Muting the hip is a fault in which lift?

• A. Push press
• B. Front squat
• C. Air squat
• D. Overhead press

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that powerful hip drive is essential for a push movement like the push press. In a proper push press, you dip slightly and then explode the hips forward to help push the bar overhead, transferring force from the legs through the torso to the arms. When the hips are “muted,” that hip extension doesn’t happen or is minimal, so the lifter presses largely with the arms alone. That reduces bar speed, makes the lift less efficient, and can throw off the bar path and stability.

This fault is most relevant to the push press because it’s the variant that relies on leg and hip drive to drive the bar up. In a strict overhead press there’s no intended hip drive, and in the air squat or front squat the focus isn’t on finishing a press overhead with hip-powered drive, so muting the hip doesn’t describe the same issue in those movements.

To fix it, practice with a conscious dip and an explosive hip extension, keep the chest tall, brace the core, and press through the bar from a strong hip-to-arm sequence. Start light to feel the hip drive and then transfer that power smoothly to the press.