3 Explosive Lifts To Build Raw Power And Brute Strength

To build real strength and power, you need to put the notion of “strict form” to the side for a bit. You need exercises that use body momentum in a controlled yet powerful manner to generate force that allows you to move heavier loads.

This will simultaneously increase force production and overload your muscles to build large amounts of quality muscle. We have 3 of the best explosive strength exercises to get this done. If you want to start moving weight in the gym, check out this article. 

We’re going to get right into it.

Push Press: The Real King Of Upper Body Pressing

Benefits:

• Improve total power production
• Improve upper body strength
• Overload overhead pressing strength

What Is The Push Press?

The push press is an overhead press on steroids.

It’s performed just like you would a standing overhead press, but without the emphasis on body rigidness.

Instead of maintaining your hips locked while trying to mitigate any leg movement, you perform a little dip to generate power. This power from your hip extension is transferred up into your upper body to “throw” the weight up with your arms, finishing the lockout.

How To Perform Push Press

1) Set up the rack and bar

• Set the J-hooks so the bar sits around upper-chest height.
• Use a grip just outside shoulder width (bar in your palms, wrists stacked).

2) Get under the bar and set the rack position

• Step in close so the bar is touching or near your upper chest.
• Your elbows should be in front of the bar, which creates a “dip” in your delts.
• The bar rests in this “dip” on your delts and upper chest, not your hands.
• Unrack by standing tall, then take 1–2 steps back.

3) Get your stance

• Feet should be about hip to shoulder width with toes slightly out.
• Tighten glutes and abs to brace
• Keep ribs “down” (don’t over-arch your low back).

5) Dip straight down (the key)

• Take a quick breath and brace.
• Bend knees and hips a few inches (think: 10–20% squat).
• Torso stays nearly vertical; heels stay down; knees track over toes.

6) Drive hard up

• Quickly reverse direction and pop back up. This is explosive.
• Push the floor away.
• Keep the bar on your shoulders during the drive until you fully extend your hips and knees

7) Press and get your head through

• Once the bar “floats” off your shoulders, finish with your arms.
• Move your head slightly back to clear the bar, then push your head through at lockout.
• Lock out overhead with biceps near ears and ribs still down.

8) Control the descent

• Lower the bar back to the rack position under control.
• Re-brace before the next rep.

Common Push Press Mistakes And Fixes

1) Resting the load in your hands 

Problem: The bar hovers above your delts because your arms are supporting the load. This fatigues the arms and acts as a shock absorber when you drive up.

Fix: Create a “shoulder shelf” with your front delts/clavicle to rest the bar. The hands are for balance while the load rests on your shoulders

2) Pressing too early 

Problem: You press too early, losing any power from your legs

Fix: Finish the leg drive first so the bar “floats” for a split second. Think about “throwing” the bar off your chest.

3) Forward dip 

Problem: Your chest falls forward, putting stress on the lower back and losing vertical propulsion

Fix: Keep torso nearly vertical with heels planted. A slightly wider stance can also help.

5) Overarching at lockout 

Problem: You lean back instead of staying “stacked” under the bar

Fix: Squeeze glutes hard at the top and pull the ribs down. Push head through under the bar

6) Elbows too low 

Problem: The elbows drop, losing the shelf

Fix: Rotate elbows just in front of the bar and let the delts support the load

Power Rows: The Hybrid Deadlift And Row 

Benefits:

• Increase upper-body pulling strength
• Allows overloading of your back
• Increase power production in your lower body
• Can be used as a deadlift accessory 

What Are Power Rows?

While not as popular as the push press, power rows should be. 

Power rows are a combination of the first half of a deadlift and a bent-over row.

The bar starts on the ground, and you set up like you would a traditional deadlift.  However, when you pull the load off the ground, you do so more explosively.

You continue this until the bar gets to around knee level. From here, you let the power generated transfer into your arms and back to perform a row. 

How To Perform Power Rows

1) Set up like a deadlift

• Use a standard barbell on the ground (no rack start).
• Stand with the midfoot under the bar (bar over shoelaces).
• Feet hip-width, toes slightly out.
• Hinge down and grab the bar just outside your legs.
• Shins lightly touch the bar.
• Chest up, back neutral, eyes 6–10 feet ahead on the floor.
• Arms should stay long and relaxed like “hooks.”

2) Brace tightly

• Tighten abs and lats (think “bend the bar toward you”).
• Pull the slack out of the bar before it leaves the floor.
• Check this article out.

4) Explosive pull from the floor

• Push the floor away, don’t pull the bar
• Keep the bar close to your shins and thighs.
• Your back should stay at the same angle.

5) Drive to knee level

• Raise the bar until it reaches just above the knees.
• Maintain your torso angle and brace.

6) Transfer power into the row

• As the bar floats up, pull with your arms and back.
• Row the bar toward your lower ribs/upper stomach.
• Elbows drive back, not up.

7) Control the return

• Lower the bar back to knee level first.
• Then guide it back down the legs to the floor.
• Reset your brace before the next rep.

Common Power Row Mistakes And Fixes

1) Pulling vertical, not horizontal

Problem: Elbows flare high, and the bar comes toward the chest or neck.

Fix: Row to lower ribs, not collarbone

2) Using arms too early

Problem: You skip the leg drive and turn it into a heavy bent-over row.

Fix: Keep arms long until knee height.

3) Excessive lower-back extension or rounding

Problem: You over-arch or flex under load.

Fix: Brace like a deadlift every rep. Keep ribs down, lats tight, spine neutral.

4) Bar drifting away from the body

Problem: The bar swings forward, killing power and stressing the lower back.

Fix: Keep the bar dragging close to your  shins by engaging your lats

Snatch Grip High Pull: Build Olympic Power And Upper Back

Benefits:

• Improve explosive power
• Build huge traps and upper back
• Great as a stand-alone exercise or an accessory to Olympic lifting

What Is The Snatch Grip High Pull?

The snatch-grip high pull comes from the world of Olympic weightlifting but is used heavily within the strength community.

It’s a power exercise that mimics the second pull of the Snatch without the overhead catch. This means you get the benefits of that explosive movement with the complexity of performing the entire movement.  

That doesn’t mean it’s as simple, as it does take some time learning form. However, it’s much more accessible than the entire Snatch.

More importantly, it will build explosive strength and blow up your upper-back thickness. Many experienced lifters claim that this single movement built their traps.

Alternate: If you’re uncomfortable with this movement, you can perform the snatch-grip rack pull; simpler in design but equally effective in building a massive upper back.

How To Perform Snatch Grip High Pull

1) Setup

• Load the bar on the floor or blocks
• Feet about hip-width, toes slightly out.
• Bar over midfoot (roughly over your shoelaces).
• Grip the bar wide so that when you stand tall, the bar sits in your hip crease (or close).
• Use a hook grip if you know it; otherwise, a normal grip is fine to start.
• Arms stay straight.
• Note: You can perform this from the ground, blocks, or standing position.

2) Build your start position

• Hips lower than a stiff-leg deadlift, higher than a squat.
• Chest up, back neutral, shoulders slightly over the bar.
• Shins lightly touch the bar; lats tight (think “squeeze armpits”).

3) Brace and pull the slack

• Big breath into your belly.
• Brace your abs hard and lock in your torso.
• Pull the slack out of the bar until it feels “connected” before it leaves the ground.

4) First pull: floor to knees (controlled)

• Push the floor away.
• Keep the bar close to your shins.
• Hips and shoulders rise together—don’t shoot your hips up.
• Bar path stays vertical and tight.

5) Transition: knees to mid-thigh (re-sweep)

• As the bar clears your knees, bring it back into your thighs.
• Torso becomes more upright.
• Stay balanced over midfoot.

6) Explode: full extension (“jump”)

• Violently extend hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension).
• Think “jump tall” but keep feet grounded (or minimal pop).
• Shrug after you finish the extension.

7) High pull: elbows up and out

• Once the bar is floating from leg/hip power, pull it up with your upper back.
• Drive elbows high and wide (not straight back).
• Bar should rise to upper chest/sternum height (varies by mobility and load).

8) Control the return

• Lower the bar back down under control.
• Reset to the floor (or hang) each rep.

Common Snatch Grip High Pull Mistakes (and Fixes)

1) Pulling with the arms too early 

Problem: Turns into a wide-grip upright row

Fix: Keep arms long and relaxed until full hip extension

2) Bar drifting away from the body 

Problem: Power leaks forward and increases stress on the shoulders and the lower back

Fix: Keep lats tight to drag the bar up near your shins, thighs, and torso

3) Not finishing the hip extension 

Problem: You cut the extension short, blunting force production

Fix: Fully extend hips, knees, and ankles. Shrug after the extension, not during

4) Turning it into a wide upright row 

Problem: Bar comes toward the chest instead of rising vertically

Fix: Think “Elbows to the ceiling, bar to the sky.” Let the bar float up, not pull it in

5) Starting with hips too high or too low 

Problem: Too high = stiff-leg pull, weak leg drive, while too low = squatty pull, slow off the floor

Fix: Set up like a traditional deadlift while hips and shoulders rise together.

Put Some Power In Your Program

Strict form is great when used in the right context. However, body movement is too. In fact, building explosive strength requires it. If all your exercises consist of strict form with no body movement, that might be what’s holding you back. Put the exercises above in your program in a strategic manner and use progressive overload to build your foundation to start moving weight in the gym.

If you want to build real strength, contact us.