Z Press

What is Z Press:

The Z Press is a seated overhead pressing movement that emphasizes strict form and upper body strength by removing any assistance from the lower body. Named after powerlifter and strongman Zydrunas Savickas, this exercise is performed while seated flat on the ground with legs extended straight in front of you. Unlike traditional overhead presses from a bench or standing position, the Z Press eliminates lower body drive and forces your core and shoulders to do all the work.

Due to the lack of back and leg support, the Z Press is more challenging than the conventional overhead press. It demands excellent mobility in the hips, hamstrings, and thoracic spine, as well as strict control throughout the movement.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Targets the front and middle delts, upper chest, and triceps, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Joint Stability: Enhances shoulder and elbow stability by engaging supporting muscles throughout the movement, contributing to joint health and injury prevention.
  • Core Activation: Requires core engagement to maintain stability and control throughout the movement, contributing to core strength and stability.
  • Functional Strength: Improves shoulder flexion and abduction strength, elbow extension strength, and overall fitness, translating to improved performance in daily activities and sports.

Variations:

  • Overhead Press: The traditional overhead press exercise technique.
  • Overhead Pin Press: A variation that starts from a complete dead-stop, with the barbell resting on safety pins in a power rack to eliminate momentum from the eccentric phase. This focused technique targets the concentric portion of the movement, allowing you to isolate the shoulders and triceps, overcome sticking points, and boost lockout strength.

How to perform Z Presses:

  • Setup: Set the safety arms or whatever you are using around the height where the barbell is just around your clavicles or slightly higher. Then position the barbell and yourself under it accordingly.
  • Starting Position: While seated, extend your legs and keep them apart to a comfortable degree. Keep your torso upright with a tall spine and chest up. Then grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and unrack it.
  • Execution: Brace your core and press the barbell upward, while lifting your head back slightly for the bar to pass through until your arms are fully extended.
  • Return and Repeat: Lower the barbell back to the starting position under control, then repeat the movement for your desired repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position and/or on the way down.
  • Exhale: Exhale at the end position and/or the bottom after returning to the starting position.
  • Shallow Breaths: Avoid holding your breath for too long, and inhale/exhale throughout the movement as necessary.
  • Biasing: Depending on the technique or specific range of motion, you may bias different muscle groups, such as the upper pecs, lateral delts, and triceps. For example, you may bias the upper pecs in the very bottom portion of the range of motion, front and side delts in the middle, and triceps on the very top or lockout. While also being able to bias the upper pecs in shoulder-width grip and side delts in wider, both in the bottom half of the range of motion.
  • Wrist: Maintain a slight wrist extension, keeping the bar stacked on your forearms.
  • Leaning Back: Lean back with your thoracic spine and keep your lumbar spine neutral throughout the movement.
  • Scapular Engagement: Maintain scapular depression while allowing your scapula to retract at the starting position and be neutral at the final position.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain external shoulder rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • Using external force for support - a partner or spotter
    • Decreasing the Weight

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Increasing the Weight