Shoulder-to-Overhead: It Only Goes Up From Here

by LARRY PASTOR

In the shoulder-to-overhead series, the first lift that probably comes to mind is the shoulder press. On some days — and depending on the weight —  it seemingly takes your entire body to move any weight close to your body overhead. The truth is that it does take your entire body to move that weight overhead; it is that quality that makes the shoulder-to-overhead lifts important for building core and shoulder strength, as well as developing power and speed.

Shoulder Press, Push Press, and Push Jerk

The legs gradually become more involved in the movement as you progress from shoulder press to push jerk.

These 3 lifts are what constitute the shoulder to overhead series. In an old-school CrossFit HQ video, original firebreather Greg Amundson demonstrates each movement:

If you move your eyes from left to right, you’ll see that the legs gradually become more involved in the movement as you progress from shoulder press to push jerk. What’s happening is that as you progress from shoulder press to push press to push jerk, the athlete is using more core-to-extremity movement to move the load overhead. CrossFit HQ, in theirshoulder-to-overhead article, describes this core-to-extremity movement as “the power zone.”

The Power Zone

Did you know? The increased use of the legs & hip drive increases your overhead capacity by ~30% more.

In the CrossFit Journal article “Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk-The Overhead Lifts,” the author describes the “power zone”  as the region of  the body where core-to-expremity movement emanates.  The muscle groups which comprise this “power zone” include the “the hip flexors, hip extensors (glutes and hams), spinal erectors, and quadriceps.” CrossFit Magnitude and Lincoln Park CrossFit both write about the importance of the power zone in the shoulder-to-overhead movements. Lincoln Park CrossFit explains:

The progression (from shoulder press to push press to push jerk) also increasingly relies on the power zone. In the shoulder press the power zone is used for stabilization only. In the push press the power zone provides not only stability, but also the primary impetus in both the dip and drive. In the push jerk the power zone is called on for the dip, drive, second dip, and squat.

CrossFit Magnitude cites the CrossFit Journal article:

As the athlete moves from shoulder press, to push press, to push jerk, the importance of core to extremity muscle recruitment is learned and reinforced. This concept alone would justify the practice and training of these lifts. Core to extremity muscular recruitment is foundational to the effective and efficient performance of athletic movement.

More Legs = More Weight

With any shoulder-to-overhead movement, remember to be full of air when you are pushing upward. It is difficult to move weight when your body and core are loose.

As one progresses from the shoulder press to the push press to the push jerk, an athlete should be able to move more weight overhead. How much weight, exactly? 30 percent more, according to some experts. CrossFit SouthBay, in their shoulder-to-overhead article, claims that “If done correctly, an athlete should able to push press 30% more weight than the shoulder press. Similarly, a push jerk max should be about 30% heavier than a push press max.”

Good Shoulder-to-Overhead Technique

For every shoulder-to-overhead movement, begin with your butt turned on and your abs tight to start with a good base for pushing upward.

Jason Khalipa presents a quick summary of the shoulder press, push press, and push jerk. In the video, he emphasizes how the start and finish position for each position are the same. All the movements start with the bar on the shoulder , and all finish with the bar overhead and legs and hips locked out.  The only difference in each movement is how you get from point A to point B.

Coach Jason makes a couple points about each movement and how to perform them correctly:

Shoulder Press

• Use the strict press for lighter loads and to develop pure shoulder strength.
• Do not use legs for the shoulder press.
• Set up with grip just outside your shoulders, feet underneath hips, and elbows down andin front of the bar.
• Execute the shoulder press by moving your head out of the way, pressing the bar vertically, and driving  your head through at the top.
• At the top, keep ribcage down and maintain tight position (he uses the cue of bracing for a punch to the stomach as a way of staying tight in the stomach).
• Avoid the common error of overarching the spine during execution of the movement.

Push Press

In the push jerk, the dip and drive is the same, but there is a second dip to get underneath the bar before standing to open the hip fully.
• Dip and drive to move the bar overhead
• Dip portion: Butt, back, and head are in a straight line. Knees push forward and butt goes straight down.
• Drive portion: Drive out of the dip position into full extension and then press the bar overhead.
• The common error is performing the dip with a muted hip, where there is no flexion or bending of the hip at the beginning of the movement.

Push Jerk

The split jerk is just a variation of the push jerk.
• This movement is used to move loads that are too heavy for the shoulder press or push press.
• Why can you put more weight up? You use your legs and hips two times.
• The easiest cue for his new athletes is “jump, punch, and land.”
• 1st dip and drive = same as dip and drive for push press
• 2nd dip and drive: Once the bar reaches maximum height, set the hips back for a 2nd dip to get underneath bar and catch it with the arms locked out, then drive the hips to full extension to finish the movement.

Common Faults with Shoulder-to-Overhead Movements

Shoulder Press

The dip portion of the push press has to be fast. Athletes have to keep the chest up to avoid creating an arcing bar path.
• Bar runs into your chin during the drive phase. >>> Fix:Move your chin back to allow the bar to move vertically towards the overhead position.
• Bar follows an arc-like path towards the overhead position instead of a vertical line. >>> Fix: Lead with your elbows during the press to keep the bar on a vertical path.
• Bar is not stable overhead and/or lockout is weak. >>> Fix: Keep butt and belly tight at the top of the lift.

Push Press

Below Nicole Carroll and Annie Sakamoto present a good video demonstration of the push press as well as some common faults regarding technique.

Coach Nicole emphasizes several key points.

• The knees move forward and the butt moves back during the dip portion of the movement with no forward inclination of the chest. The goal is to drop straight down with no pitching forward..
• She has Annie  1) pause at the bottom of the dip, then drive and press  and then 2) quickly dip and then drive and press. She uses the bouncing ball analogy where she compares 1) to mashing a ball against the floor and then releasing it to 2) bouncing the ball off the floor. She refers to the bouncing ball as the proper way to execute the dip and drive for the push press.
• She has Annie demonstrate a muted hip during the dip and drive phase of the movement where she locks her hip open instead of closing and opening the hip. She makes a point about the pelvis being welded to the spine during the dip and drive as opposed to the pelvis being welded to the femur.

Push Jerk

• Athlete fails to reach full extension of  hip during 1st dip and drive phase of the movement.
• Athlete initiates the press during the drive (on the way up)  instead of after the drive (on the way down).

Up-Up-Up!

You must stress pushing the bar straight up and finishing by standing at attention with the bar directly over your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, and looking straight ahead.

Renowned Olympic lifting coach Jim Schmitz talks about the importance of the push press and push jerk in the development of an athlete. The push press and the push jerk are good lifts for teaching an athlete spatial awareness in terms of moving a bar vertically upward. In the article, he talks about these benefits as well as obvious strength building benefits:

The PP and PJ really build your deltoids and triceps and overall upper-body strength and power. Another real benefit of the PP and PJ is that they teach you which way is UP! What I mean by this is so many lifters want to push the bar out front where they can see it, or they want to look up at the bar. This is not efficient—you won’t lift as much weight this way and you may injure yourself, especially your lower back, if you look up at the bar. You must stress pushing the bar straight up and finishing by standing at attention with the bar directly over your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, and looking straight ahead; otherwise a trip to the chiropractor may be in your future.

In addition to the mechanics of performing the lifts, Coach Schmitz talks about the additional body awareness and body control which is trained by training the lifts. He lists these benefits as follows:

1) They teach you how to drive the bar up using your hips, thighs, calves, ankles and feet

2) You learn the correct dip depth and hip position for you.

3) They teach you how to catch or receive the bar on your clavicles and deltoids when lowering the bar for your reps. Lowering the bar under control and bending your knees to absorb the impact so as not to bang, bruise, and injure your clavicles, deltoids, or upper or lower back is very important for anyone doing overhead lifts.

Shoulder-to-Overhead Mobility

Work that shoulder:

Below is a list of mobility homework ideas to help you prep for shoulder-to-overhead movements.

In this  CrossFit Invictus blog, Dave Lipson presents a comprehensive overview of shoulder mobility, in which he defines good shoulder position; lists two tests for accurately assessing shoulder mobility; and provides a list of methods from mobility guru & PT Kelly Starrett for improving shoulder mobility. In the article, he defines good shoulder position as “the ability to stabilize the spine while opening the shoulder in an overhead support known as the active shoulder position.” He lists several traits associated with active shoulder position:

• Elbows locked out and shoulders shrugged up
• Actively and continually applying upward pressure
• Braced belly with a closed rib cage
• Shoulder angle open with arms directly above the mid foot. bi-secting the hip and knee in the frontal plane

2 Shoulder Mobility Tests

Self-Shoulder Assessment #1

It takes two: 

As with any other part of the body, the flexibility or tightness in each shoulder is often not symmetrical; work on both sides accordingly.

Preparation: Raise one arm, bend elbow, and reach down across back, with palm facing upper back. Position opposite arm down behind back and reach up across back with back of hand against back.  (As shown in photos above.)

Execution: With fingers extended, try to cross fingers, upper hand over lower hand. Repeat with arms in opposite position.

Measurement: Measure distance from finger tip to finger tip. If fingers overlap, score as a plus. If fingers fail to meet, score as a minus.

Shoulder assessment #2

Preparation: Lie on the ground in a supine position (belly up) with a dowel in an overhead position, hands slightly outside of shoulders.

Execution: Go into a hollow position (feet and shoulder blades off the ground 1-2″) belly tight and rib cage closed, lumber spine pressed into the ground. With arms locked out, keep the hollow and try to pull the bar back towards the ground.

Measurement: Measure the distance from the ground to the dowel in inches.

Scoring:

• Bar on ground = excellent
• 1-2″ = good
• 3-4″ = fair
• 5″ or more = poor

Ways to Improve Shoulder Mobility

• Banded Shoulder Distraction

  Place superband on rack 2” above head, face into rack and hold band supported on the back of the wrist, go into lunge and allow band to pull arm up and forward, palm up to the sky, drive chest towards knee.

• Lacrosse Ball Posterior Capsule Release

  Lie supine on your back, lacrosse ball on the back of shoulder, roll over onto ball and work into the back of the shoulder

• Lacrosse Ball Subscap Release

  Lie supine with ball along the edge of the shoulder blade proximal to the spine, take straight arm thumb down to the opposite hip, move diagonal across body to an overhead position thumb into ground, perform 5 reps slowly, adjust ball up edge of scapula, rinse and repeat in 3 different positions.

• Partner Posterior Cuff Stretch

  Lie supine, bent knees, soles of feet on the ground, go into a hip bridge, hips high, femur congruent with torso angle, place the back of the hands on the lower back, have partner hold down shoulders as you slowly lower hip to the ground, rinse and repeat.

• Kneeling Shoulder Stretch

  While on your knees and facing a 24’’ plyobox, approximately 3 feet away, place palms on box and drive chest down, brace abdomen and relax with straight arms.

• Reach, Roll, Lift

  Lie in a prone position face down, make a fist and place thumb on forehead, with opposite arm reach and pull arm overhead out of retraction crawling with fingertips, when you can’t go any farther turn thumb up and lift arm for one second; rinse and repeat on both arms.

By following the tips and videos presented, one has all the information you need to become virtuosos at moving a weight from shoulder to overhead.