Why Your Bench and Overhead Press Feel Wrong: Wrist Position, Glute Tension, and Lost Strength
- Metabolic Fitness
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Two Small Breaks in Structure That Change Everything
TL;DR
If your bench press feels unstable or your overhead press keeps ending up in your lower back, the problem usually isn’t weak shoulders.
It’s lost structure.
Two common issues quietly undermine pressing strength:
• wrists breaking backward under load
• glutes switching off during overhead work
Fixing these restores force transfer through your body, improves stability, reduces joint stress, and often makes pressing feel immediately stronger — without changing your program.
Pressing Is a Transfer of Force, Not Just an Arm Exercise
When people tell me their bench press feels uncomfortable or their overhead press keeps bothering their lower back, I don’t usually start by looking at their shoulders. I start by looking at how well their body is transferring force.
Pressing isn’t just something your arms do.
It’s a full-body action where load travels from your hands, through your forearms, elbows, shoulders, ribcage, pelvis, and eventually into the ground. For that to happen efficiently, joints need to stay stacked so force passes through structure rather than being held up by muscle alone.
When that structure is lost — even slightly — the body adapts by finding another way to move the weight.
The lift still happens.
But the work shifts.
Over time this shows up as wrist pain, tight lower backs, unstable reps, or a general sense that the bar never quite feels settled.
You can be consistent with your training. You can be progressing loads. You can genuinely be strong. And still feel like pressing takes more effort than it deserves.
That usually isn’t a programming issue.
It’s a mechanics issue.
Break in Structure #1: The Wrist Break (Bench Press and Overhead Press)
This is something I see almost every week.
Someone unracks the bar for a bench press or brings dumbbells into position for an overhead press. As soon as the weight settles, their wrists drift backward just enough that the bar ends up sitting behind the forearm instead of directly over it.
It’s rarely dramatic.
Most people don’t even realise they’re doing it.
They just notice:
aching wrists
forearm fatigue
elbows flaring early
instability at the bottom of reps
a feeling that the bar isn’t fully connected to them
Structurally, what’s happening is simple. Your forearm bones are meant to act like pillars. When the bar is stacked directly over them, force travels through bone. When the wrist breaks backward, you introduce a hinge where there should be a column.
Now the muscles of your forearm have to work constantly just to stop the joint collapsing, before your chest, shoulders, or triceps can even contribute properly.
You haven’t suddenly become weaker.
You’ve created extra work.
Over time that shows up as reduced pressing efficiency, irritated wrists and elbows, and reps that never quite feel smooth.
The cue
“Knuckles to the ceiling.”
Not squeezing harder.
Not forcing the wrist forward.
Just gently stacking your knuckles directly over your forearm bones so the bar sits on structure instead of behind it.
When this clicks, most people feel the difference immediately: the bar feels calmer, reps feel cleaner, wrist discomfort often fades, and confidence under load improves.
Nothing magical has happened.
Force simply has a clearer path.
Break in Structure #2: Soft Glutes in the Overhead Press
Even with perfect wrists, pressing can still feel wrong if the hips aren’t doing their job.
During the overhead press especially, I often see people start the lift well, only for the pelvis to drift forward as the weight rises. The ribcage lifts, the lower back arches, and the press quietly turns into a standing backbend.
Again, this usually isn’t obvious unless you’re looking for it.
What people feel instead is:
pressure in the lower back
instability overhead
difficulty controlling the bar path
fatigue building faster than expected
Many assume this means their core is weak.
More often it means their lower body isn’t contributing.
For an overhead press to feel strong and controlled, the torso needs to act like a pillar. That means the pelvis and ribcage stay stacked, giving the shoulders something solid to press against.
When the glutes are relaxed, the pelvis tips forward and the spine becomes the easiest place to create movement. Instead of force travelling upward through a stable torso, it leaks into lumbar extension.
The lower back starts absorbing load. Shoulder output drops. Balance becomes harder to maintain.
Pressing suddenly feels heavier than it should.
The cue
“Squeeze your glutes.”
Gently squeezing the glutes brings the pelvis back toward neutral, helps keep the ribs from flaring, and creates a stable column through the middle of the body.
When that pillar is in place, the shoulders can do their job without the spine stepping in to help.
Most people notice straight away:
quieter lower back
stronger lockout
smoother bar path
better control overhead
Again — small adjustment, big impact.
Same Problem, Different Locations
The wrist break and soft glutes look unrelated.
One happens in the hands.
The other happens at the hips.
But mechanically they’re identical.
In both cases:
structure is lost
tension drops where it matters
force detours through tissues that weren’t designed to carry it
Fix either and pressing improves.
Fix both and many people feel like their strength has suddenly jumped, even though all they’ve done is restore alignment.
A Simple Pressing Reset (Use This Before Bench or Overhead Work)
Run this for 2–3 rounds before your main pressing sets.
Exercise | Reps |
Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Dumbbell Press | 6–8 / side |
Tall Plank Shoulder Taps | 12–16 total |
Focus during the press: knuckles stacked, glutes gently engaged, ribs down.Focus during the plank: quiet hips, long spine, pressure through the hands.
This teaches your wrists and hips what they’re supposed to do before heavier loads come into play.
Key Takeaways
Pressing strength depends on alignment, not just muscles
Wrists breaking backward interrupt force transfer
Soft glutes allow the lower back to take over during overhead pressing
Small positional changes often unlock immediate improvements
Better structure usually beats more volume
FAQs
Why do my wrists hurt when bench pressing?
Most wrist pain during bench press comes from the bar sitting behind the forearm instead of stacked over it, forcing the wrist to stabilise load rather than letting bone carry it.
Why do I feel overhead press in my lower back?
This usually happens when the glutes aren’t engaged, allowing the pelvis to tip forward and the spine to arch. The lower back becomes a hinge instead of a pillar.
Do I need wrist wraps or a belt?
Sometimes they help, but they don’t fix the root issue. Improving alignment and tension usually makes a bigger difference.
Will these fixes increase my pressing strength?
Often yes — not because you gained muscle overnight, but because force is finally travelling where it should.
Final Thought
Strength doesn’t just come from muscles.
It comes from structure.
If your pressing feels uncomfortable, unstable, or harder than it should, don’t immediately assume you need tougher workouts or different exercises.
Check your wrists.
Check your hips.
Make sure force has a clean path through your body.
Sometimes progress isn’t about doing more.
It’s about restoring alignment.
If you’re training in Chiswick and your bench or overhead press has never quite felt right, this is exactly the kind of movement detail I coach in real time during personal training sessions.
You can book a trial session or learn more at:
Most people don’t need harder workouts.
They need better mechanics.
