Shoulder Press....do, or don't do?

[AlMuminoon]

So I was speaking to the "powerlifter" of my sucky commercial gym. He is actually a legit guy, well not by the forum standards but by "local" standards. He can rep 405lbs bench, deadlift 500lbs etc.

Anyway, he said he rarely does direct shoulder work, ie shoulder pressing but does say that the standing barbell OHP is the best movement for shoulders (I am sure everyone here would agree!).

What do you guys say about direct overhead pressing work? Does it have good carryover to the bench ie make your bench stronger? The plane of movement is vertical and I don't see how it is beneficial? I am not doubting it, just wondering is it worth it? I know that OHP pressing over the years causes bone spurs to grow that have to be filed down (broscience lol).....and a lot of people are not flexible enough to do overhead pressing...

[MuscleHQ]

So I was speaking to the "powerlifter" of my sucky commercial gym. He is actually a legit guy, well not by the forum standards but by "local" standards. He can rep 405lbs bench, deadlift 500lbs etc.

Anyway, he said he rarely does direct shoulder work, ie shoulder pressing but does say that the standing barbell OHP is the best movement for shoulders (I am sure everyone here would agree!).

What do you guys say about direct overhead pressing work? Does it have good carryover to the bench ie make your bench stronger? The plane of movement is vertical and I don't see how it is beneficial? I am not doubting it, just wondering is it worth it? I know that OHP pressing over the years causes bone spurs to grow that have to be filed down (broscience lol).....and a lot of people are not flexible enough to do overhead pressing...

I have found that the push press is a good movement. It is not as strict as the standard shoulder press but it allows you to use significantly more weight.

The execution assists in the development of leg drive, CNS stimulation and explosive speed and power.

As long as the movement is not overused, the push press can have a decent carry over to the bench press.

[kinggorilla]

i highly recomend standing overhead presses.carry over to the bench?maybe.
i never heard the bone spur thing.
but yeah oh press is very rewarding and is a must for strongman types.

[IzzyT]

Do.

[VanKid]

do them. bench entirely misses ur shoulders its one of those things taht is around for noreason. only reason why bench is around apparently is because of ******* saftey issues. i repeat bench is big time because of saftey reasons

[WorldDomnit]

I shoulder press and do bicep curls once a month. The reason I do them is to keep the tendons and muscles strong and healthy. In powerlifting there is zero use for bicep curls and shoulder presses.

Do rotator cuff exercises. That's more important than anything else.

But I guess if you can strict press a weight you can probably bench it.

[BrobiWanKenobi]

When I started doing standing OHP my shoulders got bigger/strong and my bench went up. Seems like a good enough reason to do them.

[simp3204]

do them. bench entirely misses ur shoulders its one of those things taht is around for noreason. only reason why bench is around apparently is because of ******* saftey issues. i repeat bench is big time because of saftey reasons

I must have missed the part where bench hits the front deltoids.

[John Prophet]

my 2 cents.

you bench raw or you use gear?

from day one the overhead press was considered important and pretty much all big benchers were also big overhead pressers. The overhead press directly works the front delt which is important in benching

in the last 10-20 years, but mainly the last 10, with the advent of the really strong and specialized bench shirts....all of a sudden overhead press isnt needed and even looked upon as detrimental.


has human anatomy changed in the last 10-20 years? if you are going to stop overhead pressing, go ahead and stop doing tri work also

[samsont]

as a raw lifter, I think OHP is good for my bench press. It hits the shoulders/upperback/triceps. which is some of the main movers in the bench press. chest is overrated. I mean i even see some bench shirt guys doing OHP work, but that might be because theyre older(school).

[AlMuminoon]

What about the bone spur thing? I don't want surgery when I am older just because of OHP.....(might be broscience?)

[Billy_Biceps]

I think it will carryover to bench up to a point after that any carryover will be minimal. I think the bone spur thing is broscience and presses are less likely to lead to shoulder problems than benching.

[BrobiWanKenobi]

What about the bone spur thing? I don't want surgery when I am older just because of OHP.....(might be broscience?)

I developed bone spurs in my AC joints from bench pressing. I've had surgery on one and will probably get the other fixed next summer. OHP'ing doesn't bother them at all and I can bench once every 6 months and hit PRs. I think the majority of shoulder problems are from benching, not OHPing.

[samsont]

I believe, that bone spurs are also a genetic thing. Some people get them, some don't. I know my father is prone to them and kidney stones because his body produces more uric? acid or something like that i'm not sure.

[BlackTieFitness]

Haven't really ever been to intent on them as I'm always down for increasing strength I'm going to start working them into my weekly routines..


The push presses are one of my favorite.

[nmballa]

do them. bench entirely misses ur shoulders its one of those things taht is around for noreason. only reason why bench is around apparently is because of ******* saftey issues. i repeat bench is big time because of saftey reasons

What the hell are you rambling about?

[kinggorilla]

do them. bench entirely misses ur shoulders its one of those things taht is around for noreason. only reason why bench is around apparently is because of ******* saftey issues. i repeat bench is big time because of saftey reasons

i accidently gave u reps when i was trying to neg your ***got ass.u have been spurting bull**** on every post,ppl who hate the bench usually suck at it.
u r a *** kid.
go to the butt****ing crossfit forums where u belong this is a forum for real lifters.

[TomMutaffis]

If you are trying to improve your bench press then adding in direct shoulder work may or may not be helpful, but if you want to be balanced/well-rounded then I would include some type of overhead pressing.

For deltoid development I would say that seated dumbbell presses are a better option than standing barbell press.

[UPAJudge]

I shoulder press and do bicep curls once a month. The reason I do them is to keep the tendons and muscles strong and healthy. In powerlifting there is zero use for bicep curls and shoulder presses.

Do rotator cuff exercises. That's more important than anything else.

But I guess if you can strict press a weight you can probably bench it.

Off topic but bicep HAMMER curls do have use in powerlifting. You should do them to stay injury free when deadlifting.

[coachdeez]

Off topic but bicep HAMMER curls do have use in powerlifting. You should do them to stay injury free when deadlifting.

What about neutral grip pullups? You get the same elbow flexion and get upper back work with one exercise instead of two. Plus you get greater overload on the arms.

[jtteg_X]

OHP have their place but if you want to get stronger on the bench, well you gotta fcuking bench (floor press, pin press, boards, chains/bands, speed work, etc).

[bmontgomery87]

do them. bench entirely misses ur shoulders its one of those things taht is around for noreason. only reason why bench is around apparently is because of ******* saftey issues. i repeat bench is big time because of saftey reasons

out of negs for the day or you'd get some.
don't give advice *******.

[nmballa]

A guy that trains at my gym that competes occasionally swears by doing almost only shoulders and triceps for bench strength. Benches maybe once every other month or several weeks out if competing. So his philosophy is very much the opposite than the above. Not sure if he competes raw or with gear but pretty solid all around. Competes at 205, think he said he hit a 455 on bench and I've seen him pull over 600 on DL. Squat I'm not sure about. Stocky little Asian dude.

[BrobiWanKenobi]

What about neutral grip pullups? You get the same elbow flexion and get upper back work with one exercise instead of two. Plus you get greater overload on the arms.

I think the point of curls for elbow/bicep health is to get the blood flowing without putting more stress on the area.

[muscle_g]

I very seldom do any type of shoulder pressing. When I do decide to do shoulder presses, after a few weeks of doing them my shoulder joints start hurting(and not in a good way). So I just don't do them very often. Most of my shoulder work is work for the side and rear delts, and I also do alot of rotator cuff work. I rarely hit front delts because I feel they get enough work from benches, boards, lockouts and stuff like that

[BrobiWanKenobi]

I very seldom do any type of shoulder pressing. When I do decide to do shoulder presses, after a few weeks of doing them my shoulder joints start hurting(and not in a good way). So I just don't do them very often. Most of my shoulder work is work for the side and rear delts, and I also do alot of rotator cuff work. I rarely hit front delts because I feel they get enough work from benches, boards, lockouts and stuff like that

\
for you and others with shoulder issues...

http://articles.elitefts.com/article...oulder-health/


I'm a huge fan of the inverted rows and cable Ls

[hammerfelt]

OHP good for bench, squats and dead lifts are even better.

Raising squats and dead lifts I find makes all my other lifts go up.