Seated.military Press - As such, you can use the Smith machine for seated military presses. Yes, the weight is guided and balanced, but that may be an advantage if you are training alone, want to work to failure, or are training specifically for hypertrophy.
Front presses put most of the stress on the front and side delts. The rear delts and traps receive some stimulation, but not as they do with rear presses (behind the neck press). The upper pectorals are worked if you lean back when doing the exercise.
Seated.military Press
More precisely: Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos.
Muscles Engaged In Seated Barbell Shoulder Press – Front Military Press
He's not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20 years.
Most bodybuilders find it more comfortable to lower the bar to the front. It also eliminates the risk of hitting the head or neck. There is a tendency to arch when doing the exercise, so be careful.
A slight arch to bring the bar to the upper chest is fine, but nothing excessive. The seated position means that you are not able to "help" the bar up by using your legs and so tends to isolate the effects of the exercise.
Always wear a belt when doing any variation of this exercise, which can place a large amount of stress on your lower back. The Arnold press is an advanced exercise that targets all three sections of the deltoids.
Patrick Dale Pt Ex-Marine
Instead of starting with a palms-forward or neutral grip, you start with your palms facing you like they would at the top of a bicep curl. When you do seated shoulder presses, the back of the bench acts as a support to keep you from arching your back.
But when you're standing, it's easier to compensate with poor form to get the weight overhead. MOVEMENT (ACTION): Forcefully press the bar up in a straight line and over your head without locking out your elbows at the top.
Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position - until it's in front of your throat (or to your chest at about the height of your collarbone). Push the barbell up from the top of your chest again.
The military or overhead press is a classic strength training exercise. In fact, as recently as the 1960s, it used to be one of the Olympic lifts. It's no longer contested in Olympic lifting competitions, but it's still a regular event in most strongman meets.
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You can perform this exercise while standing, but the seated position means that you are not able to "help" the bar up by using your legs and so tends to isolate the effects of the exercise.
When you're in a seated position and you have the bench to support your back, you're less tempted to arch your back as you're pressing the weight overhead. This makes seated shoulder presses ideal for people who are suffering from lower back injuries or those who still haven't perfected their standing shoulder press technique.
The seated military press is a classic bodybuilding exercise. So, if you want to build bigger, stronger delts and triceps, this move will definitely help. That's why it's such a popular exercise - it REALLY works!
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It Places Less Stress On Your Lower Back
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Many people feel stronger doing seated shoulder presses because the movement is less demanding on the core. And as I mentioned earlier, a weak core can be a limiting factor in how strong your standing shoulder press is.
By taking the weak link out of the equation and doing seated shoulder presses, you can lift heavier weight. A lot of exercisers and strength training coaches dislike the Smith machine. They say things like it's not functional or that it makes exercises easier compared to the freeweight version.
But, in reality, the Smith machine is just another workout tool, and it's neither better nor worse than free weights – it's just different! Finally, the chest press already stimulates the front part of the shoulders.
Seated Military Press – Wrapping Up
If you are seriously training your chest, it is not necessary to focus on the front of the shoulder, especially because this zone of the deltoid is the easiest to develop. In that case try to focus more on developing your lateral and posterior (rear) deltoid muscles.
Seated military press is a free weight exercise that primarily targets the shoulders ...more Eb says: Elbow position is critical when you're doing the military press, and it's often misunderstood. Don't start with your elbows out wide, in the same plane as your shoulders.
Rotate your elbows forward a few degrees. This will keep you in the scapular plane, and allow you to start the press upwards in a more natural arc. Finish the press by driving your biceps right by your ears;
think about poking your head through the "window" you create with your arms. You need a power rack or military press bench to do them – while you can clean the bar to your shoulders and then sit down, this exercise is much safer and more convenient done in a power rack or using a military press bench.
You Can Lift More Weight
As such, some people may not have the equipment needed to do this pressing exercise. Choosing between standing or seated shoulder presses will depend on your goals and fitness background. Standing shoulder presses are more functional and have greater carryover to other sports and daily activities, but seated shoulder presses are better if you're training for hypertrophy.
Eb says: You'll see a lot of people arching their backs when they're pressing upwards, especially when they're working with heavier weights. This compromises you in several areas. First off, it's putting a lot of strain on your lower back and can easily lead to injuries.
It's also placing your shoulder blades in a less-than-ideal position. Focus on keeping your pelvis right under your torso (squeeze your glutes to get here), and keep your abs tight. Think about using your abs to pull your ribcage down.
Maintain this tension throughout the movement. It's harder to do standing shoulder presses because it's more demanding on your core. If you have a weak core or a lower back injury, you may find it more difficult to do standing shoulder presses because you can't stabilize the weight overhead as easily.
Elbow Position Is Key
Seated military press is a free weight exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. Because you can often lift more weight when you're seated, you might get overconfident if you try to lift the same amount of weight from a standing position and the weight is too heavy for you.
Compared with regular dumbbell overhead presses, you probably won't be able to use such heavy weights when doing the Arnold press. Still, the demanding movement will ensure that you still get a great workout from this exercise.
The standing shoulder press isn't a bad exercise. In fact, it's one of the best movements you can do to develop upper body strength. But when doing the standing shoulder press, it's imperative to use proper form so you don't injure your lower back or develop shoulder impingement.
No weights? No problem! You can get a great shoulder workout using nothing but a resistance band and a standard kitchen chair. This exercise is perfect for home workouts. It's also more joint-friendly than the barbell and dumbbell variations.
Final Thoughts
Plenty of back support – the seated military press is usually done on a bench with an upright backrest. This provides lots of support for your lower back, taking stress off what is an area of weakness for some lifters.
If standing military presses cause back pain, you'll probably welcome this additional level of support. Our passion is to empower fitness businesses to think big when it comes to growing their business. Since 2010, Exercise.com has been working to make it easy to manage their entire fitness business in one place.
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Like the standing shoulder press, you can do the seated shoulder press with dumbbells, a barbell, or kettlebells. However, depending on what kind of rack you have access to, it may be easier for you to do it with dumbbells or kettlebells.
Dont Arch That Back
In order to press a lot of weight, you need to have a strong core to help stabilize the weight once it's overhead. If your core is weak, it can limit the amount of weight you're able to press over your head from a standing position.
The standing shoulder press is more difficult than the seated shoulder press because it requires more core stabilization. And because you don't have anything to support your back, you have to work harder to keep your spine neutral.
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Read more. Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis. But, as effective as the seated military overhead press undoubtedly is, it's not for everyone.
Is It Harder To Do Shoulder Press Standing Or Sitting?
Some lifters report that this exercise causes shoulder pain. Or, you may not have access to the equipment necessary to do it correctly. This exercise, which is done in a power rack, involves a purposeful pause between reps, and each rep starts with the bar resting on the pins.
This means you'll need to work harder to move the weight and explode the bar upwards to blast past any sticking points. The pause helps eliminate the stretch reflex, which means every rep is more demanding.
This exercise is useful for building strength, size, and muscle power.
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