Best Shoulder Exercise

[DarkLord]

I find that with Arnold Presses you need to lighten up the amount of weight you are using due to the rotation movement. Next time you are doing seated dumbbell presses try and use a flat bench rather than sitting on one with a back support. I see too many people leaning too far back like they are about to fall backwards. Try it you might like it.

[.V.]

Tried Arnold Press today - didn't like it. Bringing the weight down to my chest puts a bit too much strain on the shoulder joint for me. I've just gotten away from bringing the bar to my chest with MPs to prevent that. Don't want to go back to bad old habits.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by rangers97

If the Arnold presses are supposed to be so great, why don't more people do them? Out of curiousity, do any of the top lifters in the world use them? Like Coleman, or Cutler, or even Todd for that matter?

Is it because you can't use as much weight as a standard shoulder press, so that scares people away?

Firehawk-would a powerlifter ever use them as an accessory exercise?

The fact that you mentioned my name in the same sentence as Coleman and Cutler is more than a compliment to me!! LOL! Even though I am nowhere near their size. I don't do Arnold presses, but I do rotate my dbells so that my hands are facing each other (inwards toward the side of my face) at the low-point of the rep, then I rotate them so that palms face forward (same direction as my eye-site) at the top of the movement. This allows for a better stretch and less bad strain on any joints, at least I find. But I don't bring the dbells down in front of me while doing these, I keep them to the sides, as you normally would.

My .02 cents.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by gcs118

luke...thanks for the history lesson I've been making the mistake of calling my seated shoulder presses military presses. Is overhead press a better name? I assume it's a more general term as opposted to MP.

Well if you just said overhead press I'd think you were standing, call them seated overhead presses, call them seated military press if that floats your boat (even though they really aren't militaries) (since you aren't standing) as long as you say "seated" I know what your talking about,

also state if your sitting on a bench or using a back support (makes a differance), also when people say they did standing "overhead presses" or "military presses" state how you got the weight to the chest, did you "powerclean" the weight? or did you press it from the rack?

no problem about the "history" lesson, I've posted this before and I've posted this before www.ironhistory.com a very good forum were these guys (mostly older) and actually know bb'ers, strength athletes investigate lots of things past and present in the "irongame" I love to read Kim Wood's (former Bangel's strength coach) posts (unfortinate that he is now banned from there) and also Brooks Kubick (who is also banned) had lots of neat stories.
you learn alot from there, they disscuss all the old lifts also, and talk alot of bb'ing.

[Vas85]

I don't understand where the Front Laterals, Side Laterlas, and Rear Laterals (On a bench) are? Wondering why they aren't mentioned in the list, unless i'm kinda half blind at reading it. If i had one choice, out of any, id do just Side Laterals, as front and rear can get nicely worked out in other exercises, but i do all three, i think they are perfect for shoulder development.

Also Handstand Pushups if anybody has ever tried seem to give a workout and a half (bodyweight only).

[maverick]

I think they are asking what shoulder exercise you would do if you could only choose one. I like side laterals, but they are no where near the top of that list. I'd probably go with any seated overhead DB press with either a neutral (palms facing each other) or rotating (like an arnold press) grip.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by rangers97

If the Arnold presses are supposed to be so great, why don't more people do them? Out of curiousity, do any of the top lifters in the world use them? Like Coleman, or Cutler, or even Todd for that matter?

Is it because you can't use as much weight as a standard shoulder press, so that scares people away?

Firehawk-would a powerlifter ever use them as an accessory exercise?

They'd be a sub for seated DB Overhead presses.

[DarkLord]

Hi Vas, I should have included lateral raises etc but was thinking more of basic mass builders. I notice one thing with shoulders whcih I'm not sure anyone else on here has thought of.... and that is...stretching the front delts backwards. What I mean is if you move your arm back you get a much better stretch on the front delts in a similar way to weighted dips. I find I really get good stimulation in my front delts from doing these.

[.V.]

OK so it is resolved that there is no best shoulder exercise...just pick the ones that work best for you and do them.

I've got a question though. Dave was right, once again about overdoing it on the MP and the DB shoulder press. I had to drop the DB press from my shoulder routine - strength was going the wrong way trying to do both.

I just wonder because I really like them, would it be effective to alternate weeks of doing the DB press and BB MP? Or just stick with the BB since I can go heavier with them?

2 years and although I have the answers for new lifters to help them not make the mistakes I made - I still have the occasional dumb question for myself.

[tim_mcf]

I would think that alternating would be a good idea. Doing both may lead to overtraining for you, but alternating shouldn't - would just give you more variation, which we all know is a good thing.

[.V.]

That's what I'm thinking too. But just wanted to double check.

[gcs118]

I alternated BB and DB seated overhead presses, strength seemed to improve a lot when I did this.