A Progression for Teaching the Overhead Lifts.10

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44 Strength and Conditioning Journal August 2003

National Strength & Conditioning AssociationVolume 25, Number 4, pages 4449

A Progression for Teaching theOverhead Lifts

Greg Frounfelter, DPT, ATC, CSCSAgnesian HealthcareFond du Lac, Wisconsin

Keywords: overhead lifting; exercise instruction; exerciseprogression; teaching.

BASIC STRENGTH AND CONDI-tioning programs emphasizemulti-jointed exercises that exer-cise a relatively large amount ofmuscle mass. This is true regard-less of what part of the body is

being trained. In terms of trainingthe upper body, the bench pressor one of its variations, such asthe incline press, dumbbell press,or decline press, is often used.However the bench press is notthe only core lift that can be usedto develop upper body strength.Overhead lifts are sometimes un-derutilized as core exercises to de-

velop upper body strength andoverall explosiveness at the highschool level of athletics. The over-head lifts discussed for the pur-pose of this article will be the over-head (military) press, the pushpress, and the split jerk.

The purpose of this article is

to present a progression for in-structing young athletes how toperform the overhead lifts. Manyhigh school strength and condi-tioning programs can benefitfrom such a teaching progressionin that high school weight train-ing instructors may be able tomore safely and effectively teach

students the proper methods ofoverhead lifting.

Safety Considerations

Special considerations must bemade when using overhead lifts.Lifting an object overhead requires

balance of the objects center ofgravity (CG) over the CG of thelifter. In addition to proper align-ment, both CGs must be within

the base of support of the lifter inorder to provide balance and sta-bility (4, 5). This is an importantsafety factor to consider whencoaching the overhead lifts. Forthese reasons, it is important tocoach athletes not to walk around

while they are still holding the baroverhead. Allowing this mightcause the lifter to lose control of the

bar and injury could result. Thelifter is only stable and balanced

when all CGs are aligned and with-

in the lifters base of support.Overhead lifts where the bar is

placed behind the neck may bepotentially dangerous to theshoulder complex (2). Reasoningfor this is the position of theshoulder complex during the exer-cise. At some point during theconcentric and eccentric phases of

a lift done from behind the neck,the glenohumeral joint is placed innear maximum external rotation,abduction, and extension with anexternal load (2). In this position,it only takes a minor loss of bal-ance with the barbell to result in amajor injury such as an anterior-inferior subluxation or dislocationof the shoulder (6). Keeping the

bar at the front of the neck is saferbecause it prevents this potential-ly dangerous positioning, and themuscle groups worked do notseem to vary significantly (2).

Another important coachingpoint is to tell the athletes not tohold their breath while lifting.Have them breathe out as theypush overhead and breath in

when the bar is being lowered. Inthis manner, a Valsalva maneuvercan be avoided and the risk of anathlete fainting while lifting can

be reduced.Encourage the use of spotters

at all times. Although it is inher-ently difficult to spot some of theoverhead lifts, spotters help to re-mind those who are close by tostay out of the way of the lift andthat the lift itself is serious busi-ness. If an athlete needs to dump


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August 2003 Strength and Conditioning Journal 45

an overhead lift, especially oneperformed ballistically, he or sheshould try to push away from the

weight and let the weight drop. Inthis manner the athlete can en-sure not getting hit by the barbel

and the weight will most likelyland on the lifters platform andnot on someone else in the train-ing facility.

Power racks allow the athletesto take the bar at shoulder height

This seems to reduce fatigue andpromote proper overhead liftingtechnique. If you do not have ac-cess to such a rack, instruction inproper cleaning technique may beused to get the bar to a chest highposition to begin overhead work.

Do not allow athletes to sacri-fice good technique for the sake ousing more weight. Prevent in-

juries by starting every athletewith a light load; many athletesinitially start with an empty bar. Ian athlete cannot safely handle astandard 45-pound bar, a lighter

bar (in the 1528-pound rangecan be used. With these lighterloads, athletes can build confi-dence and strength in their tech-

nique so they can eventually han-dle the rigors of the standard barAthletes who have a history oshoulder injury generally performthese exercises to within their tol-erance. Supplemental shoulder

work may need to be utilized fortheir specific needs.

Methodology of theProgression

Military Press

Have the athlete assume an up-right stance with a very light bar-bell (preferably stripped downheld in a modified racked position(Figure 1). Then have the athletepress the bar to arms length overhead and pause. The bar should

be held over the crown of the headfor a count of one (Figure 2). The

Figure 1. Military press/overhead lifts starting position.

Figure 2. Overhead lifts completion.


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bar is returned to the starting po-sition emphasizing control. Makesure the athlete does not lean

backward or hyperextend the lowback while performing this lift.This exercise indirectly teaches

the athlete to keep his or her bodysegments aligned and balancemaintained by having the athlete

bring the bar over the crown of thehead.

Push Press

Once the athlete is proficient atthe military press, he or she canthen progress to the push press.

The athlete should have developedsome sense of how to keep the bar

balanced overhead and should be

ready to move on to more ballisticmovements. The starting positionis the same as with the militarypress. The start of the movementinvolves the athlete bending bothknees and pushing upward withthem (Figure 3). After giving the

bar momentum with the legs, thearms drive the bar overhead intothe finished position. This is againheld for a one-count and slowly re-turned to the starting position.

The push press is the same as amilitary press where the liftercheats by using the legs.

Split Jerk

After the push press is mastered,the athlete is ready to move on tothe split jerk (jerk). Footwork is animportant component of this exer-cise. In the jerk, the feet move intoa split position where one foot is infront, one is in back, both legs are

bent at the knees, and both lower

extremities are moved slightly lat-erally from the starting position(Figures 4 and 5).

Start the teaching process byhaving the athlete stand withhands on the hips. The feet areabout shoulder width apart (Fig-ure 4). The athlete is then in-structed to quickly move one foot

Figure 3. Knee bending in preparation of the push press.

Figure 4. Starting position for learning the jerk footwork.


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forward and one foot backwardwhile keeping the heels the samedistance apart. The athlete shouldland with both knees bent and thetoes of both feet pointing slightlytoward the midline of the body

(Figure 5). The front foot should beflat on the ground. The back heelshould not be in contact with theground. The toes of the back footshould be slightly pointed towardthe midline of the body and notpointed out (Figure 6). By pointingthe toes in, excessive stress on the

back knee is reduced and balanceis aided (1).

A cross can be drawn on thelifting surface to provide feedbackfor the athlete in regard to foot

placement (3) (Figures 49). Theathlete should not perform the mo-tion as to make the base of supporttoo narrow. This can make theathlete look like he or she is tryingto walk a tight rope (Figure 7). Thisis inherently unstable and the ath-lete should be encouraged to keepthe distance between the feet con-stant from start to finish duringthe lift. Work on the lateral foot po-sitioning by cueing the athlete to

shoot his or her feet towards theirrespective front and back cornersof the platform; the correct motionfoot placement usually occursquite naturally with this tech-nique. In final preparation for per-forming the jerk with a barbell, theathlete assumes the same startingposition but initiates a small jump

before performing the proper foot-work.

Once the athlete is proficientwith the footwork, it is time to per-

form the jerk with an empty bar-bell. The athlete stands in the samestarting position as with the pushpress. However, as the athlete dips,he or she is not preparing for aslight leg push, but rather the legsare preparing for a tremendous up-

ward drive with the arms (Figure8). As the athlete drives upward

with the legs and arms, the bargains inertia and continues over-head. It is at this time that the ath-lete performs the split with the legsas practiced and the arms arethrust upward as they catch the

bar at arms length over the crownof the head (Figure 9). Once the bar

is properly positioned, the athletestraightens the front knee (Figure10) and takes small steps alter-nately with both feet until he or sheis in the finished overhead position

Taking these small steps will allow

the athlete to be able to maintainsegmental control and balance

Figure 6. Incorrect rear foot positioning (back toes are pointed out).

Figure 5. Finished position for learning the jerk footwork.


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during the completion of the lift.Again, the barbell is held over thecrown of the head for a one countand the athlete returns the bar tothe starting position. Although the

bars return doesnt need to be per-

formed as slowly as with the mili-tary or push presses, it should bedone in a controlled manner to re-duce the risk of injury. Getting the

bar up overhead is only half thebattle; the lift is not finished untilboth feet are aligned with the bar-bell overhead.

Conclusion

The goal of any type of exerciseprogression should be for progres-sive instruction and mastery of the

exercise as safely as possible. Thisprogression for training/teachingthe overhead lifts accomplishesthis by allowing the athlete to de-

velop and master particular skillsbefore progressing to more com-plex lifts. Safety concerns are in-herently incorporated in the pro-gression secondary to light startingloads and gradual load increasesas technique and strength im-proves. After trying this method,

you will find that your athleteslearn how to do overhead move-ments more quickly and safely.

This progression may require aninitial investment of time in in-struction; however, the athletes

will learn proper lifting techniquefirst, and this technique will allowthem to safely gain strength andpower. This increase in upper bodystrength and power will hopefullyallow them to perform at their op-timum and perform well within all

their athletic endeavors.

References

1. Baker, G. The United StatesWeightlifting Federation Coach-

ing Manual, Volume 1: Tech-nique. Colorado Springs, CO:United States WeightliftingFederation, 1989.

Figure 8. Start of the jerk (dip and drive).

Figure 7. Incorrect foot placement (base of support too narrow).


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2. Durall,C.J., R.C. Manske, andG.J. Davies. Avoiding shouldeinjury from resistance training. Strength Cond. J. 23(5)1018. 2001.

3. Jones, L. Senior Coach Manu

al. Colorado Springs, COUnited States WeightliftingFederation, 1991.

4. Kreighbaum, E., and KBarthels. Biomechanics: AQualitative Approach fo

Studying Human Movemen(3rd ed.). New York, NYMacmillian Publishing Co.1990.

5. Norkin, C.C., and P.K. Levangie.Joint Structure and Function: A Comprehensive Analy

sis (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PAF.A. Davis Co., 1992.

6. Roy, S., and R. Irvin. SportsMedicine: Prevention, Evaluation, Management, and Reha

bilitation. Engelwood CliffsNJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983.

Greg Frounfelter works as aphysical therapist and Certified

Athletic Trainer for AgnesianHealthcare in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He serves as vice presidenof the WSCA and is an adjuncanatomy and physiology instructor at Moraine Park Technical College in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Figure 9. Catching the bar during the jerk.

Figure 10. Recovering from the jerk by straightening the front knee first.

Frounfelter

A Progression for Teaching the Overhead Lifts.10

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