The Press with Mark Rippetoe

Lately, I noticed a bit of tenderness in my lower back when I go heavy on any pressing movement, particularly with the push press and the push jerk. I suspected it was an overextension of the lower back. I turned to Mark Rippetoe, whose coaching and knowledge I hold in high esteem, to do some further investigation.

So let's go back through the fundamentals of the press, beginning with the basic press. Here is Mr. Rippetoe has to say about the press. "[P]ressing the barbell overhead is still the most useful upper body exercise in the weight room" (Starting Strength, 148). Undoubtedly.

As with other functional movements that are organic to the human body, there is a universal, bio-mechanically proper- and hence most efficient way - to perform a pressing movement.

Why is the press the most important upper-body exercise?

As Rippetoe explains: "This is primarily because it is not just an upper-body exercise[...]The kinetic chain - the parts of the body involved in the transmission of force from the places where it is generated to the places where it is applied - starts at the ground and ends at the bar in the hands when performing a press[...]The press involves the entire body down to the feet against the floor, using all the trunk musculature and the hips and legs to stabilize the body while the shoulders, upper chest, and arms press the bar overhead. The length of the kinetic chain, from overhead at full arms length down to the floor, is the longest possible for the human body. This distance, essentially a long lever arm, produces a lot of potential torque if it is not well controlled by the muscles at the core of the body. And this makes the press an excellent tool for core stability" (151).

Whew! Ok, first of all you can understand why coaches such as Rippetoe eschew the use of the term core. Core, to the general population, and largely because of really stupid infomercials, means abs. Core, for Rippetoe, and other strength and conditioning coaches, refers to midline stabilization, whereby the spine is treated as one rigid unit. Core is really a reference to the hips, pelvis and spine all acting together in accordance.

Please study these two videos of Rippetoe teaching the press. Take note how both athletes are over-extending the spine (also referred to as lordosis). Obviously, with an over extended spine midline stability is lost. We want a neutral spine in the press.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyDNlSqDqAs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXPJ3PfdyY&feature=channel

Note that for Rippetoe his cue for fixing the over extension of the spine is to squeeze the abs. Another cue that you can use is "squeeze the butt." This is the one I prefer.

Here is some great instructive commentary courtesy of CrossFit Invictus.

http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/2009/05/thursday-may-21-2009/