The Lifts · L6
Press & Pull, Wrist-Safe
Four upper-body lifts, two rules that run through all of them — set the shoulder blades, keep the wrist straight — and your scaphoid never takes the load.
Your upper body builds through pressing and pulling — and for you, how you grip decides whether the work is safe. This lesson keeps every press and pull on a neutral grip with a straight wrist, so you build chest, shoulders and back without ever loading the healed scaphoid in extension.
1Two rules for every rep
Rule one — set the shoulder blades. Before the weight moves, pull your shoulder blades down and into your back pockets and hold them there. On presses it gives a stable shelf; on pulls it switches the back on and protects the shoulder.1
Rule two — keep the wrist straight and stacked. Grip in the meaty heel of the palm, knuckles pointing at the ceiling, wrist in a straight line with the forearm — never cocked back. A neutral grip (palms facing) stacks the knuckles over the forearm naturally, so the load runs down the bones instead of bending the joint.2
2The four lifts
Pressing — elbows tucked ~45°, not flared
Neutral-grip DB bench horizontal
- Palms facing, wrists stacked over elbows.
- Lower to mid-chest with elbows at ~45° — never flared to 90°.
- Press up, stop just short of lockout; don't let the wrists fold back.
Neutral DB / landmine press vertical
- Seated with back support; palms facing, elbows under wrists.
- Brace hard so the lower back doesn't arch.
- Landmine option: press up & slightly forward on a diagonal — easy on the shoulder.
Pulling — set the blades first, lead with the elbows
Chest-supported row horizontal
- Chest on an incline pad (kills momentum). Palms facing.
- Set the scapula, then lead with the elbows to your lower ribs.
- At 30 kg dumbbells grip rarely limits — squeeze, don't death-grip.
Neutral lat pulldown vertical
- Neutral (V) handle, straight wrists, sit tall.
- Pull shoulder blades down, drive elbows to the floor, bar to upper chest.
- Only a slight lean — don't turn it into a lean-back row.
3Fault-finder: what's going wrong?
Tap what you notice — get the cause and the fix.
- My wrist bends back / aches under load Press
- My elbows flare straight out to the sides Press
- My shoulders creep up toward my ears Both
- My lower back arches when I press overhead Press
- I swing / use momentum on rows Pull
- My pulldown becomes a lean-back row Pull
- My arms/forearms fatigue, not my back Pull
4Protecting wrist and shoulder
Palms-facing stacks your knuckles over the forearm, so load runs straight down the bones and the wrist stays neutral — instead of the bent-back extension a pronated barbell forces.2 Cue it every set: "straight, stacked wrist — punch/pull through a flat fist." On heavier barbell pulls a mixed grip keeps your hand from becoming the weak link — your gym has no straps. The one thing to avoid is the flared-elbow, pronated barbell press — worst shoulder angle and forced wrist extension.
Warm the shoulders first (band pull-aparts, face pulls, a couple of light ramp sets). Don't ego-load overhead — vertical pressing is the least forgiving pattern, so favour the landmine and neutral dumbbells. Work a full but pain-free range; sharp pinching means reduce range or load, not push through.
Film a set from the side and the front and post it for feedback: r/Fitness or the rehab-aware Barbell Medicine forum — or describe it to me in chat.
5Check yourself
What you can now say
- Every rep: set the shoulder blades, then move the weight.
- Keep a straight, stacked wrist — neutral grip routes load down the forearm.
- Press with elbows ~45°, brace hard overhead, stop short of lockout.
- Pull by leading with the elbows to the lower ribs / upper chest — no lean-back rowing.
- Warm the shoulders, use a mixed grip on heavy pulls, avoid the flared pronated press.
§References
- Barbell Medicine — How to Bench Press (scapular set, bar path). barbellmedicine.com; NASM — Biomechanics of the Lat Pulldown.
- Barbell Rehab — Overhead-press grip: keep a neutral wrist in line with the forearm. barbellrehab.com.
Lesson L6 of the dad-mod course · all lessons · glossary