JM press: what it does, how to do it, and who it is for

The JM press sits between a close-grip bench press and a skull crusher: the bar travels toward your chin and throat, but the elbows stay tucked instead of drifting forward. Powerlifter JM Blakley popularized it as a lockout builder for the bench press, which is where the name comes from. Here is what it actually does, how to run it, and who should keep it in a program.

What it is for

Two specific things. First, triceps strength through the middle and top of a press — exactly where a bench press tends to stall, roughly 5 to 10 cm off the chest. Second, it lets you load the triceps far heavier than a skull crusher does, because the shoulder and upper chest help at the start of the movement. Someone who skull crushes 25 kg will usually JM press 40 to 50 kg for the same reps.

What works:

• Triceps, all three heads — mostly the medial and lateral heads, since the elbow stays loaded in a bent position for most of the set.
• Front delt and upper chest — they assist off the bottom, but they are not what fails first.
• Forearms and wrists — they work isometrically to keep the bar from falling back toward your face.

Technique, step by step

1. Set up on a flat bench like you would for benching: shoulder blades pulled together, feet planted, natural arch in the lower back.
2. Grip at shoulder width or 2 to 3 cm narrower. Any closer and your wrists complain before the triceps do any work.
3. Unrack and hold the bar over your shoulders, not over your chest. Arms straight, elbows not locked hard.
4. Lower the bar toward your chin and throat while pulling the elbows slightly forward, so they stay just under or in front of the bar. Elbows sit at roughly 30 to 45 degrees to your torso — neither flared nor pinned.
5. The bottom position is with the bar 3 to 5 cm from your throat and the forearm almost touching the biceps. It should feel like half a skull crusher and half a close-grip press.
6. Reverse it by extending the elbow first, then pressing. No bounce, no swing.
7. Tempo: 2 seconds down, a half-second pause, then a controlled press up. There is no reason to do this one fast.

Common mistakes

• Too much weight. You can spot it when the bar drops to the chest and comes back up as an ordinary close-grip press.
• Elbows flaring out. That is just a skull crusher on a bad path, and the shoulders do not enjoy it.
• Straight bar with cranky wrists. An EZ bar or dumbbells solve that in most cases.
• No safety setup. The bar tracks toward your throat, so work in a rack with the safeties set 3 to 5 cm below your bottom position, or use a spotter.

Sets, reps and load

This is not a one-rep-max exercise. Keep it in the moderate to higher rep ranges:

• For bench strength: 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps, 2 minutes rest.
• For triceps size: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, 90 seconds rest.
• First session: an empty 20 kg bar (or a 10 kg EZ bar) plus 5 kg, 3 sets of 10, purely to learn the path.

Progression: when you hit the top of the rep range on every set for two sessions in a row, add 2.5 kg. Going from 30 kg to 50 kg over 8 to 12 weeks is realistic if you already have training experience, and that is plenty. A 80 kg JM press is not the goal and usually means the technique has quietly turned into something else.

Who it pays off for

• Lifters whose bench stalls mid-range rather than off the chest.
• Lifters whose elbows get irritated by straight skull crushers; the JM press often feels better because the load is shared across more joints.
• Anyone who wants one heavy triceps movement per week instead of three cable extension variations.

It is not worth it in your first 6 months of training — close-grip bench and dips do the job better. Skip it too if you have an active shoulder problem in extension, or if every narrow-grip press bothers your wrists.

Fitting it into the week

Once or twice a week is enough. Aim for 8 to 14 working triceps sets per week in total, counting what you get from benching. An example:

1. Press day: bench 4x5, then JM press 3x8, then overhead extensions 2x15.
2. Second upper-body day: overhead press 4x6, then 2 sets of JM press for 12 reps at about 20 percent lighter.

If your elbows stay sore for more than 48 hours after a session, drop to once a week and take 20 percent off the bar.

Elbows: what is normal

It is normal to get a dull, spread-out ache in the triceps and around the elbow for 24 to 72 hours after your first few sessions, easing once you warm up. It is not normal for the pain to be sharp, pinpoint, right on the elbow bone, or to show up during everyday movements like carrying a bag.

When to see a doctor

• Elbow pain lasting more than 2 to 3 weeks despite a break from pressing.
• Swelling, redness or warmth around the joint.
• Tingling or numbness in the little and ring fingers — that points to the ulnar nerve.
• You heard or felt a pop during a set, or you cannot fully straighten the arm.
• Pain that wakes you at night or does not settle at rest.

Until you are seen, drop pressing work and stick to movements that do not hurt. Complete rest is rarely needed, but a diagnosis is.

The short version

• The JM press is a close-grip and skull crusher hybrid: bar toward the throat, elbows held at 30 to 45 degrees.
• It targets the mid-range bench sticking point, about 5 to 10 cm off the chest.
• 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, once or twice a week, adding 2.5 kg once every set hits the top of the range.
• Always use rack safeties or a spotter, because the bar path runs toward your throat.
• A dull 24 to 72 hour ache is fine; sharp pain, finger tingling or swelling means see a doctor.