Barbell Press (Push Press)

Crossfit exercises

11K 0 13.11.2016 (last revision: 05.05.2019)

The push barbell press is one of the most popular crossfit strength exercises. And this is no coincidence, because it is one of the basic weightlifting exercises that works out large muscle groups. It also develops coordination and flexibility. The Shvung Bench Press will fit perfectly into your training programs.

Today we will discuss the following points:

• What muscle groups does the push press work on?
• Execution technique with detailed photo and video instructions.
• Common mistakes of crossfit athletes.
• Recommendations for the percentage of weight and the number of approaches.

What muscles work?

With a technically correct execution of a push press with a barbell, a whole group of muscles works - from legs to shoulders. Let's go over which muscles work harder in this case, and for which muscles is this exercise best suited?

Upper muscle groups

Let us first examine the upper muscles that work with the bench press shvung. As you can see from the diagram, this is:

• Deltas (front and middle);
• Pectoral muscles;
• Triceps
• Upper back.

The front delta and triceps do the most work - the main load in the exercise falls on them.

Lower muscle groups

Among the lower muscle groups taking part in the work, the following can be distinguished:

• Front and back of the thigh;
• Buttocks;
• Caviar;
• Small of the back.

When accelerating the bar up, as well as when taking it to the deltas, almost all leg muscles are actively working.

If we summarize the question, which muscles work during the press shvung, then the deltas, triceps, front and back of the thighs, calves and buttocks receive the key load.

Exercise technique

We turn to the most important part of the article - the technique of performing the push press exercise. We will analyze all the stages of execution, as well as the typical mistakes of novice athletes.

Initial position

The starting position for the barbell press is as follows (see position 1):

• Legs are slightly wider than shoulders;
• The back is straight - we look in front of us;
• The bar rests on the front deltas;
• The grip is slightly wider than the shoulders (carefully take the barbell in such a way that the distance from its center to the right and left hands is the same, otherwise you may collapse with it);
• The forearms are turned in such a way that the wrists "look straight from the athlete" (standard grip in this position);
• The bar rests on the palms, as if on supports.

Please note that you do not hold the barbell with your hands - it just lies on your deltas, with your hands you only fix it (so that it does not slide). There should be no load on the hands at all. Nevertheless, the brushes should squeeze the barbell, since the next press upwards will need to hold it tightly.

The position of acceleration (aka reception) of the boom

From the starting position, you do a short squat. The boom acceleration and take-up positions are as follows (see position 2):

• The back and arms remain in the same position;
• The legs are slightly bent.

This is the position from which you will have to make a powerful jerk with your legs up, giving the impetus to accelerate the bar. And, as if intercepting the impulse from the legs, arms are included in the work, pushing the barbell above the head. Hands begin to turn on around the middle of the leg work phase. Pushing arms vertically upward.

Overhead position

After pushing the bar up, you should be in the following position:

• Legs and back as in the starting position (stand straight, back straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders, look straight)
• The arms hold the barbell overhead while being fully extended.
• The bar should be level over your head (crown). In this case, the legs, body and arms when projected from the side should form 1 straight line. (see figure below).

From this position, we will need to return to the starting position. We do it as follows -> move our head back a little -> straighten the chest and slightly arch the lower back (prepare the chest and shoulders to receive the barbell) -> at the moment the bar touches the deltas, we do a small dip - thereby finding ourselves in position number 2. Hence, the press press again ready to fire the next run.

Typical mistakes

As with any crossfit exercise in the push press, athletes make mistakes. Let's take them apart so that you don't have to learn from our own.

1. Too deep squat. In this case, our shvungs turn into thrusters - also a good exercise, but not what we need now.
   
2. In the starting position, for many novice athletes, the bar is held by the hands, rather than lying on the deltas (sometimes the problem is in the flexibility of the body - some cannot twist their arms in the necessary way; in any case, you need to work out the correct technique).
   
3. The athlete hunches his back during the squat. As a rule, this happens when working with already decent weights. An important signal: if you cannot perform an exercise with a large weight in compliance with the technique, then go to a lower weight and work until it is perfect.
4. It is very important to take the bar from the top position smoothly. It often happens that the athlete first "flops" it on the chest, and then does a sub-squat for the next exercise. When lifting heavy weights this can negatively affect your joints - it is best to keep the movement down from the top to the squat as one piece.

In conclusion, a very detailed video on teaching the technique of a push press with a barbell:

Schwung progress program

Below you will find recommendations for the percentage and number of sets of the push press in a single workout. In total, we take 8 workouts (at the rate of 1 workout, where there is a push press per week - a total program for two months). Further numbers in% and in brackets the number of repetitions.

1. 50 (10 reps), 55, 60, 65, 70 - all 10 reps.
2. 50 (10 repetitions), 60.65.75,80.75 (all 8).
3. 50 (10 repetitions), 60,70,80, 85,82 (all 6).
4. 50 (10 reps), 65 (6), 75, 82, 90, 85 (all 5).
5. 50 (10 reps), 65 (6), 75, 85.91, 88 (all 4).
6. 50 (10 reps), 64 (6), 75, 85, 95.91 (all 3).
7. 50 (10 reps), 64 (6), 80 (5), 88 (3), 97 (2), 94 (2).
8. 50 (10 reps), 64 (6), 79 (5), 88 (3), 91 (1), 97 (1), 102 (1), 105 (1)

We hope you enjoyed our material on a great crossfit exercise - the barbell press. Share it with your friends. There are still questions - welcome in the comments.

Watch the video: Eccentric Accentuated Barbell Push Press Negative Push Press (November 2024).