i always read about two ways of performing a dumbbell shoulder press. One is where the front of the wrists are facing out, towards the mirror, and another one where the front of the wrists are facing each other. which one is better? do they work the same muscles?
There will always be minor differences (and major ones at times) with different degrees of pronation and/or supination.
I would imagine that like benching, flat or incline, it has similar differences such as more triceps involvement with palms in, etc.
It would also seem to be a margin more healthy for the shoulder to use a palms-in grip due to less rotation of the humorus.
We always use both alternating every few weeks or so.
i see. and what about one-arm shoulder press. pressing just one side at a time. is this of any benefit over the regular press?
also, if i want to gain size, should i do standing or seated shoulder presses. i can probably press more when i am seated.
[quote]Philly wrote:
i see. and what about one-arm shoulder press. pressing just one side at a time. is this of any benefit over the regular press?
also, if i want to gain size, should i do standing or seated shoulder presses. i can probably press more when i am seated.[/quote]
Do what I do (and probably most trainees that have a mind for the details…
Take a bunch of press variants. Maybe standing dbl, seated dbl, standing single db, seated single dbl, barbell standing and seated, seated 1/2 press, standing half press, behind neck, push press (man there’s a lot when you sit and think about it!) and do one for 4-6 weeks then switch. I just put out about a year’s worth of shoulder presses without ever repeating one. And there’s many more I left out
It’s as simple as that.
so, you are saying i should do a different shoulder exercise everytime i work out…or every couple of weeks? that’s my problem, there are so many exercises out there and i want to do them all but don’t know if switching it up is ok or not.
I had written above that you should pick one and do it for 4-6 weeks, then switch.
Variation is fine, it’s intensity and application of working your ass off. If you can have a conversation while trying to rip your muscles apart then you aren’t applying yourself.
Also some people experience pain with certain positions of grip so you can still workout using other alternatives.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up, there is no exact method that everyone duplicates and uses. You must grasp things conceptually and train yourself to be objective and listen to your body and critique and analyze yourself critically.
The reason why people use different exercises is because they are trying to keep their body from getting used to the movement which leads to your muscle not growing because it’s not being expose to a stimulus which shocks it into growth.
4-6 weeks is good so is 3 months, it really depends on how you work out and how often and how long down the road of iron you have traveled. Don’t over complicate things ~ Such things such as adding extra reps, sets, intensity, resting time variation, and changing the order of exercises will all bring variety.