Make Your Shoulder to Overhead (STO) More Efficient

Make Your Shoulder to Overhead Reps More Efficient
Video by Justin Wright

Whether you want to move a barbell quickly from your shoulders to overhead (STO), or you are going for a heavy set, technique and position both have a huge impact on your success. Being off track even just a millimeter with the path of the bar can be disastrous.

Common Shoulder to Overhead (STO) Mistake

Where we often see a breakdown in technique and position is when the athlete brings the bar from the overhead position back down to the shoulders for the next rep. Most athletes do a good job of focusing on punching the bar UP in a straight line but don’t always apply the same technique when bringing the bar down and back to their shoulders for the next rep, leading to the rep being received and started from a lower and lower position down the chest. This is not an ideal pressing position nor does it provide for power or precision. Plus, it will unnecessarily and rapidly exhaust you.

Drill for Correcting Shoulder to Overhead (STO) Mistake

In this video, Coach Justin Wright gives you two tips. One for speed that will help you crush your STO and while conserving energy for whatever else it is combined with in your workout. And one that can be applied to your next lifting session that includes any kind of shoulder to overhead sets.

For the drill: Use a PVC pipe or empty barbell. Remember, this is a drill and we are trying to perfect your technique, not max out.

Front Rack Position

Start with the bar in the front rack position. The front rack position for STO movements is with the elbows slightly lower than the front squat but still out in front of the bar. The bar should be resting on your shoulders and your deltoids should be creating a pad for the bar so that it is not resting on your collar bones. This is the position you should come back to after every rep. Pull and control the bar back to this position each time. That will not only line you up perfectly for the next rep, it will also allow you to cycle the barbell more quickly if you so choose.

Complete your choice of shoulder to overhead. This could be strict press, push press, push jerk, even split jerk.

Elbows Forward Position

From the overhead position – THIS IS THE KEY to this drill – keep your elbows pointed forward while pull the bar back down to your starting position.

Now apply this technique to your workouts. For heavy sets, focusing on this allows you to not have to readjust between reps. When you are cycling STO in a metcon workout, focusing on this allows you to move smoothly, conserve energy and speed up your reps.

Start working on this now – we will surely see some sort of shoulder to overhead in the CrossFit Open this year!

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