When you've been training for a long time, it can be challenging to find exercises that get you excited. For me, if an exercise makes my core scream for mercy I immediately want to get better at it. Why? Because I've found a gap in my strength and I need to remedy that. Here's a new one that has me excited:
The offset barbell press is really unique in that the weight of the bar isn't the issue: it's the leverage. To do this press, you really don't need a lot of weight. You stand at one end of the bar, with one hand almost touching the sleeve, and press straight up. That's it.
Since the weight is so far from your center of mass and offset to one side, you actually have to pull with the furthest arm while pressing to prevent the barbell from tipping. It's like a standing-side-plank-half-pull-up and press – a truly unique movement that gets your body thinking!
Start with an empty barbell. As you get more comfortable, add fractional plates to the offset end of the bar. A few sets of this and your abs and brain will be mush.
Offset presses are a quick warm-up for a pressing day or a core workout in their own right. Here's how to do them:
Ask Me Anything I receive great questions in my T Nation Community Coaching Lab. If…
Ask Me Anything I get a lot of great questions in my T Nation Community…
An Exaggerated Warm-Up Isn't Helpful I don't know when the lengthy warm-up became a thing,…
Training and Your Metabolic State When I think "workout," I think of speeds. Your metabolic…