Kinesology for overhead presses

[RottenWillow]

How do we maximize the involvement of the deltoids while minimizing the triceps?

My current form: I lower the bar all the way to the front delts then press up to just short of lockout to keep the stress on the muscles. My grip is is thumbs about 1 inch wide of my delts.

It is true that stopping the downward movement of the bar about
1-2 inches above the front delts will keep more continuous stress on the delts? And will slightly widening my grip aid in my goal?
Also, does speed effect the deltoid/tricep involvment to any degree?

Thanks

 

[spatts]

Anya, why are you trying to remove the tris? Why use something as compound as OHPs to isolate the delts?

...and are you talking about db's, bb's, seated, inclined, standing, from a clean, etc?

 

[RottenWillow]

Standing, with a bar.

What else hits all 3 heads as well as the OHP? I do laterals to prefatique but its my understanding that it mainly hits the
medial head.

I have a very wide scapula for a 5'6" woman (44" shoulder circumference) and my shoulders really look noticeably bony. My big chest size just exacerbates the overall effect. Maybe because of my racial mixture I inherited some very odd body dimensions.

 

[spatts]

It's not that there's a better move for delts, per se, it's just not worth trying to jack up the form to take the tris out. When do you do tris?

 

[RottenWillow]

Same day as delts. I work shoulders, chest and ticeps, in that order.

I make legitimate strength gains on chest nearly every single workout but my shoulder gains are extremely slow, hence the order I hit the muscle groups on that day. I can move my arm across my torso and see a noticeable pec bulge at the sternum above my chest but my shoulders and arms are both still bony and thin.

Are these size and strength gain disparities a product of genetics or poor form/workout design?

 

[THeMaCHinE]

How much volume do you do on shoulders? Also, i'd consider moving laterals to after OHPs. There's really no reason to pre-fatigue medials.

 

[spatts]

Ok, then I am REALLY confused. If you work them all the same day, why not put your most compound move up front, followed by your isolation moves? And if you do shoulders first, and you feel like that makes a big difference, then why not rotate the first move every week?

Maybe I'm not understanding the problem correctly.

 

[RottenWillow]

I put shoulders first since they are my lagging bodypart with the poorest gains. Isnt it bb SOP to hit the weak bodypart first when you are mentally and physically at your best?

As for the shoulder workout itself, I put laterals first in an attempt to prefatique the delts since they werent making any size/strength gains at all. Originally I had the laterals after the OHP. Went like that for ~16 weeks, then gains pretty much ground to a halt.

Remember my bench style? I'm wondering if I'm actually overtraining shoulders.

Machine, low volume. Two work sets per exercise and 2 exercises total for delts.

Gotta get off now, but I'll check back in ASAP. Thanks for the input Spatts and Machine.

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Laterals will only prefatigue the medials, which in turn will lessen your OHP. No need to prefatigue medials like you would quads because the medials will tire quickly as it is.

I think your volume on shoulders is too low. There are three parts to train: the front, medial and posterior. I think a minimum would be 3 sets each. (i.e. 3 OHPs, 3 laterals, 3 posterior raises).

If you like the prefatigue idea, a more compound movent such as an upright row might make sense over a lateral.

 

[bignate73]

ive dropped laterals altogether. i rely on closer or wider grip OHP, push/presses and back movements to ensure i get all "3 heads". i think my shoulders are the thickest they have ever been, they are definitely the strongest.