Exercise Month-PushPress

The Push Press is an excellent exercise to increase upper body strength and power, a necessity for any male pairs or ice dancer. Is is also an exercise utilized to regularly for non-pair athletes in Champion Sports Advantage’s Strength Training Program. The reason is that it teaches explosiveness through the hips, a prerequisite of any skating jump. It is also utilized as a means to improve overall athletic ability for our athletes; the greater the level of athleticism the skater has, the easier it for them to complete the necessary skating skills for their level.

Explanation of:

•Start with feet shoulder width apart, with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip of the bar. The bar should be placed across your shoulders by bending at the elbows and letting the bar roll back onto your fingers. It is important to keep your elbows up when holding onto the bar so they are parallel to the ground. (Remember to tuck your chin, hold your chest up and keep a tight arch in your back before starting).
•Dip down as you flex at the ankles, knees and hips as you sit back into your hips (try not to let the elbows drop forward during this small movement since it will make the upper body go forward as well).
•Now explosively drive back upward with your legs as the bar start to move upward and off your shoulders from the momentum created by the lower body.
•As the bar continues to ascend upwards, fully extend the arms until the bar is overhead while keeping the feet shoulder width apart with either a straight or slightly bent knee catch of the bar (remember to catch the bar overhead; catching it too far forward will make you fall forward and too far back will make you fall backwards.
•Then slowly lower the bar back down to the shoulders with elbows up.