Thread: Shoulder press

some people can get away with it, most others can't. we're all built differently and i, personally, would rather err on the side of caution. also there really is nothing advantagious about doing presses/pulldowns behind the neck over doing them to the front.

Well do you feel any pain or discomfort while doing them?

Yeah, what Yan said. Personally, I don't bother as I see no point in pulling to or pushing from behind the neck. There generally seems to be more problems associated with this movement than the equivalent movement done to the front.

Of course, at the weight a PT is probably having one of his fat soccer moms overhead press, I really don't think that amount of strain on the shoulder capsule is enough to do anything.

it can be a dangerous exercise. If you don't have good flexability to externally rotate to get your arms back there to press safely. I would say that even if you are flexable it still gets dangerous especialy as you start to tire late in the set or the weight starts to get heavy, you really start opening yourself up to some possible shoulder injuries. I would say the risk is greater then the reward.

I do it standing, i have not found it to be a problem, balance wise i find it easier than the front but was just a bit worried and wondered what everyone else did or preferred

i agree that the risk is potentially greater than the reward. anything behind the neck can have an adverse effect on your rotator cuff, especially if your form isn't spot on. people with shoulder injuries should avoid it alltogether but if you have none and are gonna perform the exercise that way, be extra careful. personally, i don't think it's worth it.

I just hate doing anything behind my head cause I hit a little bump on the back of my skull everytime I lift up past my head!! Fuckin fatty cancerous lump!

I do all types of lift behind my head...BB presses/pull-ups/tricep extensions.....I just never go heavy on these; therefore, my risk lower