The sots press is a unique strength and conditioning movement originating from Olympic weightlifting. Originally named after Soviet weightlifter Viktor Sots, it serves as a skill transfer exercise intended to build confidence and positional control in athletes, particularly when attempting the classic Olympic lifts.
The Sots press leans heavily on mobility and coordination—the two critical skills needed by competitive weightlifters—and challenges athletes to remain tightly controlled while controlling the barbell with their hands.
While Sot pressing can be pretty challenging, the result is improved performance in all other Olympic lifting exercises. So it could be a great addition to the workout routine for weightlifters and in general.
Let’s explore this move further to learn the correct method and variations. We will also cover its benefits and the muscles it works.
Related Article: Best Shoulder Exercises for Men to Get Bigger Deltoids
How to Perform Sot Press: Step-By-Step Instructions
To ensure a prolific outcome from Sot Press move. While engaging in this movement, make sure to move in a slow and controlled manner throughout the exercise to ensure proper form and safety. By following these simple steps, you should be able to perform a Sot press with minimal risk of injury properly. Good luck!
- You will need to begin in a full squat with an appropriate barbell in your hands placed on your back. You will be using a snatch grip.
- From here brace your core hard and press the weight off your back into an overhead position.
- Lower the bar slowly back down to the original position.
- Repeat this movement for the desired amount of repetitions.
- Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the exercise, which will help with stability and proper form.
- Also, avoid hyperextending your elbows. Doing so may cause undue stress on the joints, increasing your chances of injury. Moreover, you can also use elbow wraps to ensure your elbows are protected.
Related Article: 15 Common Squat Mistakes to Avoid for Best Results
What Muscles Does Sot Press Work?
The sots press targets a wide array of muscles in your shoulders, chest, and arms. It is an effective exercise for toning your upper body for a more muscular outlook. For a better understanding of the muscles you can shape with the Sot press, let’s take a closer look at each.
Anterior Deltoids
The anterior delts (front portion of each shoulder) help raises your arms above your head for the shoulder press, so these are constantly involved when the movement is performed.
Lateral Deltoids
The lateral delts (middle portion of each shoulder) work to bring your arms out to the side and are involved in lifting your weights up above your head.
Triceps
Your triceps help you straighten your arms when pressing the weight up from your chest to overhead. Additionally, they also provide stability to your shoulder joint.
Trapezius
The trapezius muscles (upper back) provide stability and power from the upper back during the shoulder press, helping you to keep your torso upright.
Pectoralis Major
The pectoralis major (chest muscle) assists in pushing the weight up and away from your shoulders as you raise it overhead.
Serratus Anterior
The serratus anterior (muscle beneath your armpit) helps with stability and works to prevent the shoulder from rolling outward during the press.
Benefits of Sots Press
Sots Press offers several advantages to help you get closer to your fitness goals. Some of the significant benefits of the exercise include the following.
Increased Upper Body Strength
One of the most apparent benefits is increased upper body strength. The Sots press requires a significant range of motion and stability in multiple planes of movement, which challenges muscles in different ways than many traditional chest exercises. This can lead to greater muscle recruitment, improving strength and size.
Core Stability
Another advantage of the Sots press is increased core stability. The stability demands placed on your core during the exercise are much greater than those of other chest exercises. This can help you develop better control over your body’s movement and stronger muscles that support your spine and torso.
Improved Mobility and Coordination
Additionally, the Sots press can help you improve your mobility and coordination. By challenging both your upper body muscles and core stability simultaneously, your body is forced to coordinate different muscle groups to perform the exercise successfully.
This can lead to improved overall mobility and coordination, which is an important factor for any athlete or fitness enthusiast.
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Improved Cardiovascular Health
Sots Press can be a cardiovascular exercise, helping you build endurance and develop healthier lungs. It is a great way to increase the intensity of your workout without increasing the amount of time spent exercising significantly.
Increased Mental Focus
By focusing on completing exercises with the Sots Press, you are also developing your mental focus and concentration. This can help improve your overall performance in any physical activity and helps to reduce stress levels by allowing you to clear your mind of any external problems.
Variations of Sots Press Exercise
There are a few variations of sots press that you can pick for gaining the fitness benefits that the exercise offers. Take a look to choose what fits the best for your fitness level.
Sots Press Kettlebell Exercise
The Sots press kettlebell exercise or one-arm kettlebell sots press is a challenging yet dynamic movement that engages the entire body. You can drastically improve your overall strength and power by mastering this exercise.
The movement is effective for building total body muscle and burning fat. It is important to note that this exercise requires good form and technique to benefit from it most. Here are the steps for performing this exercise correctly:
- Sit in a squatting position with your feet flat on the ground and hold a kettlebell at sternum level in one hand. Make sure your face is forward, and your back is straight.
- Position your arm so that your elbow is downward while your fist with the kettlebell is upward.
- Powerfully contract your abdominals and forcefully press the kettlebell upward. Keep your arms straight and chin tucked in as you press up.
- Once the kettlebell is fully extended above your head, hold it there for a few moments before slowly lowering it back down to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise for maximum reps or until fatigue sets in.
- Practice the same with the kettlebell in another hand to cover both sides.
- Always use good form and technique while performing the Sots press kettlebell exercise. You should also have smooth, controlled movements to maximize your gains.
Plate Sots Press
If you are a beginner who cannot properly perform the complex Sots press movement, plate sots press is for you. Here is how to perform this variation:
- Position yourself in a squat and hold a weight plate in front of you.
- Move your arm upward as you press the plate over your head.
- Pause for a millisecond and move your arms back steadily
- Repeat the movement to gain mobility and prepare for the traditional Sot press.
Conclusion
The Sot Press is an excellent exercise for targeting and activating the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. It is an effective bodyweight exercise that can be performed anywhere you can access a sturdy surface. In addition to building strength, it can also help improve your balance, coordination, and stability.
Additionally, the Sot Press can be used as a stand-alone exercise or as part of an overall strength training program. As with any exercise, it is important to use good form and technique to avoid injury and maximize the movement's effectiveness.
With regular practice, you should see increased strength and stability in your chest and shoulders. So if you’re looking for a challenging and effective bodyweight exercise, try the Sot Press! You will be amazed at the results.
FAQs
1. What is Sots press exercise good for?
Sotts press exercises are great for developing overall strength, balance, coordination, and stability in the body. They can help improve posture, increase muscle power and reduce injury risk. These exercises also work on core muscles to provide an effective midsection workout.
The Sot press exercise is excellent for developing functional strength in everyday activities. Proper form can help increase strength and power while providing an effective workout for the entire body.
2. What is a classic Sot press?
A classic Sot press is the exercise where the trainee behind the neck presses a wide snatch while maintaining a squat position, keeping the heels flat.
3. Why is the military press so good?
The military press is a full-body strength exercise and stands out from other upper-body exercises due to its ability to effectively target more muscles than most. It does so by utilizing an upward pressing motion with a barbell that begins at the upper chest and ends just above the head.
This movement cultivates strength in the deltoids, triceps, upper chest, trapezius muscles, rhomboids, abdominal muscles, biceps, lower back, lats, serratus anterior, and glutes - all at once! This makes the military press incredibly efficient while still delivering effective results.
