3 Must-Do Pressing Exercises For Athletes

What’s up Gronk Fitness!

You must know that an athlete’s performance goes far beyond what you see in the field or court. In fact, whether it’s football, baseball, basketball or anything really, it’s the long hours in the gym that will ultimately decide whether or not you’ll reach your full potential.

More specifically, your pressing or pushing strength is VITAL in most sports but in everyday life as well. Having said that, there are three specific exercises that are KEY to progressing fast and making those strength and muscle gains! Let’s take a look, shall we?

      1. The FID Dumbbell Bench Press

The Flat-Incline-Decline Bench Press is perfect for athletes of all levels in order to reach peak pressing strength and build their foundation. Now, as an athlete you are never going to press straight ahead or straight down. You will be pressing from various different angles which is where the Gronk Fitness FID Bench comes in super handy.

Just one simple adjustment and you’re ready to start pressing from a different angle with each consequent set. In fact, we recommend 5 Bench Press Sets.

• Set 1 & 2: Incline Press
• Set 3: Decline Press
• Set 4 & 5: Flat Press

Moreover, dumbbells are usually preferred to barbells. Not always though. In this case however, where training in a functional way is a priority, dumbbells are more suited for the job.

      2. The Landmine Press

It doesn’t really get any more functional than this! For this exercise, you will be completely upright, assuming an athletic stance with your feet staggered. Keep your core engaged to stabilize the weight and press the weight away from you at an angle.

You can do both hands at the same time or (more ideally) press with one arm at a time, passing the bar to the other arm as soon as you complete a repetition.

This way, you will be able to EXPLODE on the positive, then slowly control and stabilize the weight on the way down. Perfect for the entire chest/shoulders/triceps complex, plus, amazing for the scapular stabilizers in your back!

You should check out THIS video if you are not 100% sure about the form.

      3. The Uneven Plyo Push-Up

What do you do when you fall down? You rise back up! Pushing the earth away from you is an ESSENTIAL component of pressing strength. But how do we make the standard push-up into a more ATHLETIC movement? Well, we add a plyometric component as well as some instability! Here are a few tips:

• Start with your hands staggered. One a bit higher and one a bit lower than usual.
• Slowly go down until your chest touches the floor.
• Then, explode up, as high as you can and carefully land on the ground with your hands staggered.
• With each consequent rep, your hands should be changing positions when you land.
• Aim for at least 12 repetitions.

What if you cannot yet perform a single plyo push-up? Well, no problem! A Plyo Push-Up doesn’t necessarily mean your hands have to leave the ground. It’s the INTENTION of exploding up that helps you build explosive strength and power, not the actual disassociation from the ground.

Even if you don’t currently possess the explosive power to press your body into the air, you will soon!

So, make sure these three pressing movements find a place in your current workouts and as always…get your mind right.