Special Challenge: Push Press

The USSF would like to invite you to a special challenge. From December 6th to December 12th, athletes from around the world will submit their best push press to compete for honor, glory and prizes.

Push Press Ruleset

1. The press is performed from the rack or after cleaning up the weight. No viper pressing (continuous motion) is allowed.
2. The bar is held in both hands in the front of the neck with a prone power grip. The bar sits in the palm with the four fingers wrapped around the bar and the thumb opposed.
3. The feet are in-line with one another and not staggered.
4. The starting position must be upright with knees and hip fully extended and the chest up. The bar must start motionless below the level of the chin.
5. After the starting position is correctly and obviously assumed, the bar is pressed overhead in one continuous upward motion to a position with elbows completely extended and with the bar behind a vertical line from the most anterior aspect of the armpit to the floor. Any deliberate effort to press the bar after the bar is removed from the racks counts as the attempt. Any athlete who is anatomically unable to fully extend one or both elbows must demonstrate that before each attempt.
6. The use of a push press is allowed. Knees and hips may unlock to assist in initiating upward motion of the bar. Active dorsiflexion is also allowed.
7. The knees and hips must remain extended until the overhead position has been obviously assumed. No push jerk, split jerk, squat jerk allowed.
8. Once the overhead position has been obviously assumed and the bar has become motionless, the bar is lowered back down and either walked back into the rack or carefully dropped to the floor with both hands controlling the rebound.

Reasons for Disqualification

1. Failure to assume a start position with the bar motionless below the chin.
2. After the upward initiation of the push press, any downward motion of the center of the bar occurs prior to lockout, as measured between the hands.
3. Any re-bending of the knees or active hip flexion in order to catch the bar in a lower position.
4. Any pronounced uneven lockout of the elbows.
5. Any deliberate contact or any unintentional contact with a rack that would aid a lifter
6. Any forward, backward or lateral step during the press itself.
7. Downward motion of the bar occurring from the start position but before upward motion is permitted, including use of the hips and knees to get the bar moving.
8. Dropping the bar to the floor without control.

This is a current event