bar from the racks or pick it up from the floor. In both cases, you should grab the barbell with a grip slightly wider than your shoulders and begin the movement, maintaining natural lordosis in lumbar region spine. If you want to reduce the degree of axial load on the spine and prevent the appearance of an umbilical hernia, use athletic belt. Use a straight closed grip; we need a tight grip on the bar with your palms. If your working weight is quite large, and the bars in your gym are no longer the newest, use magnesium.

Place the barbell on your upper chest, the bar should “hang” on your fingers, while your elbows should be brought forward and spread slightly to the sides - the position is similar to front squats with a barbell. The head is slightly tilted back, the gaze is directed forward. There is another option: simply hold the barbell at the level of your collarbones, while your elbows are located towards the floor. The second option is more suitable for those who perform military bench presses as part of the CrossFit complex; in this option, it is easier for us to work with higher speed and in a more explosive manner, or those who do not have sufficient flexibility in the elbows and hands and experience discomfort while holding the barbell at the top of the chest.

Barbell bench press

Grasp the bar tightly with your palms and begin to press the barbell upward using the deltoid muscles., at the same time moving your head back a little, maintaining a slight arch in the lower back. The position should be stable and level, the lower back and legs should not be involved in the work. The movement should be explosive and accompanied by a powerful exhalation. Perform one repetition at full amplitude, straighten your elbows and hold for a second in this position, keeping your body straight.

We begin to lower the barbell down. Some professional CrossFit athletes and weightlifters do the lowering quickly and sharply, literally “dropping” the barbell onto their chest. I don’t advise amateur athletes to repeat after them. It is necessary to understand that professional athletes are at a completely different level of physical fitness than ordinary gym goers. When doing barbell presses or push presses, they feel every muscle fiber, each ligament and joint, and when performed, such a sharp lowering does not pose an unnecessary risk of injury. Therefore, everyone else is advised to lower the barbell smoothly and under control, not forgetting how easily the shoulder joint can be injured.

This video explains well which muscles work and how to perform the exercise correctly:

Typical beginner mistakes

Along with, and, the military press is an exercise that can not only contribute to comprehensive development athlete, but also cause irreparable harm to health, and recovery from the injury may take more than one month. Therefore, if you recognize yourself in one of the points described below, you should reconsider your military press technique, starting from the very basics, and even better, do not repeat your mistakes and seek help from an experienced, highly qualified instructor.

Neglecting warm-up

Before performing a classic standing barbell press, due attention should be paid to joint warm-up; shoulders, hands and elbows should be thoroughly warmed up and prepared for work. If your working weight in the military press is high enough, take the time to perform several warm-up approaches, starting with an empty bar and gradually increasing the weight of the apparatus. It is also recommended to stretch the triceps separately, since it receives a decent load in this exercise, several sets of extensions with upper block with a little weight will only be beneficial.

Too much weight

The standing barbell press is an excellent accessory exercise for the bench press, but even it is not recommended to work in a very low repetition range and with a huge weight. If you work with too heavy a weight, you lose almost all the benefits of doing it. this exercise, because you don’t have time to put enough stress on the deltoid muscles (shoulders don’t like working in low rep ranges; our deltoid muscles and shoulder joints are simply not designed for strength work). You also overload the rotator cuff and ligaments of the shoulders, elbows and hands, which can lead to injury.

Cheating

In such traumatic exercises, you should never deviate from the correct technique in favor of heavier weights or more repetitions. Including additional work muscle groups(legs, lower back), you not only reduce the effectiveness of the standing barbell press, since the shoulders receive less load, but you also risk serious spinal injury due to severe compression of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region.

Fixation at the top point

You should not fixate at the top point for more than a few seconds - this will increase the axial load on the spine significantly, as in squats with a barbell overhead.

Incorrect position of the bar

The projectile should be located on the chest or in close proximity to it and the collarbones. If the barbell is brought forward too much, the shoulder joint moves a little forward, and the position of the elbow is also unstable. Doing a military press in this position, I give a 99% guarantee that you will get injured.

Choose the right shoes

Take this point seriously, remember that your legs are your foundation, and the entire result depends on how strong and stable it is. If you find it difficult to maintain balance during the approach, try changing your training shoes; it is best to use sneakers with a rigid sole without a heel or instep.

Don't experiment with overhead presses

If you have mastered the correct technique of the military press and have developed a good neuromuscular connection in it, leave this shoulder exercise as the main one in your arsenal, do not try to replace it with the barbell overhead press. The load in these two exercises is almost the same, the main part of it falls on the anterior delta, but when pressing from behind the head, the shoulder joint is fixed in an unnatural position, due to which it is often subject to injury.

Video from Alexey Nemtsov about common mistakes beginners make when performing standing barbell presses:

Training programs

The military press is added to the beginning of shoulder training. As a rule, they are trained either on a separate day or with legs.

The most popular split programs:

Shoulders on a separate day
Exercise	Sets x reps
Standing barbell press	4х15,12,10,8
Seated dumbbell press	4x12
Wide grip pull	4x12
Dumbbell swings while standing to the sides	3x15
Bent over dumbbell swings	4x15
Arm raises in the rear deltoid machine	4x15
Legs+shoulders
Exercise	Sets x reps
Squats	4x12,10,8,6
Leg press in the simulator	3x12
Bending in a lying machine	4x15
Bend one leg while standing in the simulator	4x12
Standing barbell press	4х15,12,10,8
Wide grip pull	4x15
Side bend swings	4x15

CrossFit complexes that contain military presses

Below is a number of functional complexes, the main ones strength exercise in which is the classic standing barbell press. I recommend trying each of them for those athletes who are serious about developing strength and increasing muscle mass in their shoulder girdle.

Many places on the Internet you come across exercises called a la "military press" or "standing barbell press". Moreover, people often talk about the technique of execution, naturally claiming the absolute truth - they say, we are doing it right, but everyone else is doing it wrong. At the same time, the “luminaries” themselves do the exercise incorrectly, significantly reducing its effectiveness and turning such a wonderful exercise into a waste of time. The significant harm lies in the fact that they also impose their point of view on others...

First of all, it must be said that both in and in, there is the only correct option for performing this exercise, described in this article. All other options for performing the standing press are either not a standing press (barbell chest press), or are its perversion, which is the victim of the inflamed mind of another Internet luminary.

In the video, standing barbell press from racks 105 kg for 8 reps. D. Golovinsky

Let's start from the starting position. It’s worth immediately setting out a number of nuances that characterize Incorrect execution standing press, precisely from the starting position:

In the starting position, the barbell is suspended;
In the starting position, the bar is located on the front delts;

Both of these theses are untenable. Because standing press is, then its task is to provide diverse stress, including as much as possible direct movers(front and middle deltoids, triceps) and muscles that experience indirect load (lower leg, thigh muscles, gluteal muscles, lower back muscles, abs, latissimus dorsi). So, it is obvious that the starting position must meet all these requirements, and keeping the barbell suspended - at the level of the nose or chin - significantly reduces the degree of stretching of the working muscles and, therefore, reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.

In the video, a one-time standing barbell press with a half-squat clean is 150 kg. Performed by silver medalist Olympic Games, world champion D. Klokov

As for the second thesis, it is well known that the standing press migrated to bodybuilding from weightlifting. The chest press in weightlifting was preceded by a chest lift. This movement is performed with a significant lift of the elbows, which is associated with moving the shoulder upward and, therefore, placing the barbell on the front delts. However, the barbell chest press itself is performed with the elbows brought under the barbell, when the bar is located on the chest. In this case, the support leaves the shoulders and the main point of support for the bar is the athlete’s chest, but not the front deltoids. The same thing applies to the rack press - since the barbell does not rise to the chest, the athlete immediately places the bar on the chest, which is the point where the bar is located. Accordingly, we can summarize: in the starting position of the standing press, the barbell is located on the chest at the base of the neck, as high as possible. At the same time, the elbows are brought under the bar, the hand is tilted towards the face, the arms are relaxed - the bar lies completely on the chest.

The difference in the position of the barbell during the clean (left) and the barbell chest press (right). Yuri Vlasov.

Before starting the standing press, you need to ensure that your torso position is as stable as possible. This is achieved by tensing the leg muscles, gluteal muscles, abs and breasts. Legs should be fully straightened or slightly bent and in an upright position. Some people recommend doing leg curls, which supposedly provide a more stable position when pressing. If you cut off a completely insignificant decrease in the center of gravity, then this position does not provide any further benefits, so it is more advisable to keep your knees inserted while maintaining a straightened position of your legs.

In the video, standing barbell press from racks 140 kg for 2 reps + shvung press. Performs Olympic champion D. Berestov. Pay attention to the differences in performing the standing press and the push press

Barbell Squeeze must be performed purely by straightening the arms, making a powerful movement strictly in a straight line upwards. In this case, a slight deviation of the body back is allowed, which makes the lifting somewhat easier, but there is no need to create a strong “fracture” in the lower back, as this can cause injury.

After passing the plane of the athlete's face, moving the neck back, when its projection forms a straight line with the plane of the body and the projectile is fixed at the end point with the elbows fully straightened.

Barbell chest press technique (Bozhko, 1966)

The final position is also associated with a large number of misconceptions among bodybuilders. What typical mistakes are possible?

This is the position of the barbell when the projection of the bar is either behind the body or too much in front of the athlete;
Lack of elbow straightening in final position.

Both of these technical errors are related to fixing the neck– they, one way or another, reduce it to nothing. When the projection of the bar is behind the athlete, the center of gravity is greatly shifted back. Considering the fact that the stability of an athlete with a barbell above his head is very unsteady, such a shift can lead to the athlete stumbling back after taking 1-2 steps, or completely “losing” the bar by dropping it or lowering it onto his chest.

The correct trajectory of the barbell and the displacement of force vectors in the standing press

Shifting the bar forward during the exercise is also associated with moving the center of gravity– this time forward. As a rule, the athlete is not able to hold the barbell in this position for a long time due to the heavy load on the shoulders, and therefore he immediately lowers it to its original position.

Lack of elbow (or knee) alignment is a well-known talking point in the bodybuilding community. Supposedly, in this way, the load on the muscle is maintained and elbow injuries are prevented. This point of view can be safely recognized as nonsense, since straightening an arm or other part of the body in no way leads to stress on the joint - moreover, it completely removes it, creating it anatomically most advantageous position to hold heavy weight. Accordingly, straightening the elbows is a useful load that allows (from a bodybuilding perspective) additional load on the target muscles. This is why straightening your elbows is necessary for both bodybuilders and strength athletes. In addition, the fact that the muscle retains the load with slightly bent elbows is also not true. Such a load will be significant only if the athlete is in this position for a certain period of time. In this case, it will be static, and a static load is in no way a prerequisite for muscle hypertrophy.

Accordingly, all the technical wisdom of the standing press directly rests on start and end position. Once again, let’s summarize the main points:

IN starting position the legs are straight, the torso is straightened or slightly tilted back, the bar is on the chest, the elbows are brought under the bar, the hand is tilted towards the face;
The squeeze is carried out upward in a straight line, the chin is tilted back, after the barbell has overcome the level of the back of the head, the bar is brought to a position above the head;
The barbell is fixed directly above the head with the arms fully straightened at the elbows. The projection of the bar passes through the head, shoulder joints, hip joints and the middle of the foot.

And of course, it wouldn’t hurt to clarify another important nuance of the standing press – the choice of grip width. Thus, it is impossible to single out a universal indicator of width - it will differ for all athletes, depending on their anthropometric data. The most optimal grip would be 5-10 cm wider than the shoulders; at the starting point, the forearms should be parallel.

Correct starting position for the standing barbell press

And, of course, a couple more points related to lowering the projectile. You must try to lower the barbell to exactly the same position in which it is at the start. This is best achieved when the elbows lean forward slightly when lowering and move beyond the line of the bar. Thus, the athlete catches the barbell with the front deltoids, fixes it in its original position, and then, moving the support of the bar to the chest, continues performing the exercise. To improve shock absorption and soften the reception of the barbell to the chest, perhaps some leg curl in the knees at the moment the bar touches the chest.