help w/ seated shoulder presses

[jeremys]

when i do these, i use a small seat w/ a back that goes up to the middle of my back

on my heavy sets i lean back and end up making it almost an incline bench. i'm thinking it's cheating but it makes me feel a lot more stable and of course i get the weight up

if i sit straight up w/ no back support then i feel really weak and unstable

i guess what im asking is should i do these w/ a full back on a seat or lighten the weight a lot and work up in what feels like unstable form

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

I would definitely lower the weight and work your way up. You might as well just do inclines if you keep doing them the way you described. I alternate between standing overhead press and seated overhead press with no back support. I push press probably once a month at the most.

 

[jeremys]

yeah perhaps i should do them standing instead of sitting?

 

[Backlash]

I do mine sitting with no back support. I feel like I can do them stricter that way. It is very important not to lean back, IMO.

 

[louden_swain]

Its weird without arching. . . the bar would smack me in the nose.

Use whats comfortable in my opinion. . . .your delts will take a beating.

Also. . think about strict overhead dumbbell presses or standing barbell presses if you are concerned about excess arching.

 

[ffknight84]

I do mine sitting with no back support. I feel like I can do them stricter that way. It is very important not to lean back, IMO.

if i dont lean back a little im smacking myself in the chin or the nose...???

 

[UA_Iron]

I dont know, I notice a significant amount of stability when I am seated as opposed to not having back support. For me it just seems easier on the joints, but I strictly use dumbells. Maybe take a little longer rest period before your final set to make sure you can go all out.

 

[ffknight84]

work your core harder, i have almost 0 stability problems and i never use any back support...

 

[Backlash]

I'm sure I lean back a little, but I try not to. I do move my head out of the way on the way up and down with the bar. If you're using dbs, it should be a problem at all.

 

[stuck]

I use the same bench you do. I used to do dumbell presses on a regular bench that tilted up 90 degrees. I could do 90 lb dumbells relatively easy.

One day I said what the hell and switched to the other bench with little / no back support. There's a HUGE difference and it's much harder. I'd say stick with the bench you're using and drop your weight.

 

[XtremePowerLifter2000]

Personally, id rather do Push press, standing military or jerk


Kc

 

[Tweakle]

I'm kinda limited in what I can do but I've found that putting the bench back 10 degrees and using dumbells allows me to use the most weight with no shoulder or back pain. It would be nice to be able to do push presses tho

 

[BrotherMaynard]

I also feel that this leaning back makes my body more stable and allows me to handle more weight. There probably is something to be said for needing a strong trunk when doing heavy upright shoulder presses. Sitting straight up or standing puts pressure on my lower back which is always recovering from squats or DLs, this holds me back from hitting the presses really heavy.
Will this slight leaning back take away from hitting the delts thouroughly?

 

[WalkingBeast]

As far as Im concerned thats a good way to do them. With some arch. Never does it even come close to an incline. I use some arch and I never feel the dumbells working my chest. My shoulders always get blasted. Seems unnatural to me to try and keep yourself completely straight and rigid. JMO

 

[PIGEON-RAT]

I'm kinda limited in what I can do but I've found that putting the bench back 10 degrees and using dumbells allows me to use the most weight with no shoulder or back pain. It would be nice to be able to do push presses tho

This is what I've been doing. It feels the most natural to me, and I really nail my shoulders with it.

 

[Lord_Suston]

straight standing is the way to go for delt and core strength, you can use back suppoprt if delts are your priority....