The barbell overhead press is a real check of energy as a result of no person yells, “It’s all you, bro.” as they yank the bar out of your chest. With the overhead press, you may raise it, or you may’t. Though the barbell overhead press isn’t the one approach to enhance overhead energy, it’s the one which lets you raise essentially the most weight, so it’s the king of the overhead jungle. For these looking for to enhance their overhead press, you’re in skilled fingers. Tasha “Iron Wolf” Whelan, a world champion powerlifter and strongwoman athlete with over twenty years of teaching expertise, has the right train for you: the scrape the rack press, which might enhance your higher physique energy and muscle.
Right here, Whelan explains what it’s and the way it’s an overhead energy game-changer.
Why the Barbell Overhead Press Is An Efficient Train
Barbell overhead presses are an important train for a number of causes. It promotes higher physique energy by strengthening the shoulders, higher chest, triceps, and higher again whereas constructing a rock-solid core. This train mimics real-world pushing actions and reaching skills, enhancing useful energy and efficiency. It additionally presents postural advantages by strengthening the shoulder and higher again muscle tissues, lowering the danger of higher physique accidents.
A barbell offers extra stability as a result of each fingers are fastened on it. This higher stability makes it simpler to go heavier than dumbbells,” explains Whelan.
What’s the Scrape The Rack Press Train?
This train entails urgent a barbell overhead whereas protecting the bar in shut contact with the rack’s uprights all through the motion. By “scraping” the bar in opposition to the rack, you preserve a managed and secure bar path, which improves stability and muscle engagement within the shoulders, triceps, and higher again.
How To Do The Scrape The Rack Press
Whelan offers you the lowdown on performing this train with good type.
- Place the bar at shoulder peak or barely above in an influence rack. Stand together with your toes shoulder-width aside and grip the bar barely wider than shoulder width. Too vast, and the shoulders may get cranky. In case your grip is simply too slender, and the vary of movement extends, rising triceps demand.
- With the barbell resting on the highest of the “J hook,” elbows barely in entrance of the bar, and wrists straight, brace your core.
- Press whereas protecting it in full contact with the rack, “scraping” it as you lengthen your arms till lockout. Guarantee your head strikes barely ahead so the bar is instantly overhead. Keep away from flaring your elbows out or shedding contact with the rack. Keep a impartial backbone; shoulders, elbows, and wrists ought to align when arms are locked out.
- Decrease the bar again to the beginning place on the highest of the “J hook,” protecting it involved with the rack to keep up management and good type.
Advantages of the Scrape The Rack Press
Whelan explains why it’s so nice and the way it can enhance your overhead energy.
Higher Stability:
Through the use of the rack as a information, lifters can preserve a constant and correct bar path, which helps stabilize the load and cut back the danger of shoulder pressure.
Elevated Muscle Emphasis
This variation emphasizes the deltoids and triceps whereas partaking the higher again muscle tissues as a result of managed motion alongside the rack.
Setup Ease
Establishing contained in the rack is safer, particularly when lifting heavier weights. The protection bars might be adjusted to catch the bar if wanted, and the rack acts as a information and spotter whereas urgent.
Improved Method
The rack offers a tactile cue that helps lifters preserve good type, encouraging a vertical bar path and lowering extreme backward lean and decrease again arching.
Exercise and Programming Strategies
The scrape-the-rack overhead press is superb for anybody who has shoulder mobility to go overhead. Right here, Whelan offers you units and reps based mostly in your exercise expertise.
Newcomers: Three units of 8-12 reps with a lighter weight to concentrate on type and method and get used to the bar path.
Intermediate: Three units of 6-8 reps, steadily rising the load as you change into extra snug with the motion, slowly constructing energy and hypertrophy.
Superior: 5 units of 3-6 reps with heavier weights, specializing in maximal energy and energy.
Extra Concerns
Mobility: To carry out overhead presses safely, guarantee ample shoulder and thoracic mobility. Incorporate mobility workouts corresponding to shoulder arm bars, thoracic extensions, rotations, and lat stretches into your warm-up.
Development: Regularly enhance the load as your energy and type enhance, making certain you don’t compromise your method for heavier hundreds.
