alternative to military press

I train in my basement, and the ceiling is too low to press anything but an empty bar.

I can do half-kneeling presses, and I have a low pulley I’ve been using to do half-kneeling single arm shoulder cable presses (punching up, basically; the angle is not straight up, so it’s like a 75 degree incline press). I’ve also done kneeling DB presses, but that limits the weight available quite a bit. I can do seated presses, as well, naturally. My lack of hip/hamstring mobility makes it impossible for me to do a Z press (seated on ground, legs outstretched).

What do you recommend? (Aside from going to a gym…)

I’d probably use seated or kneeling presses.

I have a similar issue in my basement and cannot press inside my power rack. I bought a pair of squat stands and found the lowest point in my basement where I can press and the plates go between the joists. Alternatively, I take them outside when the weather is decent. Obviously I’m not sure what your exact situation is, but this worked for me. A bit of extra work to set up but I think it ls worth it.

@JStrause Glad to hear you’ve found some solutions. I might find some joists to go between if I ripped out the plaster in the ceiling, but that is definitely not going to happen :slight_smile:

Stands outside, OTOH, is an option worth exploring once the weather changes.

Another option that people have mentioned is just loading with smaller size plates, if you can at least get those to fit. Some people just buy a bunch of 10lb plates. Not very convenient, and may not work as you get to heavier presses.