Hi, headset - Maybe that's not so counter-intuitive. I found that if I crowded the rear seat and rotated my hips, it felt better in the drops than on top! I mean in terms of pressure on arms and hands. My knees hit my stomach, though and were a little close to my elbows. The stem raiser has cured that problem.
So I experimented with keeping my back in the same position when I came out of the drops, and that didn't ease the pressure at all.
I've also been playing with a kettle ball to improve my gluts and core. In a crazy way, it's sort of fun.