Push Press
Overhead marking + ruck contests
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Take the bar out of the rack on the front of the shoulders, hands just outside shoulder width, elbows slightly in front of the bar. Feet hip width, weight through the whole foot.
The rep
Brace, then dip a few centimetres by bending only the knees, torso vertical. Without pausing, drive up hard through the legs and, as the bar leaves the shoulders, press it overhead to locked arms, finishing over the back of the head. Push the head through at the top. Lower the bar back to the shoulders, cushioning it with a slight knee bend, and reset.
On the exercise card
- Quick dip, violent drive
- Lock out fully
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Dipping too deep, or forward | A short, vertical dip. A deep or forward dip sends the bar out in front, and the legs lose it. |
| Pressing before the legs finish | The legs drive the bar off the shoulders and the arms finish it. If it stalls at the forehead, the drive was too soft. |
| Arching the lower back at lockout | Ribs down, glutes tight. Finish with the bar over the middle of the foot. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- A lighter bar, or a dumbbell push press.
- Harder
- More load, or a split jerk once the timing is solid.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
A contested mark or a ruck tap is the legs driving the arms overhead, and this is that sequence under load. In AFL it is the power lift in the upper-body session, five sets of three, heavier than you could press strictly but still fast, ahead of the bench press and weighted chin-ups.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL | Upper Power | 5 × 3 | 78% 1RM |
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Overhead Press | Strict vertical pressing strength |
| Split Jerk | Olympic-style overhead — explosive shoulders for combat athletes |
| DB Shoulder Press | Even both sides, shoulder-friendly |
| Seated DB Shoulder Press | Strict, no leg drive — pure shoulder mass |
| Arnold Press | Full shoulder sweep through rotation |
| Landmine Press | Easier on the shoulder joint — combat/contact athletes |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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