Barbell JM Press

How to Perform the Barbell JM Press

Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell with a close to moderate grip (about shoulder width), then unrack it.
Start with the bar at arm's length above your upper chest.
Lower the bar by bending your elbows and letting them point forward slightly, guiding the bar toward a point above your chin or upper throat.
As you lower, the bar should travel in a path between a skull crusher and a close-grip bench press — not straight down to the chest and not back over the forehead.
Stop when your forearms are at approximately 90 degrees or the bar is a few inches above your chin.
Press the bar back up to the starting position by driving through the triceps.
Repeat for the prescribed number of reps with careful control throughout the eccentric portion.

Lowering the bar to the chest like a regular bench press

The bar should lower to a point above the chin or throat, not the mid-chest — it is a hybrid movement.

Flaring the elbows out wide

Keep the elbows relatively close to your body and allow them to point slightly forward to maintain tricep emphasis.

Going too heavy too soon

Master the unique bar path with moderate weight before adding heavy loads — this exercise has a learning curve.

✓One of the most effective exercises for building raw tricep strength and bench press lockout power.
✓Combines the benefits of skull crushers and close-grip bench press into a single movement.
✓A proven powerlifting accessory exercise for improving the lockout portion of the bench press.

●Think of it as a skull crusher where you stop midway and press from that position.
●The eccentric should feel like you are lowering the bar toward your chin, not your forehead or chest.
●Use a spotter until you are confident with the movement pattern and appropriate weights.

Strength

4-5 sets of 4-6 reps

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-10 reps

Endurance

2-3 sets of 12-15 reps

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