Maintaining the health of your upper body muscles is crucial, whether you’re following a weightlifting regimen or simply seeking to regain mobility. The overhead press, also known as the shoulder press, is one workout you can take to keep your upper body in shape. These muscles assist you in doing daily chores.
You drive a barbell or dumbbell high and lower it back to your upper chest to perform the shoulder press, which is absurdly easy. It is a movement that improves torso strength, bulk in the shoulders and triceps, and the upper body’s ultimate range of mobility. You can adjust the normal shoulder press to focus on different objectives by adjusting your body’s angle, the tools you use, and the pace you lift.
Standing Shoulder Press
There are two ways in which standing shoulder press can be performed:
1. Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press
It is a simple exercise that strengthens your arms and shoulders. This exercise requires dumbbells, which you will need. To do this exercise, Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while gripping two dumbbells with an overhand grip at shoulder height.
Lift the weights until your arms are completely stretched, and place them above your head. Slowly revert to the starting position. Refrain from arching your back. Change to lighter dumbbells if you cannot lift the weight without bending backward.
2. Barbell Standing Shoulder Press
The barbell shoulder press strengthens the shoulders. When carried out properly, it can also aid in strengthening the back and core. It primarily targets your core, shoulders, upper back, and mid-back. Barbells and weight plates are required pieces of equipment.
To complete this workout, Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hips and knees stretched but not locked is a good posture to adopt. Hold the barbell in the front-rack position with your elbows pointed forward and your hands shoulder-width apart.
As you exhale, contract your abs, close your shoulder blades, and press the barbell overhead. With control, bring the barbell back to the front-rack position while contracting your back muscles. For additional reps, repeat these actions.
Pros Of Standing Shoulder Press
- Including the standing shoulder press in your training routine has a number of advantages. The shoulder muscles can get stronger and bigger by overhead pressing.
- The triceps and trapezius muscles’ size and strength will also grow. The exercise while standing strengthens your core muscles, including your obliques, transverse abdominal muscles, lower back, and spinal stabilizers.
- It also improves the effectiveness of other exercises, like the bench press.
- Standing while performing the overhead press will train most of your upper body’s big muscles, including your chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back.
Cons Of Standing Shoulder Press
- It doesn’t matter if you’re pushing too hard to push through exhaustion or the weight is too much for you; arching your back during the standing shoulder press is a common mistake.
- The back of the bench serves as a support when performing seated shoulder presses to prevent your back from arching. But it’s simpler to make up for poor form while you’re standing by lifting the weight overhead.
- You need a powerful core to press heavy weights since it will help stabilize the weight once it is above. The amount of weight you can press over your head while standing may be constrained if your core needs to be stronger.
Seated Shoulder Press
Select two dumbbells of the same weight while sitting in a chair or adjusting the bench to a 90-degree angle. Each weight should be placed on your thigh after being picked up from the floor with a neutral grip (palms facing inwards). Lift each dumbbell to shoulder height one at a time with your legs.
Dumbbells should be held at shoulder height, with palms facing forward and elbows almost 90 degrees bent. Lift the dumbbells above your head until your arms are nearly completely stretched before starting the dumbbell press. Before lowering the dumbbells to shoulder height, hold the position for a brief period. It’s one rep, then.
Pros Of Seated Shoulder Press
- The core activation will disappear if you perform the overhead press while sitting and pressing your back against a pad. The shoulders and triceps will perform all the work.
- Because they isolate the shoulders more, seated shoulder presses are better for building hypertrophy. They’re also better for those who still need to develop strong core muscles. Better posture and spine stabilization result from having strong shoulders.
- A dumbbell workout with one in each hand and the same weight is the best way to fix any muscle imbalances on your shoulders because you will have the same weight to press over your head, and one arm or shoulder won’t be able to overcome the other’s weakness.
Cons Of Seated Shoulder Press
- When performing the overhead press, it’s crucial to maintain good form in order to reap the maximum benefits of the exercise and prevent injuries. Ensure your stance is broad enough to provide stability for your body during the lifting, ideally at least hip-width apart.
- Do not push up excessively, as this is a skill exercise. Lift the dumbbells at the same speed as you lower them, controlling the movement standards. Numerous problems could arise if the dumbbell is not raised correctly. Losing your equilibrium is dangerous if you lift the object too far in front of or behind you.
Reasons Why Standing Shoulder Press Is Better
1. Muscle activation is better
According to the study, Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press had 8% more muscle activation than Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press, even with lighter weights. In the standing press, stability is more important as you lift the weights overhead. Therefore, in addition to raising the weights, the muscles also have to maintain the stability of the weights. This additional difficulty more intensely stimulates the shoulder muscles.
2. Standing Shoulder Press Increases Core Strength
Any sport requires a strong core, so it goes without saying. It safeguards your spine and supports proper posture. These intricate muscles work together to maintain balance and stability throughout all physical activity. As the standing posture necessitates more stability and balance, the standing shoulder presses focus on your core muscles.
To keep your upper body in a neutral position, your core muscles must contract as hard as possible. The standing shoulder press will spill over all strength sports, such as Olympic lifting, weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman contests. Your body is supported by the bench when performing a seated shoulder press. Removing the challenge from the core muscles as a result.
3. Standing Shoulder Press Burns More Calories
Standing shoulder presses target your shoulder, triceps, and upper chest. Additionally, your core muscles are effectively targeted. In order to balance the body when pressing, it also requires the entire lower body, including the hips, legs, ankles, and feet. The sitting shoulder press, in contrast, only targets your upper chest, shoulders, and triceps.
More muscle use results in increased calorie burn. The standing shoulder press is the exercise you should be practicing if your goal is to burn more calories and reduce weight. It’s now time to raise weights properly by standing on your feet. Additionally, lift those weights by using your entire body.
Conclusion
Your chest, shoulders, back, arms, and core muscles are located in your upper body and trunk. These muscle groups work together to give you the ability to reach, rotate, and lift objects overhead.
Although lifting or pushing overhead is not as common as reaching in front of your body or turning to the side, it is still a movement we need to be able to perform in many daily activities. One exercise you can do to strengthen your shoulders and maintain them is the overhead or shoulder press.
