Standing shoulder press
The standing military press is a fundamental exercise. This exercise involves several muscles of the upper body and in addition, the abdominal muscles are of great importance for stabilizing the spine. Lifting weights above the head is the core of Olympic weightlifting and can as well be necessary in daily activities.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Stand with the feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly flexed. The grip is normally wider than shoulder width (see below for how grip width will affect muscle activation).
- Keep your chest forward and shoulder blades retracted.
- Take a deep breath to build up abdominal pressure.
- Keep the elbows in front of the shoulder to prevent impingement in the shoulder joint.
- Lift the bar until your arms are straight, and the barbell is positioned directly above your head.
COMMON MISTAKES
MUSCLE ACTIVATION
- Anterior and mid deltoid
- Pectoralis major (upper part)
- Serratus anterior
- Upper trapezius
- Lower trapezius
- Rectus abdominis
- External oblique
- Internal oblique
- Transversus abdominis
BIOMECHANICS
- In addition to gravitational forces acting at the body center of mass, there will be upwards forces on the feet and downwards forces on the hands. Only the forces from the hands are relevant.
- In this exercise, the shoulder and elbow joints are loaded.
- Similar to the bench press, the external forces will be directed down and slightly inwards with a wide grip and straight down, or even slightly outwards with a narrow grip.
- Moment arms larger at the shoulder than the elbow, indicating stronger shoulder muscles.
- In contrast to the bench press, there is movement and high loads about a third joint; the sterno-clavicular joint.
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