Barbell JM Press
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Barbell
This is a technical lift, best learned under a coach’s eye before loading heavy.
HOW TO PERFORM
- Lie on a bench and take a straight or EZ bar with the hands about shoulder width.
- Press to lockout, then lower the bar toward the throat with the elbows tucked IN close to the ribs, letting the upper arms travel back a little as it comes down.
- Stop with the bar just above the neck and the forearms close to the biceps, and hold there for a beat.
- Press back to lockout by extending the elbows, keeping them tucked the whole way.
FORM TIPS
- Half close-grip bench and half skull crusher: the elbows stay tucked and the bar comes to the throat. That is what separates it from a Tate press, where the elbows deliberately flare out.
- The bar travels over the throat, so set the safety pins or use a spotter. It is a lockout builder worked heavy for low reps, not a movement to chase a stretch on.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Triceps
Secondary
- Chest
- Shoulders
In the app
This guide covers these exercises in the Ægir Iron library:
- Barbell JM Press
- EZ Bar JM Press
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.