military press, front or back?

[devil245]

when doing military press is it better to have the bar behind your head or in front of you when performing the exercise. i have always done it behind my head but want to know if it isolates the muscle more or builds muscle faster by doing it in front.

 

[Ingram]

I do them in front for three reasons:
1. I smoke my head with the bar far too often when doing them behind.
2. I usually don’t have a spot so when I run into trouble I can always lean right back and put it up using some chest.
3. I find burying my chin into my clavicle cuts my air supply down.

I think the advantage of doing them behind then head is the exercise not allowing you to cheat by leaning back. If you do them in front make sure you concentrate hard on form.

 

[Exodus]

do them both.......... start with the front


you dont have to tuck your chin into your clavical...... just go slow and controlled and you wont hit the back of your head either.

 

[needsize]

Pressing, or even pulling down, to the rear puts your shoulders in an unnatural position and leaves them prone to injury, the damage incurred over time becomes progressively worse. You can also lower the bar further when you go to the front, a longer range of motion leads to more muscle growth. Dumbell presses are also good as you can lower them even further and don't need a spot

 

[mekannik]

What needsize says is right... Stick to the front for longevity. If you can do them to the rear - be aware of any twinges or pain and don't go heavy.

Other than dumbbells - try the Bradford press. Start with the bar on your upper chest/clavicle. Press till your upper arms (bi/tris) are parallel to the floor, bring down behind the neck. Press up to the same height and return to the front. That's one rep. Takes your triceps out of the movement and is a good way to smoke shoulders after D.B. presses.

 

[bignate73]

Pressing, or even pulling down, to the rear puts your shoulders in an unnatural position and leaves them prone to injury, the damage incurred over time becomes progressively worse. You can also lower the bar further when you go to the front, a longer range of motion leads to more muscle growth. Dumbell presses are also good as you can lower them even further and don't need a spot

exactly right.

 

[FlexBailey]

Many experienced trainers/bodybuilders will agree military press BEHIND NECK is the best shoulder movement. It builds you shoulder caps unlike any exercise..BUT there is risk involved. If you have weak rotator cuffs and are prone to injury there than by all means keep away from them other wise hit em up cause they're the best. To the front is not nearly as effective, safer yes but as effective, no!

 

[The One]

I disagree

I think dumbell presses are better than military presses because u get a better range of motion. dont go to heavy behind the neck its hard on the rotator cuffs.

I usually go with front military press and dumbell presses.

 

[FlexBailey]

I do dumbbell after Military so I get the best of both worlds. If I had to choose one thought it'd hands down be military press B/neck. I think because your arms and shoulder are in that vulnerable position it tends to stimulate more muscle fibers.

 

[bignate73]

Many experienced trainers/bodybuilders will agree military press BEHIND NECK is the best shoulder movement. It builds you shoulder caps unlike any exercise..BUT there is risk involved. If you have weak rotator cuffs and are prone to injury there than by all means keep away from them other wise hit em up cause they're the best. To the front is not nearly as effective, safer yes but as effective, no!

dont lump experienced trainers with bodybuilders. an experienced and well informed trainer will know the biomechanics correctly and never prescribe that exercise due to risky shoulder position, breaks in posture, etc. bodybuilders might because alot are stuck in "gym science".

"shoulder cap"...you mean complete development of the deltiod?

one final thing. tell me how moving your head forward or backward changes the way the arm moves overhea?. either way its primarily an anterior delt movement with some involvement from the medial head. shoot your head forward and you round your back or strain your neck. hyperextend your shoulders and you take yourself out of a strong position into a very risky one. doesnt sound like a win-win situation to me. bad posture and press or weak shoulder position and press......

 

[Mesofreaky]

the only advantage to behind the neck is that it pinches the traps a lil better, and someone said that a more full ROM leads to more muscle growth, this is pure crap, the only requirements for hypertrophy are microtears and protein enough stress on a muscle fiber will create microtears no matter what the ROM there was a time that the worlds best Olympic Weightlifters routines were primarily Isometric, these guys put up 500+ lbs in the clean and jerk before science was overly involved in the sport and without steroids, this is as early as the 1920's. it really isn't safe to military press behind the neck but then again it isn't safe to do any type of resistance training.

 

[sysopt]

I'm definately a front fan. You can't even see where the hell the bar is going when you go behind.

 

[FlexBailey]

one final thing. tell me how moving your head forward or backward changes the way the arm moves overhea?.

It's the angle at which your shoulders sit during this movement..it's a little more stressful in everyway behind the neck.
When doing them in front you have a tendency to use your pec major so it doesn't ISOLATE as well as behind. Trust me, when you lose your major pec for a year and have to watch what you do, you learn very quickly the role that the major pec plays in most exercises.

 

[mikelong23]

Front Front Front

 

[minion]

I say dumbbell are by far the best. Especialy if you divide your shoulder work out to be specific.

For example dumbbell press Front head(actually overall builder), Lateral raises medial head, Bent over dumbbell raises rear head. I throw in some heavy shrugs and my shoulders are smoken. My progress tells me I'm on the right track.

 

[liftah]

I love behind the neck, because its a great mass builder, but unfortuately I had to stop it because I would get incredible pain in the shoulder joint after doing it.

 

[Cackerot69]

Um, just listen to bignate...

 

[The mann]

tear my shoulders up if i do them behind..........