any advice on cues etc to make sure my elbows stay under the bar? Or should I just “focus on elbows under the bar” and keep trying until they actually tuck under, and then remember what that feels like?
Hey. Sorry about this late response.
There are a couple of things I want to suggest.
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Taking a breath and bracing is a natural process, so I would avoid giving it too much thought and making it a completely separate stage on its own.
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For the elbows, I’d just cue you to rotate them forward slightly. Think of the hands+bar as the pivot point around which you turn your elbows.
Also, why don’t you give Press 1.0 (strict press, without the hip initiation) a go for a few weeks?
How about now? Elbows were pushed forward before each rep, had to remind myself lol.
I tried simplifying the breathing and that worked, but it was tough for me to do this movement Without the hip unlocking, because idk I feel like I’ve always trained it with the hip unlocking, and I used to get weird thoracic back pain back in the day when I did it without the unlock though that may have been unrelated.
Hey.
These presses seem better than last time. If you find initiation with the hips stronger and consistently repeatable, then it is reasonable to continue as such. I have a couple more inputs, which you might find helpful:
- I think lowering the bar a little slower would help you stay tighter for the next rep. In general, try to keep as few moving parts as possible apart from the main movers. As your skill in OHP develops, you should be able to move faster while remaining in control.
- I normally take a breath (before unracking the weight) and hold it for the entire set (if it is for 5 reps or less). If necessary, I exhale and take a new breath at the top as opposed to the bottom. You can give this a shot for a few weeks and see how it goes.