JM Press

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

Aiming the bar at the chin rather than the forehead keeps the elbows under load without the wrenching stretch a skull crusher puts on them.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Close grip, elbows tucked): The narrow grip and tucked elbows keep the pectorals from taking over the pressing work.
During the set (Humerus stays near vertical): The bar tracks to the chin with the shoulder near ninety degrees, so the long head is not stretched across both joints.
Immediately after (Higher usable load): Avoiding the extreme overhead stretch raises the ceiling on load compared with a skull crusher.
Weeks later (Lockout-specific triceps strength): Adaptation targets the range where bench press elbow extension torque is highest, though the transfer evidence is practitioner experience rather than trials.

Muscles trained

Primary: triceps
Secondary: abs, chest, shoulders

Intensity

3.5 METs (Resistance (weight) training, multiple exercises, 8-15 repetitions at varied resistance).

Time to effect

Weeks: The unfamiliar bar path toward the chin takes real practice - it's a technical lift before it's a heavy one.
Months: Measurable improvement in bench press lockout strength as the triceps adapt to this specific loaded pattern.

Related supplements

Common myth

"JM press is just a sloppy version of a skull crusher." In reality: The hybrid bar path is deliberate, not a technique breakdown - it keeps tension on the triceps through a longer, more mechanically stable range than a skull crusher alone allows, letting lifters use heavier loads while still targeting the same muscle group.