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| Pudgy Stockton, beastin’ circa 1942 |
Article written by Jace Derwin
Pressing and jerking are foundational
movements in the strength game, and have existed as a form of strength
exhibition ever since guys with swirly moustaches started getting together and
see who could hoist the most weight.
Putting weight overhead is a staple of being a strength athlete. It is
the most expressive form of barbell domination and crucial to train if you want
to be the strongest beast you can be. It is often neglected for how difficult
the movements are to accomplish, which is exactly why only the beasty-est of
men and women set in to train it extensively.
Overhead work is a prime piece of strongman
and olympic weightlifting. Both olympic lifts end with the bar in an overhead
position, and strongman contains multiple events consisting of locking out a
number of different implements overhead. Needless to say, if you aim to
compete, boosting your ability to put weight over your head is imperative. Even
if you aren't a competitor, developing the strength and skill in the overhead
position is a dynamic element worth investing in. Not only will you develop
shoulders made only from the finest marble stone, but you'll increase stability
and function in the shoulder girdle, help develop coordination, and build
strength and stability of the spine and torso.
The three best methods of developing
overhead strength and power are the press, the push press, and the
jerk. All three can be done in with axles, barbells, dumbbells, or
logs. Most commonly done from the front rack position, performing these
movements with a barbell behind the neck in a snatch grip can transport you to
a Ron Swanson-esque state of
being.
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| Klokov loves him some Swanson |
All three overhead movements are effective,
yet they all play a different purpose and have different results. A quick break
down of the movements to relieve any confusion goes as such.
Press - Move the bar from the front rack
to an overhead lockout. No bounce, sway, or assistance from the legs. Just pure
raw strength.
Push Press- Similar to a
press but can be loaded with a slight dip in the legs to help power the weight before
pressing into lockout. More weight can
be lifted than the press due to assistance and skill of the leg drive.
Jerk- Loaded the same as a push press but using
an explosive extension of the legs after the dip, followed by a quick extension
of the arms to "catch" the weight in full lockout. The movement has no
true pressing action and is most demanding on speed, timing, coordination, and
athleticism. The jerk also allows for the most weight to be lifted.
While all three are noble pursuits of
strength training, exclusively training one doesn't necessarily help the
others.
The press is a pure strength movement.
Developing the press will add to your maximal force production, setting a base
for how much strength one can recruit through the full range of the pressing
action. Building up your press strength will add more hypertrophic benefit than
the other two due to how long the muscles spend time under heavy tension. This will also help protect tissues that make
up the shoulder girdle and rotator cuff by forcing them to adapt to high levels
of stress from the force and time of contraction.
While great at boosting raw strength, the
press offers little benefit directly into success in the jerk or other
explosive overhead movements. The speed and coordination needed in the jerk and
its variations take away from how much raw press strength is really needed.
Getting talented in the jerk will help cultivate better proprioception in all
parts of the body, and increase the speed at which strength is recruited to be
explosive. The demand of the arms in the jerk is to act as more of a guide for
the bar rather than the driving force. The arms need to put the bar in the
right position and be completely locked out to receive the weight as the
lifter’s body drops into a split position. The main point of power is derived
from the legs as they dip to load the explosive hip action. Raw strength is
important, but not as imperative as it is to be as fast and accurate as
possible. This doesn't mean that you can neglect strict press work, but
consideration to how the legs help assist the movement should be made in your
training.
This is where the value of the push press
comes into play. The push press is the connection between the press and the
jerk. It helps develop the timing between
leg drive and a strong recruitment from the arms. As the lifter dips and drives
the legs, momentum is added to the bar right as the arms begin to press and
reach full lockout. Essentially, it’s a cheated press by adding drive from the
legs or a cheated jerk by not catching the weight in a full lockout. On its
own, it is a great training tool to help get stronger and more dynamic at the
same time. As the bar gets heavier, the timing between press strength and leg
drive need to be at their most cohesive to complete the lift. A quick and
powerful leg drive sets up the whole success of the movement. Weak leg drive or
trying to press too early will typically leave you high and dry. Perfectly
timed hip extension with a strong and accurate press is crucial to its success
and the main factor in getting a skill transfer from the press into the jerk.
You'll benefit your ability on the jerk the
more you can improve your push press, and your push press will build with a
bigger press. The push press is the keystone to this progression, because it
allows you to practice both strength recruitment, timing of the leg drive, and
speed and control of the bar as it travels overhead into lockout. Mess around with all three and find where you
are weakest, or if you are just starting to add these movements in, try
progressing from the press to push press to jerk. Get a feel for each lift and
explore the wonders of overhead excellence.
Jace Derwin, CSCS
Sports Performance Specialist at VoltAthletics.com
Co-Captain of AJAX Weightlifting Team
