There was a time when the military press was one of the most popular exercises in gyms. It is becoming increasingly rare nowadays. While the reasons for this vary, one that we feel plays a significant influence is that doing a military press exercise flawlessly is a challenging undertaking.
The workout involves a lot of effort, strength, and practice that is only seen in professional athletes or bodybuilders. However, if you can master the press, you will be able to grow practically every major muscle group in your body. A military press workout works your entire body, from your shoulders and upper chest to your triceps and core muscles. In fact, it strengthens your Glutes and lats as well.
If you want to learn how to improve military press but don’t know where to start, this article can help. We have gathered vital information not only on how to execute press exercises but also on how to improve them.
How To Perform
Let’s start with learning how to conduct military press. The exercise may be difficult, but you can do it at home because all you need is a barbell. If you don’t want to do the barbell military press, you can switch to the dumbbell press.
For now, we are discussing how to perform the barbell military press. Here is a step-by-step guide:-
1. First, set up the barbell in the squat rack at about shoulder height. If you are doing a home workout, then place the barbell on the ground and bend to hold it up.
2. Grab the bar with both hands with palms down. The distance between both hands should be shoulder-wide.
3. As for the feet, they should also be close just like a soldier. You can also draw a straight line to ensure your feet are in the right position. The line should go through the middle of your foot.
4. Slowly, bring the bar to the chest so that it touches the base of your throat and rests on your shoulder. Engage your core and glutes and take a deep breath as you push the bar upwards. Shift your head back slightly to allow the bar to go up straight.
5. Force your torso under the bar once it clears the top of your head and continues to push it upwards.
6. Reverse the motion to return the barbell to the chest.
7. This is one rep. Repeat.
Military Press Techniques
The guide appears to be simple, but the actual challenge is perfecting the military press form. If your form and technique aren’t correct when practicing standing military press, you risk harming yourself. So, here are some expert-recommended strategies for completing military press properly:
1. Tighten your glutes and abs: When completing dumbbell presses, make sure your glutes and abdomen are tightened. This will help you avoid lower back and neck issues.
2. Keep your head and neck straight: It may seem obvious, but keeping your head and neck straight can help you avoid injury.
3. Exhale when pushing the barbell or dumbbells higher, and inhale when pulling it back towards your body. Breathing properly promotes blood circulation and boosts overall performance.
4. If your back is curving, lift light weights. It is recommended that you lessen your weight if you are experiencing problems maintaining your back or torso straight owing to the hefty weight. Excessive stress can also result in damage and poor form.
5. If you’re doing a barbell press, keep your grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart so you can easily lock your arms out. You’ll lose drive if you grab them broader than that. 6. The elbow position: Keep your elbow vertically aligned with your ears and don’t move it forward or backward.
Conclusion
If you follow these instructions, we are confident that you will be able to do military press flawlessly. We also urge that you study it from a professional so that you don’t leave any gaps in your training. The military press may now be studied online and practiced at home. They can also show you how to do different variations such as the front military press or the suitcase press.
Looking For a Personal trainer, kindly contact your local gym
Also Read: Everything you know about Calisthenics.
