The Overhead Lifts

Overhead pressing is a movement we use frequently in every day life. There are three basic overhead lifts: the shoulder press, push press, and push jerk. As an athlete goes from the shoulder press, to push press, to push jerk, the importance of core to extremity muscle recruitment increases. Not only do these lifts improve your upper body strength, but do a lot to train your core strength as well.

Video: Overhead Lifts

Although the means of getting the barbell overhead is different in each lift, the starting and ending positions are identical.

The Rack (Starting) Position: Start with you feet under your hips Keep your weight on your heels The bar is in the "rack" position, resting on your shoulders Your hands are directly outside your shoulders Your elbows are slightly in front of the bar Abs and back are tight Your spine is in a neutral position Avoid excessive arching of the lower back

The Overhead (Ending) Position: The bar is aligned with your heels, hips and shoulders It will feel as though you are slightly pulling the bar back It will also feel as though you are pushing your head forward through your arms Have "active" shoulders by shrugging your shoulders into your ears Press the bar as high as you can Your abs and back should still be tight Your spine should still be in a neutral position, without excess arch in your lower back

Now, let's look at the critical differences between the three lifts:

The Shoulder Press:

• Press the bar straight up in a vertical plane, keeping your lower body tight

The Push Press:

• Utilize your hips and core to drive the weight overhead
• Dip: Bend your knees and hips to reach about a quarter squat position
• Your heels, hips and shoulders should stay in the same plane throughout the dip and drive, as if you were standing against a wall
• NO forward inclination of the torso should take place during the dip
• Drive: Without pausing at the bottom of the dip, forcefully extend your hips and knees
• The drive creates momentum on the barbell, while your arms press to finish out the movement
• End in the overhead position, described above

The Push Jerk:

• Utilize your hips and core to drive the weight overhead
• Dip: Same requirements for the dip as in the push press
• Drive: Same requirements for the drive as in the push press
• Dip: Instead of using your arms to finish the press, you press and dip a second time simultaneously, catching the bar in a partial squat with the arms fully extended overhead
• Alternatively, you can think of the jerk as a jump and land.
• Stand up with the weight to complete the lift