Board Press

Execution

1. Take a grip at shoulder width or a little wider, and unrack the bar without letting your shoulder position collapse.
2. Inhale and lower the bar under control, elbows tucked close to the body and in line with the wrists the whole way down.
3. Touch lightly onto the top board and hold a real pause there instead of grazing it and bouncing straight back up.
4. Exhale and drive the bar up as hard as possible right from the pause, keeping the elbows tucked until your arms lock out.
5. If you stall mid-press, call your spotter to help finish the bar, or lower it onto the rack's safety pins.
6. Guide the bar back onto the rack hooks once the set is done, and clear the boards off your chest before sitting up.

Quick cues

• A real pause on the board.
• Explode the instant you pause.
• Elbows tucked the whole press.
• Pin your back, drive the floor.
• Always have a spotter or safety pins.

Common faults

• Fault: The bar just grazing the boards and bouncing straight back up

  Fix: Count one full beat with the bar resting on the boards before pressing, using a lighter bar until you can hold that pause.

• Fault: The boards shifting or falling mid-set because they were not secured well

  Fix: Strap the board stack together securely, or have your spotter hold it steady on your chest for the whole set.

• Fault: The elbows flaring out on the way down to the boards

  Fix: Tuck the elbows in closer, around 45-60 degrees, before starting the descent.

• Fault: Loading up heavy alone with no spotter or safety pins

  Fix: Set the rack's safety pins at the board-stack height, or bring a training partner to spot before attempting a new heavy load.