Shoulder muscles are one of the most important muscles that you should focus on well during your walk while building a good fitness, because the shoulders are like the pillars of the upper body, whenever they are wide, your body looks decent along with the chest and abdominal muscles, also the shoulders are used in most exercises Lifting weights and they are the key to building the rest of the muscles of the upper body.
The shoulder press exercise effectively contributes to building the shoulder muscles and strengthening them well. It is also a compound exercise because it targets a large group of muscles in the upper part of the body, and this contributes to building muscle mass and building muscle strength.
In this post, we will examine the details of the shoulder press exercise in all its aspects, and we will answer most of the questions related to this exercise.
What is a shoulder press?
It is a compound exercise that targets a group of muscles, especially the shoulder muscles, so that it targets most of the back and front shoulder muscles, as well as the rest of the muscles. It is relied upon as a main exercise to increase mass and improve the mobility of the shoulders. The bar is also used to do this exercise mainly, followed by the rest of the equipment.
Force: push
Mechanics: compound
Utility: basic
What are the variations of shoulder presses?
There are many variants of the shoulder press exercise. It is not limited to the bar. It is possible to rely on dumbbells, cable, inclined barbell and more.. All of these variants perform the same function and target almost the same muscles, and the main purpose of them is to diversify the movements and target the muscles in different ways. It can also reduce injuries and build new muscles.
Most popular variants:
- Smith shoulder press
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Lever shoulder press
- Barbell military press
- Dumbbell one arm shoulder press
- Cable shoulder press
- Barbell reclined shoulder press
- Cable bar shoulder press
- Shoulder press muscle worked
Does shoulder press make your shoulders bigger?
The quality of the exercises is measured in their effectiveness in targeting the muscles that they are supposed to occupy, and many studies have been conducted on this matter and the activity of the shoulder muscles was measured with the strongest exercises such as shoulder press, dumbbell fly, lateral raise exercise, bench press.
The shoulder press exercise recorded stronger and higher muscle activity than the rest of the exercise, and this means that the shoulder press exercise is the best exercise to increase the mass of the shoulders, especially the front deltoid, and no other exercise could outperform it. (Source)
So with a good training plan and commitment to training the shoulder muscles with shoulder press exercise and allowing the muscles to recover at least for 48 hours before training them again and following a healthy diet that contains essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, this will lead to growth Shoulder muscles and build muscle mass as well.
How heavy should I go with shoulder presses?
Some bodybuilders may fascinate you when they lift heavy weights, but have you ever considered what their muscles are? Or the way they lift those weights? You may or may not have noticed this, so I must remind you that these athletes trained for years to get to where they are now.
In general, during the exercise of the shoulder press, it is advised that beginners should follow the rule, which is safe for them and protects them from being injured in some cases, so it is recommended not to exceed 25% of your body weight, that is, if your weight is 165 pounds (about 74 kilograms), You can go with 40 pounds (18 kilos) with shoulder press.
This is for someone who has some experience lifting weights and is fit enough to do at least 8 repetitions with this load. For beginners, it is better not to exceed 13 kilograms as a start, and there are people who may not be able to do so, perhaps because of a previous injury or that their muscles are very weak.
How do I deal with weights in order to increase muscle strength?
As for the shoulder muscle, according to coach Mag, he says that “it does not need heavy weights for increasing strength, should make liberal use of dumbbell exercises, which are smart ways to target several muscles around joints with low risk of injury”.
For hypertrophy:
So that the weight-bearing rate is about 70 pounds (32 kilograms) if you are able to carry this weight, then you are good, and if the weight resistance causes muscle failure between 6 and 8 similar, this is the lower limit of the hypertrophy frequency range, which is up to 12 reps.
How to do a shoulder press properly?
Shoulder press is done using a barbell as we have already mentioned, so if you want to build the overall strength of the upper body, the bar is the right choice, as this will improve your performance with other lifts such as the deadlift, but if your goal is to isolate the deltoids more and If you want to improve, the dumbbell will give you that.
So for today’s workout we’re going with a bar.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a weight that matches your fitness level.
- Stand straight, feet hip-width apart.
- Place the bar over the front deltoids, fist wider than shoulder distance (palms up).
- Your elbows should be in front of the bar, that is, turned forward.
- You should keep your torso and lower body engaged and stationary.
- Try to focus on the movement of the bar so that it should go straight with your feet as you push it up.
- Push the bar up and extend your shoulders well until your arm is straight over your head.
Pro tip:
For each repetition, focus on extending your shoulders up well. Do not raise your heels or anything. Focus on the movement of the bar. It is important that your movement is constant, and the bar should stay in a straight path and be directly in the middle of the pelvis at the maximum extension of the arms.
training program:
- Beginner: 3 sets / 6 to 8 repetitions / minute and a half to rest.
- Intermediate: 4 sets / 10 to 12 repetitions / 1 minute to rest.
- Professional: 5 sets / 10 to 12 repetitions / 1 minute of rest.
Shoulder press Muscle worked
As we have already mentioned, the shoulder press exercise engages a group of muscles in the upper part of the body. Some muscles are mainly targeted, such as the front deltoid, and some muscles are targeted secondary because their role in the exercise is secondary as well.
So if you do a shoulder press with a barbell, you will engage the following muscles:
Target:
- Front delt.
Synergists:
- Lateral delt.
- Triceps brachii.
- Serratus anterior, Inferior digitations.
- Trapezius, lower & middle.
- Supraspinatus.
Dynamic stabilizers:
- Triceps, long head
Stabilizers:
- Levator scapula.
- Upper traps.
What are the most common shoulder press mistakes?
Many beginners make some mistakes with many exercises such as shoulder press, although it is simple and seems easy, but it requires some accuracy in performance because we want to target the muscles well and effectively and get results, but making many mistakes may prevent you from getting that.
These mistakes are provided by Coach Jeremy Ethier.
So here are 5 common mistakes you should avoid and you will be fine:
1- Flaring the elbows.
The reason for this error is that you space your fists too far and this causes your elbows to go out to your sides when you pull the bar down, and this makes your forearms flare and your hips skew.
Correct now:
You should place your fists on the bar at a distance of a thumb from the shoulders, for more clarity, keep your fists in a position where your forearm is straight and your elbow is directly under the fist, because this is considered safe for the scapular, Several studies have revealed that forearm flares during exercises can expose scapular to injury.
2- Not maintaining a straight bar path
Often the reason for making this mistake is that your head impedes your movement so that you have to push the bar in a semi-circular way up, but the exercise forces us to press the shoulder straight up.
Correct now:
First push your chest forward well, pull your shin back in order to facilitate the movement of the bar as required for the exercise, at the maximum extension of your arms up, pull your shin back to its neutral position again, the most important thing is that your body is straight from your heels to the palms of your hands.
3- Arching the lower back.
This is a common mistake according to Jeremy. This mistake is made by many and causes many back injuries or sharp pains in the lower back area after exercises. It also weakens your strength to push the bar up and all of this is not useful for targeting the muscles well.
Correct now:
Try to keep the lower back naturally neutral, focus more on straightening your back, you can practice this using a bar without weights so that you can do the shoulder press properly.
4- Cheating with momentum
Also, this is a mistake many people make, according to Jeremy. People use their feet or other limbs to help them perform the movement and complete the exercise. People ignore that they should keep their bodies neutral.
Correct now:
If this is happening to you and you can’t press the bar without contracting and extending your body upwards as a kind of help, you should reduce the weight and if it is to complete repetitions or add more repetitions try to keep your body neutral, consider your body like a stable pole, try to be strict And don’t cheat.
5- Excessively bending the wrists
This is also a mistake made by many beginners and may expose their wrists to injury. This happens often due to lack of sufficient experience, so placing the bar directly on the palms of your hands and bending them back may lead to you because your wrist will not bear.
Correct now:
Put the palms of your hands under the bar, but focus on placing the bar above your wrist, that is, the weight of the bar should be carried by the forearm, and the role of your fist here is to hold the bar tightly to prevent it from slipping, so hold the bar on the base of your palms, wrap your fingers around it and press your thumbs on your fingers and Rotate your palms until the bar is above your wrists, and your forearms coming below straight.
What are the benefits of shoulder press?
Many specialists and trainers agree that shoulder press exercises have many advantages and benefits that you can get and enjoy when you get used to this type of exercise and adhere to it.
Some of the benefits that the shoulder press provides you with:
- Helps improve shoulder mobility.
- Increases muscle mass and increases strength.
- Improve your performance with other row exercises, such as Deadlifts.
- It targets multiple muscles such as triceps, and traps and helps strengthen them.
- It also strengthens the lower part of the body, such as the lower back, abdominal muscles, and obliques.
- It makes you gain muscles and helps increase the size of the shoulders, especially the front deltoid.
- It improves the flexibility of the shoulder muscles and reduces the possibility of injury to the joints.
What are some alternatives to do instead of shoulder press?
What are the alternatives first? It is not the same as the variables because the variables depend on the same range of movement and the same method of performance.
The equipment differs and the positions may differ. Perhaps you will press the shoulder sitting or standing, but the movement is almost the same and the muscles are targeted in the same way, but the alternatives may be other different exercises, but they are also targeted The same muscles despite the different movements and range of extension of the shoulder muscles.
Why are relying on shoulder press alternatives a good option?
Because it allows training almost the same muscles, but in different ways and with different rhythms as well, so that some of them may be effective in targeting the same muscles and with the same effectiveness and achieving the same goal.
It also puts the target muscles under new challenges and this helps to grow new muscles and make progress.
3 Best shoulder press alternatives for max gain
These alternatives focus on targeting the anterior deltoid as a main muscle in addition to the rest of the muscles so that they are targeted secondary.
1- Upright cable row
This exercise works the front deltoid muscles with great efficiency and keeps them under pressure throughout the exercise. It is also effective in building shoulder strength and increasing endurance. The cable poses a different challenge to the target muscles and the results are very good.
How to do it correctly:
- Adjust the cable to a low setting.
- Stand one step away from the cable machine.
- Grab the cable grip (ideally a bar grip as it helps with rowing).
- Keep your fists down, stand straight, push your chest forward, and keep your back straight.
- Begin to pull the bar upward, until your arms are straight with your shoulders at the sides.
Pro tip:
Focus on pulling the arms more than the forearms because we want to maximize the extension of the front deltoid and keep it under pressure throughout the exercise. Focus on walking at a moderate speed, not rushing too much, and keep your muscles engaged.
Targeted muscles:
- Front delts
- Lateral delts
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Trapezius
2- Plate Front raises
This is also another exercise that targets the front deltoid muscles very hard and also works on developing them well. It is an isolation exercise for this muscle, and this makes it a great alternative that can be added to the shoulder press exercise, and this is in case you want to focus more on the front deltoid.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a plate with a weight that you can handle and that matches your fitness level.
- It is best to choose a plate that has holes to facilitate the passage of the hand and to tighten your grip on it firmly.
- Stand straight, push your chest forward.
- Hold the plate well, your hands straight down.
- Lift the plate, keeping your hands straight, and stop when the plate is directly in front of your face.
- Lower it down and stand up when the plate is under your belly.
Pro tip:
Beginners should choose suitable weights, you may be able to handle heavy weights, but you may suffer from muscle stiffness and pain after training, yes we would like to target the muscles and put pressure on them, but it is better to start slowly and we would like to get the most benefit from this exercise, Also focus on keeping your arms straight throughout the exercise and don’t move your arms too far up.
Muscles worked:
- Front delt
- Biceps
- Pecs
- Serratus anterior
3- Lateral raises
This exercise may be the strongest alternative to the shoulder press exercise as it is superior to it in targeting the posterior deltoid, it targets the same muscles and helps build the shoulder muscles with high efficiency and can be relied upon as a major exercise for the shoulder muscles, especially if you want to target the posterior deltoid more.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose dumbbells with a weight that matches your fitness level.
- Hold the dumbbell in your hands and keep it at your side (the fists are looking at each other).
- Stand straight, chest pushed forward, shoulder muscles engaged.
- Push your shoulders back and keep your muscles under pressure.
- Bend your knees slightly, then start to raise your arms straight to both sides.
- Raise your hands well until they are at the height of your neck or chin.
- Lower it again slowly until it becomes straight on both sides.
Pro tip:
Focus on pressing your shoulders with each repetition, and if you want more intensity, you can keep your arms straight to your sides for a few seconds at each repetition and lower them slowly. Focus on keeping your shoulder muscles engaged throughout the exercise.
Muscle worked:
- Lateral delts
- Front delts
- Trapezius
FAQ
How often should I do shoulder press?
Commit to training your muscles at least twice a week, you can go with the shoulder press exercise during the sessions of the upper body exercises.
Why do shoulder presses so hard?
It is not that difficult, you can train with a bar without weights or even with just a stick you can increase the weights gradually and I am sure that you will master the movement later.
What’s the difference between overhead press and shoulder press?
In the overhead press, the triceps and biceps muscles act as dynamic stabilizers, while the shoulder press is limited to the triceps muscles. In addition, the overhead press is aimed at the pectoralis major, while the shoulder press does not do this, it focuses more on the shoulders.
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