Standing barbell press (army press)

A standing barbell press or army press is a basic exercise for developing the deltoid muscles and the total mass of the shoulder girdle. This exercise puts the most stress on the shoulder muscles, which is necessary for their hypertrophy, since in the classic barbell press an experienced athlete can work with very decent weights, which will have a beneficial effect on increasing strength and gaining muscle mass. What is the world record of the Soviet weightlifter Vasily Alekseev - 235 kg! Today we will talk about how to properly do the barbell press while standing, what muscles work with this exercise and the typical mistakes of beginners.

Previously, this exercise was included in the competitive program of weightlifting, then the athletes performed three movements: snatch, clean and jerk and bench press. However, over time, the army press was excluded from competitive weightlifting due to its injury risk and vague refereeing criteria - many athletes performed something between the army press and the barbell press press, but some of the movement went "in credit", while others did not, in connection with which they rose a wave of misunderstandings and disputes, including in the political arena. However, to this day this exercise is common all over the world, and it can be seen in almost every gym on the planet, and people who are fond of crossfit, fitness, martial arts or weightlifting devote a lot of time to the army bench as part of their training process. In our today's article, we will tell you how to do the standing barbell press correctly, as well as delve into some of the nuances and subtleties associated with this exercise.

Today we will look at the following aspects of interest to us related to performing this exercise:

1. What muscles work with a barbell bench press;
2. Exercise technique;
3. Common mistakes beginners make;
4. Crossfit complexes containing an army press.

What muscles are working during this exercise?

The key muscle group that works in the standing barbell press is the shoulders. The largest part of the load is focused on the front delta, slightly less on the middle one, the rear delta practically does not participate in movement, but it carries an indirect static load.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

A small portion of the load is also shifted to the upper chest and trapezius muscles. Triceps are also actively involved in the movement, approximately the last third of the movement is passed through them. The wider the grip, the shorter the amplitude and the less triceps turn on; the narrower the grip, the lower the amplitude and the more the triceps are turned on.

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

It should be noted that despite all the benefits of the army bench press, this exercise alone is clearly not enough for the uniform and aesthetic development of the deltoid muscles. Yes, it creates tremendous stress for the anterior delta, but remember the following principle of delta training: if you want to build truly voluminous and spherical shoulders, it is advisable to pay no less attention to the development of the middle and posterior bundle of deltoid muscles than to the anterior one, since anatomically the posterior the bundle is larger than the other two, the developed posterior 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 in various versions to develop the middle beam and dumbbell swing / arm swing in the simulator to develop the posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle.

Moreover, for those athletes who do not feel the contraction of the deltoid muscles during the military press, I would recommend putting the bench press at the very end of the shoulder workout. The meaning of this is that the shoulders, tired on swings, abductions in the simulator and pulls to the chin, will react to the army press in a completely different way, the whole load will fall on the deltoid muscles in isolation. Of course, the working weights will be significantly less, but this method of training the shoulders is also extremely effective.

Standing barbell press technique

Let's talk about the standing barbell press technique in more detail. It's no secret that basic barbell movements are a universal indicator of our torso strength and overall fitness, and muscle gain is directly related to progress in strength in such exercises - the more you lift, the more you get. However, you should not take this statement too literally, it makes no sense for an amateur athlete to work in an army press with a monstrous weight, without observing the correct execution technique and doing only 2-3 repetitions.

I recommend working with decent weights (above average) for 8-12 reps, this rep range will provide excellent deltoid mass and strength gain throughout your shoulder girdle.

Less - you will not have time to properly feel and "pump" the shoulders with blood, more - the strength component of the exercise is lost, it is better to leave such multi-repetitive work for isolating movements, such as swinging dumbbells to the sides while standing, pulling the bar to the chin, swinging with one hand from the lower block and etc.

To do the barbell press while standing in the correct execution technique should be done as follows.

Initial position

Remove the bar from the racks or lift it off the floor... In both cases, you should grab the bar with a grip slightly wider than your shoulders and start moving, observing the natural lordosis in the lumbar spine. If you want to reduce the degree of axial load on the spine and prevent the occurrence of umbilical hernia, use an athletic belt. Use a straight closed grip, we need a tight fixation of the bar with your palms. If your working weight is heavy enough, and the bars in your gym are no longer fresh, use chalk.

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

Barbell bench press

Grasp the bar tightly with your palms and begin to squeeze the bar up with the effort of the deltoid muscles, at the same time pulling the head back a little, observing a slight deflection 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 full repetition, straighten your elbows and lock for a second in this position, maintaining an even body position.

We begin to lower the bar down. Some professional crossfit athletes and weightlifters do the lowering quickly and sharply, literally "dropping" the barbell to the chest. I do not advise amateur athletes to repeat after them. It must be understood that professional athletes are at a completely different level of physical fitness than ordinary gym goers. When performing barbell presses or pressing shvungs, they feel every muscle fiber, every ligament and joint, and in their performance, such a sharp lowering does not cause unnecessary trauma. Therefore, everyone else is advised to lower the barbell smoothly and under control, not forgetting how easy it is to injure the shoulder joint.

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

Common beginner mistakes

Along with the bench press, deadlift and squatting with a barbell on your shoulders, the army press is an exercise that can not only contribute to the all-round development of an athlete, but also cause irreparable harm to health, and it can take more than one month to recover from an injury. Therefore, if you recognize yourself in one of the points described below, you should reconsider your army bench press technique, starting from the very basics, or even better, do not repeat your mistakes and seek help from an experienced highly qualified instructor.

Neglecting warm up

Before performing the classic standing barbell press, due attention should be paid to the articular warm-up, shoulders, hands and elbows should be thoroughly warmed up and prepared for work. If your working weight in the army press is high enough, do not be lazy to perform several warm-up sets, starting with an empty bar and gradually increasing the weight of the projectile. It is also recommended to separately stretch the triceps, since it receives a decent load in this exercise, several approaches of extensions from the upper block with light weight will only benefit.

Too much weight

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

Cheating

In such traumatic exercises, in no case should you deviate from the correct technique in favor of more working weight or more repetitions. By including additional muscle groups (legs, lower back) into the work, you not only reduce the effectiveness of the barbell press while standing, since the shoulders receive less stress, but also risk serious spinal injury due to strong compression of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine.

Fixation at the top point

It is not worth fixing at the top point for more than a few seconds - this is how the axial load on the spine increases significantly, as in the overhead squat.

Incorrect boom position

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

Choose the right shoes

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

Don't experiment with the overhead press

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

Video from Alexei Nemtsov about common beginners' mistakes when performing a barbell press while standing:

Training programs

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

Most popular split programs:

Crossfit complexes, which contain an army press

Below are a number of functional complexes, the main 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 the muscle mass of their shoulder girdle.

Watch the video: How to Do Military Press (January 2025).