Taboo Knee Drive in Strict Overhead Press

[SummerStriker]

I've been doing dumbbell press for a long time. The range of motion is way less than a strict overhead press because in the OHP, the barbell comes down below your chin, while in a dumbbell press the barbell never dips lower than your shoulders.

In a strict OHP, you are supposed to lock your knees out. I personally don't like doing that because it adds uncomfortable pressure to my low back which is fixed in its entirety by doing a little pop with my knees to get it started. With the dumbbells, I always use a lot of leg drive to get them in position, but with OHP you are supposed to be able to lift more weight but without using the knees at all, and if you do it is then called a "Push Press."

I'm not really arguing with the definitions, other than outside of a sport where there are judges staring at you, I don't believe for a second that anyone is really doing strict overhead press. When I look on Strength Level at the standards and is says an advanced OHP is 180 pounds or whatever, there is no part of me that thinks this is a strict lift with the knees locked out. I think this for a couple of reasons.

1: No one has ever heard of a fucking push press.
2: It is far more comfortable to do a little knee pop on OHP but without bending as far as people do for a proper push press.
3: Other than myself, who is very mid, I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone else do a barbell overhead press of any kind. I have, on rare occasion, seen someone do a clean and press. But never, ever an overhead press or push press.
4: If someone were to be serious about press but learn to do with without a coach standing there grading them with a laser, why would anyone lock out their knees? No one pauses at the bottom of a bench press either. It takes a concentrated effort to do the lift dumber for the purpose of focusing on your shoulders.

There is no shot that the "standards" I see on line are of people self reporting a strict OHP that would pass a lifting contest.

Anyway, that is my rant. I switched to OHP this week and tried my ORM out of curiosity. The idea of these autists judging me for my knee pop is triggering. Fuck you internet.

 

[Poon Goon]

I lock my knees out because that's part of the lift. Comparing that to touch and go bench is not apt imo. TNG and squat depth are issues in the middle of the lift, not the start so it's easier to cut corners. Starting out the lift by "cheating", especially in this case, means you are just doing a slightly different lift.

 

[SummerStriker]

I lock my knees out because that's part of the lift. Comparing that to touch and go bench is not apt imo. TNG and squat depth are issues in the middle of the lift, not the start so it's easier to cut corners. Starting out the lift by "cheating", especially in this case, means you are just doing a slightly different lift.

Seeing the difference in the gym to how lifts are talked about online reminds me of learning to shoot Glocks. I go online and everyone says that the way is to have a 2" group at 40 yards, but then I go to the range and find instructors who talk like internet people about their skills, and then they miss dinner plate a third of the time at 25 yards, and no one else is shooting farther than 15 yards at places that host shooting competitions.

Even if you do it strictly, it still strikes me as falling under internet talk. Like when someone makes a joke on a YouTube comment and the next 40 posts are people repeating that same joke like they thought of it. I don't really believe this kinda lifting is real.

 

[Poon Goon]

Even if you do it strictly

I do because it's literally called a strict press. You also made another comparison that doesn't fully make sense. Me saying I do the lift correctly isn't the same as exaggerating my skills like the gun guys you are talking about. I'm aware that people lie on the internet, but to assume that nobody is actually doing a strict press is a little much.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

exercise to get stronger in what you want to get stronger at.

 

[SummerStriker]

I do because it's literally called a strict press. You also made another comparison that doesn't fully make sense. Me saying I do the lift correctly isn't the same as exaggerating my skills like the gun guys you are talking about. I'm aware that people lie on the internet, but to assume that nobody is actually doing a strict press is a little much.

Someone isn't exaggerating. For example, you might not be. But, that doesn't change the total color of the internet talk vs the total color of what people do irl. And that isn't true for every activity. For example, I can buy pies, chilli, and gumbo better than internet people make. I can clean my counters better than minimalists because I don't have to clear them for a video. They are just clear. I can tie a knot in the cherry stem or write a screenplay better than internet dorks. But for some reason, certain activities like overhead press are spoken about a lot differently online than irl. It is weird.

 

[ROcknrollracing]

You should be able to tell the difference between a push press and a standard OHP.

 

[NoSmilez]

I always locked out for my knees. It's not push press. I actually lifted less weight trying to push press because I never practiced that technique. I would also lifted less if I tried seated military press. Try some hip bounce/drive for your lift. Personally I didn't get much out of hip bounce when I tried to focus on it. You can also lean back a little to initiate the pressing motion and end the movement with your head moving under the bar.

There is a core demand for SOHP but you also need to activate your glutes and brace properly. I was weird in that I liked to keep my feet narrow where other folks would have a wider stance. Just practice more and you will get better at it. There was a time I never benched and only did SOHP. Now I don't really do SOHP anymore. I might do it once or twice a month instead of 2 times a week.

 

[mr.sandman]

Im doing it strict and so does everyone else imo. Why wouod you use knee pop on a strict lift? If you wanna push press push press. If you use knee pop go aheaad but it is not strict press then. Maybe semi strict.


If you upload video strict press 100kg and use little knee pop ppl will call you out that it is not strict press

 

[Smato_rules]

Do it any way you want. There are different variations: the most strict is the military press which is where your heels are touching, which allows for no knee bend or back bend really. I don’t forcefully lock my knees out but I definitely don’t use any knee drive on my press. I do the Olympic style press too for my main variation which starts with using the hips but no knee drive. There’s a reason they dropped the press from Olympic weightlifting, everyone has some excuse for cheating on it so do whatever you like

 

[Fahcough]

For example, I can buy gumbo better than internet people make

southern yeeyee

What if you do keep your knees locked but you start with bar at chin, then quickly drop it to chest to get momentum going up. Bounce rep not strict either?
Have no monkey in this circus, I cheat em and don't care. It's moving and muscles get tired.

 

[ChickenBrother]

A former colleague once challenged me to AMRAP pull ups in the work gym. I did 17 with strict form, dead hang to chin over bar with no swinging. Then he did 20 "pull ups" which looked like half reps of swinging, flying buttfuckery. He started gloating before I pointed out (and he eventually acknowledged) that we were doing different exercises. But people can do whatever they like.

I do strict press with locked knees but have found that even when I use leg bounce with more weight, I struggle with overhead lockout without arching back like this.

And after years of doing it that way, I found that this does NOT help with overhead lockout required for snatch and C&J (which I currently do with the world's shittiest form). So I'm working to unlearn bad habits that inhibit proper form on the oly lifts. A push press is basically a half-assed squat jerk. But obviously you're still working your upper body pressing strength so have at it if you enjoy doing them that way.

 

[Oblivian]

My best push press is about 30% higher than my strict press, so yes, there is a drastic difference between the two lifts. It's even more pronounced with reps. I've done 10 reps on push press with my best 1RM strict press.

 

[Oblivian]

A former colleague once challenged me to AMRAP pull ups in the work gym. I did 17 with strict form, dead hang to chin over bar with no swinging. Then he did 20 "pull ups" which looked like half reps of swinging, flying buttfuckery. He started gloating before I pointed out (and he eventually acknowledged) that he was doing a different exercise than what I had done. But people can do whatever they like.

I do strict press with locked knees but have found that even when I use leg bounce with more weight, I struggle with overhead lockout without arching back like this.

And after years of doing it that way, I found that this does NOT help with overhead lockout required for snatch and C&J (which I currently do with the world's shittiest form). So I'm working to unlearn bad habits that inhibit proper form on the oly lifts. A push press is basically a half-assed squat jerk. But obviously you're still working your upper body pressing strength so have at it if you enjoy doing them that way.

I push my head through right when the bar clears my head. I've never failed a rep that gets above my head.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I push my head through right when the bar clears my head. I've never failed a rep that gets above my head.

Do you do it the same way doing jerks?

 

[Oblivian]

Do you do it the same way doing jerks?

Yes, and on push press.