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The Standing Barbell Military Press is a badass exercise for building wide massive shoulders. Today I will outline how to military press correctly. The secret to getting super strong at the barbell military press is to use your whole body. I have learnt a lot about strength training from fellow bloggers but also a book by strongman Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sports, who is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor who has been called “the modern king of kettlebells” for starting the Russian kettlebell revolution in the West. If you would like to learn a lot more about strength training, check out Power To The People.

How To Barbell Military Press Correctly

Just like in the hollow position, tuck your pelvis forward and squeeze your butt muscles hard. Might sound funny, but the harder you squeeze, the more force you can generate from the ground up. This force works its way up your flexed quadriceps, through your butt muscles (glutes) and up your body on to the bar itself. By squeezing your muscles, your body is solid and no force dissipates and you instantly gain strength.

Here Is A Video Of A Fellow Blogger Demonstrating The Barbell Military Press

This is Yavor of Relative Strength Training, who has a great blog primarily on strength training and a constant resource for myself and others. He is a strength coach aswell so pay special attention, observe his technique and especially on the side view.

Yavor explains “pressing a barbell from the standing position above your head. Check out after 0:47 how after the bar passes my head, I shift my torso forward. This is essential so that you can utilize the muscles of your upper back to help with the movement.”

“Another thing that you mustn’t forget is to always grip super hard, whenever you are doing pressing exercises. This ensures that no force is lost throughout your body when trying to lift the bar.”

Barbell Military Press In Action

• Power clean the barbell up to your upper chest. This is a great exercise on its own by the way. Now once in position
• Flex your quads hard and press through the heels of your foot
• Tuck your pelvis in and squeeze your butt
• Contract your abs, like you are ready to take a punch
• Now press the bar upwards overhead like in the video
• And lower back down to the upper chest without resting it
• Remember to also grip the bar as hard as you can as you are again transferring strength

What should you aim to Military Press

It is said that, true strong men can military press 75% of their bodyweight. 50% is reasonable to aim for, for beginners, but once you start getting bigger and stronger you can start working toward 75% of your bodyweight and even beyond.

Barbell Military Press Bonus Tip

I picked this up over at fitness black book, that a good finisher to this exercise is to simply hold the barbell over your head. Select a weight can you can do 10 times. Do it until you can’t hold it anymore and then safely return it to the ground. Here is a great video explaining how to build big shoulders, alternating between size and strength repetitions.