The Instructional Video Competition - got your entry in?
Cuban press
by Scott Bird | August 9, 2005
Filed in ME BENCH
, exercises
, videos
, workouts
| 3 comments
share it: digg | stumbleupon | del.icio.us (what are these?)
Thanks John.
I enjoy rotating my exercise selection regularly - it keeps things moving, the body adapting and prevents workouts from getting boring. Today I was reminded (reading John’s blog) of an exercise that I had first seen over a year ago, considered interesting and promptly forgotten.
Welcome the Cuban press. As with the Zottman curl, the Cuban press is limited (in terms of the weight you can hoist) by one small part of the lift - the rotation.
According to a number of sites around the web, as well as photos in trashy fitness magazines, a lot of people seem to think the rotation part makes up the entire exercise. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for anyone with a slightly masochistic nature) that’s only one part of three.
To perform the Cuban press, start with the bar on the ground in front of you (as if you’re about to deadlift it) and pick it up with a double-overhand grip - the same width as you bench.
Lift it like a very wide-grip upright row, until your upper arms are horizontal. Rotating about the elbows, flip the bar around so it is now about level with the top of your head.
Press it.
The extra components (to the rotations often performed) may seem superfluous, but the combined effect is great. Light weight, warm shoulders.
Cuban press 3×12@20/45
NB : I ended up doing these seated, in order to avoid putting any more holes in the ceiling :)
Update: Alberto was asking for video of this exercise, so here’s part of the first set (4MB, .wmv).
Ready to bend some steel? Grab a copy of the Diesel Crew's Bending eBook. Superb.
If you enjoyed this article, please vote for it on digg. Thanks.
Comments
Sounds like a nice combo exercise for the back, traps and shoulders. Probably some forearms too?
Posted by: Jon | August 10, 2005 1:24 AM
I want to see some video of that, sounds like a killer!!!
Posted by: Alberto Caraballo | August 10, 2005 3:50 AM
Jon, yes it certainly involves several muscle groups. The forearms aren’t really a concern (you need to use a light weight to get through the rotation part), but everything else gets a play.
It feels like one of the few multi-deltoid exercises.
Alberto: the only video I have is of the seated version (the ceilings here aren’t high enough for me to do it standing), which I’ll post shortly.
Posted by: Scott | August 10, 2005 7:04 PM