Pressing - The Ultimate Guide

People typically have one of these experiences:

1. “Presses feel amazing. Never had a single problem with any variation. Not even a little.”

2. “Every press I do feels like dogsh*t. Nothing I do works. I have pain in every position and I can’t feel my pecs!”

And neither individual understands where the other comes from.

Today, we’re going to talk about pressing - and how to understand it.

Whether you’re person #1 or #2, I guarantee you’ll find at least one of these tips to be useful in your training.

Tip #1 - Assess Comfortable Joint Position First

People often make the mistake of beginning to press without any concern or respect for what their joints may or may not be comfortable doing.

Range of motion should be specific to the individual. You cannot and should not generalize range of motion as a “more is better” concept.

And many of the pressing implements we use - like barbells and machines - do a great job of allowing us to ‘hide’ behind the constraints of the implement, making it appear like we have total control over the motion we’re performing (while our joints might disagree).

For example: anyone can sit down on a smith machine and begin pressing with a technique that looks like a press.

Why?

Because the machine has a fixed path that we cannot deviate from.

As a consequence, the machine acts as a false representation of an appropriate press for that individual - even when that individual may not be comfortably aligned with how the machine moves.

Even when using dumbbells or cables - pressing exercises that are less constrained - it is common for the individual to be “smushed” by the weights rather than controlling them.

So what does assessing a comfortable position look like?

First, lie or sit down on the implement of your choosing.

Next, pull your arms into the position that you imagine yourself lowering into during your press.

Then ask:

1. Is this a position that I can actively contract into?

2. Is it a comfortable position for me?

3. Can I move through this range without any negative feedback?

If the answer to all of the above questions is ‘yes’, then you’re at least in the ballpark of what might be an appropriate setup for you.

After you’ve assessed that range, you then need to identify the restrictions in shoulder rotation you feel in the bottom position.

Because this is a difficult visual to create via text, here’s a short clip (from my online course) that shows you how to do that:

Once you’ve done that - and you’ve ensured you have enough ‘wiggle room’ in the bottom position - now you’re ready to load that range.

Tip #2 - Coach the Arm, Not the Weights

Exercise is human motion with added resistance - not the other way around.

Understanding the resistance you’re using - and its direction - is paramount to execution.

However, shoving against the resistance should not be prioritized over understanding how our bones move.

The upper arm bone (the humerus) moves in an arc whenever we press.

This means that the direction your upper arm pivots throughout the range of a press is constantly changing.

If you do not have a clear picture of where the upper arm is moving - and when it changes direction - your brain will organize your body in any number of ways to accomplish the goal of shoving something away from the body.

How many times have you seen someone ‘shrugging’ or ‘rounding’ as they press?

Or ‘crunching’ the abs in an attempt to move more load?

These compensations arise from not paying attention to where the upper arms are moving to accomplish a press.

Here’s a clip (from the online personal trainer community) that visually illustrates the point:

Tip #3 - Don’t be Afraid to Load

Once you’ve understood - or coached - the two points above, it’s time to add load (assuming that you or your client has no injury or other non-muscular rate-limiter).

Individuals who struggle to press often flop and flail their arms around when not enough external resistance is applied.

If you do not use enough resistance to require someone’s brain to coordinate the motion with pressing muscles, then they gain the ability to perform the press with anything they can.

These kinds of extremely light presses remind me of a fish out of water.

If the weight we’re lifting is too light, the brain is not constrained by the demand of enough resistance to perform a “press”.

If the brain isn’t constrained in what motions it must create, then the algorithm for “press” won’t necessarily be selected.

A similar scenario occurs when someone isn’t using enough resistance to perform a pull-down.

Pull-downs that are too light end up looking like a pull-down that transitions into a triceps extension toward the bottom end of the range (which people usually blame on “poor mind-muscle connection” instead of poor exercise setup).

The same applies to a press - and although using more load is often intimidating for those who have never done it before, their brain will be able to coordinate the “press” algorithm because they have no other option.

Earlier we discussed the potential downside of using machines.

Machines constrain the path of motion that an individual can use while pressing.

But the flip side of this - assuming we’ve accounted for comfortable joint position - is that using machines requires less coordination compared to free-weight alternatives (and even cables).

This is why beginners especially benefit from more constrained motions.

More constrained motions allow for simpler “press” algorithms because a machine will not deviate in how it moves.

And, interestingly enough, when individuals learn to press on machines, they typically have a much easier time coordinating less-constrained motions afterward (like DB and cable press).

This is a strategy that I’ve used with several complete beginner clients that have never lifted before - start with a more constrained press to teach the basic skill, and then introduce motions that are less constrained afterward.

You’ll be surprised at how much easier the free-weight options are to coach after someone has created an internal program for “press”.

Tip #4 - Utilize Non-Fixed Grips

Once you’ve created an internal program for “press” - where more constrained options generally reign supreme - you must consider the limitation that using a fixed grip creates in any pressing motion.

The only true fixed-grip scenarios occur with barbell pressing, wherein the individual cannot adjust grip beyond a small range.

Although grip width is adjustable on a barbell, once the grip is set, you cannot deviate from the grip you’ve chosen, and you cannot grab a barbell with a “false grip” that may allow for more freedom in the wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder.

Examples of exercises that have non-fixed grips are machines, dumbbells, and cables.

You might be thinking: “Wait, don’t machines have fixed handles?”

Technically yes - the machine handles can’t be adjusted - but because the path of any machine press is constrained, you’re able to adjust your grip to a much higher degree.

“False” grips, where the fingers aren’t wrapped tightly around the implement, are a great way to work around the limitations that barbells create.

Do not read this as: “Barbells are bad”.

Fixed grips are inherently more stable and thus can allow for easier skill acquisition and output.

For some people, however, truly fixed grips may provide too much constraint that becomes difficult to manage from a comfort perspective.

So, when making exercise selections for presses, consider that using machines, dumbbells, and cables may lend toward more joint comfort and positive results as a consequence.

Tip #5 - “Proud Chest” Is Not a Bad Starting Point

Although “shoulders back and down” is an over-used and nonsensical cue from an anatomical perspective, its widespread use leaves about how to execute a strong and stable press.

Why?

The pectoralis major muscle - the “chest” - uses the ribcage as an anatomical pulley.

This is a fancy way to describe the relationship between the pec muscle and the ribcage.

More specifically, how the pecs gain leverage to pull the arm forward when the front side of the ribcage expands (becomes more round).

Imagine two archetypes of people:

1. Someone with a wide ribcage who naturally stands with a “proud” posture.

2. Someone with a narrow ribcage who naturally stands with a “slumped” posture.

The wide-ribcaged individual generally has a much easier time connecting with contraction of the chest on pressing motions.

And it’s precisely because of this pec-ribcage relationship.

The wider and rounder the front of the ribs, the more leverage the pecs will gain to pull the arm forward.

In narrower, more slumped-shoulder individuals, arching the back - making the chest “proud” - can create better leverage for much of the pecs (relative to their natural posture).

This cue should not be overdone and should be specific to the goal of the press.

For example, if someone is performing a high-incline press, this cue makes less sense as compared to something that is done on a lower incline.

Tip #6 - Coach and Cue Based on Resistance Direction

In the first several tips, I advised not creating too much of a focus on the resistance one is using and its direction.

However, once someone understands the basic elements of a press - motion of the upper arms, comfortable joint positions, and sufficient load - identifying the direction of resistance completes the picture.

It’s kind of like icing on the cake.

For example: imagine 2 kinds of machines:

1. One where the handle moves straight forward-backward.

2. One where the handle moves at a diagonal angle inward-outward.

The intent to complete each of these motions should differ.

In press #1, the individual should shove forward and backward against the handle.

In press #2, the individual should shove slightly inward-outward, following where the handle moves.

Although these are general recommendations (and thus individual applications may differ), I find that pushing in the direction that the machine handle moves allows for easier skill acquisition and higher degrees of output earlier on in the learning process.

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