Pressing Exercise Variations

If you have limited access to equipment, it will be hard to target and strengthen the shoulder muscles.

We normally use overhead and landmine pressing alternatives, however this may not be an option during lockdown.

An alternative method would be to use isolation exercises where you can target and strengthen the shoulder muscles with less weight load.

In this video, Danny shows you several ways on how to perform banded lateral raises to develop the shoulder muscles.

Overcoming Isometrics is a great tool to increase force production and rate of force development to help develop strength and explosive athletes ⁣

We can do this for the upper-body performing max effort bench press into the pins of a squat rack. However, not many of us have access to these facilities at home.

We can replicate this by pressing against a wall. Perform 3-4 second efforts 3-5 repetitions, 3-5 sets.

Isometric Wall-Drives: are an excellent way to replicate upper body maximal strength lifts, and improve force production capabilities of the shoulder, chest and triceps.

The main technique points to keep in mind include:

Setting up in a split stance to create a stable base for maximal force production

Keep shoulders and scapula retracted

Inhale and maintain core tension for the duration of the hold

Have the elbows slightly bent and in a similar to position to that at the bottom of a floor press. This is to optimise the length-tension relationship.

This is a great way to target and develop overheard strength and also significantly challenges the core stabilisers due to uni-lateral loading.

To get the most benefit from this exercise:

Set-up in a relatively narrow split-stance position, with the rear knee directly below the hip. Both knees should be slightly flexed.

Perform a quick countermovement before pressing into a strong overhead position.

Keep the core switched on and ribcage locked down to prevent hyper extension of the lower back.

Force should be generated from the heel to the upper extremity.

Twist the dumbbell as you approach the overhead position. This replicates turning a punch over in the ring and provides some added momentum to get the weight up.

KB Single-arm Snatch is a great exercise for developing full-body power and can provide a potent neural stimulus during lockdown.

The main technical points to refine include:

Beginning with dumbbell at hip height, with the knees and hips slightly flexed and the shoulders fixed back and down

Initiate the movement by extending at the hips and knees.

Keep the dumbbell close to the body, powerfully shrug your shoulder and raise the elbow.

Extend the elbow sharply above your head and ensure a solid landing follows with core braced and opposite arm pressed out to the side for balance.

Make sure the kettlebell is gripped firmly and the wrists remain solid throughout.

The Dumbbell and Kettlebell snatch can have a huge transfer to Boxing as it improves lower-body explosiveness and shoulder strength / stability.

It also develops kinetic chain sequencing across multiple planes of motion, which is a massive benefit to delivering fast and explosive punches.

Single-Arm KB Z Press: is an effective exercise to overload the shoulders and challenge core stability.

To get the most out of this exercise:

Make sure the wrists are positioned above the elbows from the start positionKeep the core braced and shoulder blades fixed back and down.

Avoid flaring of the rib cage when pressing overhead – brace the core and draw the bellybutton in.

Extend the opposite arm out to the side for added support.

Keep a firm grip on the kettlebell throughout, finishing with elbows fully extended and wrists solid.

Z-Press is a fantastic exercise for Boxing and Combat Sport athletes as it is a shoulder and back friendly overhead pressing exercise.

The seated position restricts an athletes ability to super-compensate through arching of the lower back.

This means that the posterior shoulder muscles are more engaged. This makes it harder to lift significant weight-load, which means it can challenge the muscles without straining the shoulder joint.

The single arm variation also challenges the lateral stabilisers of the core.

Dumbbell split jerk is a fantastic exercise for Boxing and Combat Athletes.

This develops upper and lower-body explosiveness, shoulder strength, and kinetic chain sequencing as well as improving eccentric utilisation and core strength during the catch

The key coaching points to keep in mind:

Set-up in a strong front rack position, keeping your core braced and ribcage locked down, feet should be hip-width apart.

Perform a slight counter-movement before simultaneously driving the dumbbells overhead and landing in the split-stance position.

Ensure to adopt a strong overhead position, keeping the core engaged and wrists and elbows locked.

The split-stance should be wide enough to create a stable base, with the rear knee finishing slightly behind the hip.

These are two excellent press-up variations that place the shoulder in a much more joint friendly position and provide extra range of motion whilst also developing strength and power in the anterior muscles of the upper-body which contribute significantly to punch force.

To perform optimally:

Set-up in a press-up position, feet hip-width apart, core braced, scapula retracted and locked down. Actively draw your bellybutton in, ensuring that the hips, shoulder and head are aligned as you descend.

Lower down slowly, keeping your elbows tucked.

Pause in the bottom position before exploding back up to the starting position. The hips and torso should move as one when returning to the start position.

This is a great press-up variation that overloads the horizontal pressing movement and encourages maximal acceleration throughout the range of motion which can transfer to faster and more forceful punches in the ring.

To get the most out of this exercise:

The band should be positioned around the upper back region under the armpits and inside the elbows.

Set-up in a strong press-up position, feet hip-width apart, core braced, scapula retracted and locked down, glutes engaged. Actively draw your bellybutton in, ensuring that the hips, shoulder and head are aligned as you descend.

Lower down slowly and under control, keeping your elbows tucked to your sides. As you lower down think about bringing your chest to the floor and keeping your nose in front of your fingers.

Explode out of the bottom position, maintaining maximal force output as you drive back up to the starting position. This portion of the exercise can have a significant impact on developing snap at the end-range of punches so be sure to execute each rep with maximal intent!

This is a vertical pressing variation that targets every muscle around the shoulder joint with an added benefit of challenging grip strength.

For optimal technique:

Set-up in a half-kneeling position, bracing the core, keeping your ribcage locked down. The head should in neutral and the shoulders should be pinned back and down.

Use the non-working hand to initially stabilise the kettlebell, before pressing overhead.

Avoid flaring of the rib-cage as you press vertically by actively engaging the core.

As you press upwards its important to not shrug the working shoulder, keep the shoulder-blades locked back and down. Think about bringing your bicep to your ear whilst pressing up to achieve the correct overhead position.

Lower the weight under control to the starting position, maintaining a tight grip on the kettlebell.