seating or standing militart press

[emelec]

which one is better? and is the military press the best excersise for shoulders?

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

Incorporate both. The standing press will work a large portion of your muscles while the seated press will isolate the shoulders more.

I Try to do almost all standing presses but sometimes depending on weight my back can't handle it (injury from the Corps).

IMO, military press (in front of the head) is the best shoulder exercise. Last year I had massive shoulders and that was nearly the only shoulder workout I did (though I usually hit 3 or 4 different exercises)

 

[insidious]

Depends. Do you have time to kill? Nothing better to do than lift stupid ass weights?

If the weight is right, standing can accomplish everything sitting can and then some.

Seated weight-lifting is usually as useful to us as a bicycle is to a fish.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

Seated weight-lifting is usually as useful to us as a bicycle is to a fish.

What?
Isolation? Some of us do get to a point where we want muscle specific excercises.

 

[Throttle]

standing is better b/c it makes you feel like one badass mutha****a

 

[Street_Fighter]

i used to do them seated,but for the last few years I only do them standing..

 

[mrRuckus]

I tend to stall out on standing pretty quick. Seated lets you do more weight.

Yeah, i know i need a stronger core but that's what deadlifts, squats, and heavy ab work is for.

 

[cuzza]

Seated for me. I struggle with form on standing and seated allows me to do more weight.

 

[blackbelt2k]

Seated for me. I struggle with form on standing and seated allows me to do more weight.

thats impossible.. you will always do more weight standing for the simple fact your using all your muscles to press it overhead.

I recommend standing for power, ie. push press, and seated for isolation. But if your doing seated, don't do military, do behind the neck.

 

[cuzza]

I disagree... I, and most people I've ever seen, do more weight seated.
I usually do DB press though.

Behind the neck isn't good, it murders my shoulders. Once again, most people will agree it kills.

 

[mrRuckus]

thats impossible.. you will always do more weight standing for the simple fact your using all your muscles to press it overhead.

What are you talking about? When did the press become a full body exercise? Are you using legs and hip drive? Stop cheating. The hardest part of the press is just maintaining balance while standing, and if i'm leaning backwards with my spine about to snap because i'm standing instead of seated how am i supposed to life MORE weight? Everyone i see do the press is practically doing a standing bench press anyway with the amount of leaning back they do. Oh, and that's why they dropped the press itself from olympic lifting.

If nothing else, doing a seated press makes every rep the same instead of the angle of your back progressively deteriorating every rep.

Next you'll tell me it doesn't count if i do db bicep curls seated because i can't use my back.


oh, by the way.. i rarely do it seated. Maybe i should go back to doing it on the smith because if i remember right that's when i made the most shoulder progress, but ohhh nooo the stabilimizers.

 

[blackbelt2k]

What are you talking about? When did the press become a full body exercise? Are you using legs and hip drive? Stop cheating. The hardest part of the press is just maintaining balance while standing, and if i'm leaning backwards with my spine about to snap because i'm standing instead of seated how am i supposed to life MORE weight? Everyone i see do the press is practically doing a standing bench press anyway with the amount of leaning back they do. Oh, and that's why they dropped the press itself from olympic lifting.

If nothing else, doing a seated press makes every rep the same instead of the angle of your back progressively deteriorating every rep.

Next you'll tell me it doesn't count if i do db bicep curls seated because i can't use my back.


oh, by the way.. i rarely do it seated. Maybe i should go back to doing it on the smith because if i remember right that's when i made the most shoulder progress, but ohhh nooo the stabilimizers.

I'm relating standing press to push press. I do push presses. They develop power. Just with any power movement, the force starts from the ground up. Using your legs and hip only amplify the power into your shoulders/arms--> so you push more weight up. Also, on a standing press, if you have proper form, you CANNOT lean back. Your shoulders should lockout as you shrugg your traps at the top of the movement and the bar should be directly over the middle of your head. If you lean back, the bar moves over the front of your head.. your not doing it correctly.

They may have dropped it from olympic lifting, but I doubt anyone at this board is competing in olympic competitions, especially you, since the form you describe for the press is horrible.

 

[stronglifts]

Can't resist chiming in when the topic is the Overhead Press.

Seated vs. Standing Overhead Press
-Standing works more muscles: back, legs, core, you need to stabilize the weight using your whole body. It's a full body exercise.
-Seated easier, less muscles worked, good to give your lower back some rest.

If you train both, you won't see much difference in strength between seated & standing Overhead Press. Keith Wassung for example has a 340lbs overhead press & 345lbs seated press.


Behind Neck vs. Anterior shoulders
-Be sure you have healthy shoulders before trying behind neck. If you're stiff in the shoulders, you'll hurt yourself doing behind neck presses. I'm not saying BNP causes shoulder injury, what I mean is they will show existing problems.
-You'll be stronger pressing from the anterior shoulders than from the neck.


Overhead Press vs. Olympic Press
-there's nothing wrong with leaning back on the Overhead Press. The starting position has the back leaned back, it's the only way to lift your chest up & decrease the rom. If you're back is inflexible that's something you need to work on. Technique is technique. And correct technique means more weight.
-difference between overhead & olympic press: on the overhead press the back slightly leans back when starting the press, then it goes forward. The back doesn't go back anymore once the bar leaves your shoulders.
-On the olympic press the back goes to the back when the bar leaves your shoulders. You're going "under the bar" not really pressing. This makes it far easier, compare with a jerk but without the jumping.


Push Press
-push presses are great to overload your shoulders & develop speed. But they also work your shoulders to a lesser degree. If you want your overhead press & pure shoulder strength to go up, you need to overhead press. Push press is leg drive to get weight at forehead level + triceps to lockout. Overhead Press is pure shoulder strength up to you forehead.

 

[blackbelt2k]

hey strong, on a side note...trapezius row, would you recommend low reps/high weight or the opposite ? purpose mass and strenght

 

[stronglifts]

hey strong, on a side note...trapezius row, would you recommend low reps/high weight or the opposite ? purpose mass and strenght

If you want the trapezius of Bill Kazmaier, do what he did:
-olympic lifts: power cleans / power snatch / military cleans
-deadlifts
-etc...

Lots of pulling (ol) & isometrics (dl). Low rep, go for heavy weights. Multiple sets of 5 reps. Multiple speed sets of 3 reps. Heavy singles. Etc... Work on your clean/snatch technique. Learn to pull from the traps not with your arms. You'll see the difference in a matter of weeks.

Btw. I've been doing military cleans lately. Power clean but keeping your feet on the floor at all time. Your traps get all the load. Try it sometime.