Increase Your Military Press Instantly

Thanks very much to my good friend Jim Wendler, and his 5/3/1 Program, the Standing Military Press has come back into vogue among the strength training community. While personal trainers and “fitness enthusiasts” have always used it, it seemed like before his book came out, Standing barbell military presses had fallen by the wayside, and guys had resorted to using all sorts of lateral raises, or bought into the “bench builds front delts, back work builds rear delts” trap to strengthen and build their shoulders. Some guy I know, myself included, were using military presses, but most the strength training guys I knew, and read about did them more as one time circus lifts on an off day, or just “messing around” in the gym. There weren’t many guys doing them. And now they’re back, hopefully for good.

For as good of friends as Jim and I are, and for as our similar approaches, principles and theories on training are, we do have our differences. Jim isn’t a huge proponent of technique, whereas I am. Not that Jim is haphazard in the gym, but his technique is very solid from years of training, and his advice on form work is usually very simple. I on the other hand, think that small technique fixes are easier than getting stronger. I should clarify that; it is easier to put 50 pounds on a lift by fixing technique flaws than it is to put 50 pounds on using the same technique.

Why do I mention Jim when the title says what it does? Because of all the lifts out there, the military press is probably where we have the biggest disagreement on technique. Jim, as you can see in the video below, keeps his upper body mostly upright and his head back throughout the entire repetition. His head may come forward some, but it is usually at the very top of the range of motion. This is more a balancing and stabilizing action than a technique aspect.

The head position Jim uses, and the one that I personally teach and recommend, is where the difference comes in. While the basics are the same, I teach my lifters slightly differently. My big point of emphasis with head position is driving your head forcefully forward once the bar clears the top of the head. This has helped many lifters avoid the sticking point often found at the middle of the lift. Driving your head forward, under the bar, allows the traps to engage fully and assist you to the top of the movement, and will instantly improve your pressing poundage. If you have ever seen an Olympic lifter doing the clean and jerk, you will notice that they force their head through as soon as possible, and the weights they use are BIG.

A few things to emphasize and remember when you add this trick to your technique: When I say to “drive your head through” I do NOT mean to extend your neck. This is a great way to injure yourself. Your neck should remain in a neutral position, with your eyes focused in front of and above you. What will actually happen, and you can see it in the clean and jerk video above, is that your upper body will move slightly forward, from behind the bar, to UNDER the bar. This is the move we are going for. Get your body under the bar, and let your traps help drive the weight up and lock it out. It will take some practice to perfect and come without thinking about it, but, honestly, when doesn’t it?

Give this a shot the next time you do military presses in the gym. Not only will it more than likely feel natural, you will more than likely set a PR; and everyone likes those.

Have you given this a shot on your military press? Did it work out for you? Let me know how it went for you in the comments below!