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Military Press

MILITARY OVERHEAD PRESS

Taken from Dave Draper's book, Brother Iron, Sister Steel

Standing or seated, this is tough. Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and position it across the front of the shoulders, just under the chin. It will require some practice, trial and error to pull the bar from the floor in one swift and directed motion to the target starting position.

Hint: Partially bend over and partially squat down to grasp the bar and then, with focused might, pull the bar up to the shoulders and allow the weight to cradle on upturned palms and front shoulders. The power comes from the concerted effort of the thighs and back. This is an amazing exercise all by itself, called the power clean, part of an Olympic lifter’s clean and press exercise. It’s a very comprehensive movement for dynamic overall structure development and explosive power: lots of trap, low back, hamstring and quad. A favorite of serious football players for the kind of explosive power needed to crush the opponent. Fun stuff.

Once in place, press the bar continually to a locked-out overhead position, briefly hold and slowly lower to your shoulders and repeat. This is to be done with a minimum of back lean or leg thrust. I highly recommend you use a tough leather lifting belt to girdle the midsection and protect the lower back.

This is not a low-level or medium-level movement. It is a high-level movement, comprehensive and systemic, meaning in simple terms a full-body, major-muscle, multi-joint exercise, responsible for sending messages throughout the entire body to grow — to adapt — and meet the demand. This includes enzymes, neural pathways and hormones. Cleans and presses growl. They bad.

Wicked Willie here,

I'm going to be somewhat of a "stickler for detail" and mention that the exercise called the Military Press differs from the Overhead Press or the Clean and Press in a few significant details. The exercise was so named because it was performed in the military "attention" position.

After the barbell (or dumbbell) was cleaned to the shoulders, the heels were placed together with the toes pointing out at appromimately forty-five degrees. The lifter stood very erect with the bar at the shoulders. When commencing the press, no fast start or dip of the arms was allowed and no backbend was allowed. The chin needed to be firmly tucked in, so the bar could pass unimpeded and once the press had started, the bar could not stop until a full lockout had been achieved. Needless to say, such strict body positioning didn't allow for huge amounts of weight to be lifted.

In modern times, the Military Press has come to mean an overhead press that is very strictly performed, with minimal backbend. The feet may be solidly spread apart.