The Olympic Press

Disclaimer: By reading this, you agree that you'll consult your physician before trying it.


by mercnil

Bill March - Overhead Press

The Olympic Press or clean and press was once a part of the Olympic Games.  It was once considered the best way to determine how strong a man is, because of it's complete execution, which are:1) speed and power - from the tripple extension; and 2) strict military like press - lockout.  But due to circumstances in which it became difficult to judge by cheat executions, it was eliminated from the Olympic Weightlifting competition.


The following, to me, are great reasons to try this lift:

1) It's a complete exercise which allows one to develop the following characteristics: 1) speed; 2) power; and 3) strength.

2) It's the only exercise you need to do if you're lacking in time.

3) It looks elegant when executed.

There are two phases in executing the olympic press:

1) tripple extension - clean, which may be done by a) hang clean where the barbell is hanging on your hands; or b) where the barbell is from the floor.  To execute this, I'll refer you to an article previously written in our The Power Clean thread.

2) The press - it involves moving a barbell from one's shoulder height, and pushing it up above the head until the elbows are fully locked out. The back must be arched whereby - brace up (military term which means chest up) is the best way to describe it.


1) Jump three times to get your base.  Take a picture and memorize it.

2) The arch is done by pushing the pelvic forward, not by leaning back.

Here's a video in which you may try to follow:

mark felix clean & press training at Adlington barbell

This is the form I promote.

Serge Redding - 502lb. (228kg.) Clean & Press

As the weight gets heavier, this is how it should look like.

Here's a nice website that talks a little bit about this forgotten technique.

Useful assistant exercises:

1) Overhead press

Mark Rippetoe: Press Posture Question

2) power cleans

Mark Rippetoe: Coaching the Powerclean

3) front squats

Squat Rx #15: The Front Squat

1) When your doctor says no.

2) When you have back chronic back problems.


1) Shoes - Olympic Shoes or flat shoes.

1) You can dump the weight in front if you're having a problem and just push the weight over your body.

2) Improves flexibility

3) Core strength is massively improved

4) Just one exercise.

1) Requires flexibility

2) Discipline to learn

3) It's no longer an olympic lift.

You may judge it like that at first glance, but it's a great way to avoid hurting one's joints.  I only post what I've tried, and i've tried it that way.  And it's actually a good way to do the olympic press safely.

I wrote this not for the olympics, but only as a workout routine for those who have little time.  And note - that is not a push press.  Olympic press is not clean and jerk.  The press is supposed to have little or no influence from the lower body.

Note:

Olympic Press is clean and press, it is not clean and jerk. 

Okay.  Thanks for the criticism.  Mr. King and Mr. Dave.

There's already an article about this and it's 10 times better.

The first video is more of a muscle snatch than a clean.  Like Neptune said, he didn't catch the weight, which can be very dangerous if you're not built like a truck like the guy in that video.

I have to say that idk how much attention the "Olympic Press" needs.  Not to mention, it's a misnomer.  I take it as there being 3 kinds of presses.  Push press, overhead press (or military if you conform to the stricter guidelines) and the olympic, which is where there is layback.  I would just call this a clean and press.  The clean is implied because you have to clean everything in olympic lifts. 

I really woudln't recommend this as an alternative to the regular overhead press because I think the OHP form is safer.  The OLY press puts the back in a precarious position when executed incorrectly, which it probably is 90% of the time. 

I think that the Olympic press itself is an incorrect lift because leaning back on a OHP is incorrect no matter what.

Pelvic tilt = lumbar spine extension.
So too much of pelvic tilt = Overextended lumbar spine - i.e Fucked lower back.