Pressing a load overhead

The need to press loads overhead has been around since the dawn of mankind. We have lifted stones, logs, and each other for purposes of survival and function. It is essential to human movement and fundamental to increased independence and enjoyment of life.

Everyone should learn to press correctly.

We start athletes out with foundational movements of the press: learning what an active shoulder looks and feels like; what full-extension, hands-behind-ears overhead means; feeling the lift of shoulders skyward, nearly bringing them into the ears.

The first step toward proficiency in the pressing movement is simply to press the hands overhead, actively reaching for the ceiling with the hands and the shoulders. Then perform the same action with a dowel and slowly increment the weight to an unloaded bar and eventually add weight. Nailing the fundamentals is critical to future success and growth in this movement.

Obviously, the press is not just a gym movement. Take, for example, the picture
on the left above. Imagine that 100-pound bag of sand being a box that goes on a shelf, or just about anything that needs to be "put away."

Common faults with pressing loads:

From left to right: Shoulders not active. Weight not overhead. Arms not fully extended.