Overhead Pressing... Really Necessary?

[MonStar1023]

How necessary are OH presses for delt development do you guys think?

I know that theyre a compound movement but my front delts seem to get hammered on chest day. And my side delts get hit hard with side laterals. I am just wondering because I dont want them affecting my bench press or chest strength / development etc. My split looks like this.

• DAY 1: chest, triceps
• DAY 2: back, biceps, forearms
• DAY 3: rest
• DAY 4: quads, hamstrings calves
• DAY 5: delts, traps, abs
• DAY 6: rest
• DAY 7: rest

I am jus thinking since I hit my front delts pretty hard with bench how necessarry front OH presses are. I could be way off. I am just thinking that more of side-delt movement might I might benefit more from. (i.e. - wide-grip upright rows) etc.

MS

 

[gimp]

If you want big shoulders, you gotta do presses. Military, or overhead presses are the major mass builders for shoulders. Your training split separates your shoulders and chest days by a few days. So even if your hitting your delts on chest day you can hit 'em again on shoulder day. If you want my two cents, cut out the side laterals and replace 'em with presses. Presses hit the front and side delts... hard. The only other exercise you'll need for shoulders is rear delts.

 

[b fold the truth]

I have always done overhead presses...I rarely ever did laterals. Build the most muscle with the most compound movements...

B True

 

[Thaibox]

Back in the days of Arnold, militaries were thought of as we think of bench today. Look at the shoulder development of those guys.

How many guys do you see walking around with doorframe width shoulders at your gym? Probably not many. How many guys do you see doing overheads with 2 plates or more? probably not many.

 

[The Dude]

Yes, yes they are.

 

[bignate73]

i have always done some form of pressing overhead. from when i was a gymnast using my own bodyweight to now where i use dbells, bars etc. i always use an overhead press, usually in the form of a straight bar. (dbells got boring for a while) and mind you this is individual, but my shoulder are probably my best bodypart. take it for what its worth. after my show ill post a pic. many of my poses emphasize shoulders since i dont think there will be many guys who can keep up with me there in my weight class.

 

[FitnessFrk]

Originally posted by gimp
If you want big shoulders, you gotta do presses. Military, or overhead presses are the major mass builders for shoulders. Your training split separates your shoulders and chest days by a few days. So even if your hitting your delts on chest day you can hit 'em again on shoulder day. If you want my two cents, cut out the side laterals and replace 'em with presses. Presses hit the front and side delts... hard. The only other exercise you'll need for shoulders is rear delts.

not true at all...any over-head pressing movement targets the anterior deltoid and the lateral deltoid as a synergist. to get strong shoulders you need to press, but not to get them big. big shoulders come from proper shoulder training which means using a long TUT on each rep. on each of the 3 heads.

military press = front raise

 

[coolcolj]

I do snatches, and laterals
My job requires good side delt and ext cuff strength for sideways throwing
But I'm not so sure if snatches are a safe move for the shoulder joint in the long term.

I recommend the snatch press

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149264

hit your delts, traps and cuffs all at once. Normal presses f*cked up my shoulders in the first place. You guys maybe fine now, but later on when your older, things may change. Especially if your ballistic. The shoulder joint does wear down - there is a condition called the "bodybuilders shoulder" read up on it. But then again it may not.

 

[tzan]

I kind of felt the same thing. Because I went so heavy on my chest pressing movements I felt that come shoulder day I didn't have enough recovery time to hit them hard again with another heavy pressing exercise. I ended up switching my splits so I work my chest and front and side delts in the same workout. This way I can really kill them on that day and have an entire week to allow for rest and recovery. So far it had really worked for my shoulders. I hit my rear delts on back day.

 

[makedah]

I envy the resilient rotator cuffs here.

I skip OHPs.

 

[crimson coal]

I always start my shoulders with heavy militaries. I love the feel I get when they start pumping up with blood.

 

[CytoMel]

I bench 2x a week and I am at 20+ sets of back a week now and I hardly do any shoulder work (presses) because they would just fuck up shoulder recovery. A few sets of 10+ reps on overhead presses would be fine but after benching 400+ and speed benching they would be way to taxing on my shoulders.

If you have the right genetics shoulders will develop easily and I have wider and bigger shoulders than almost anyone around because they are just that way with genetics. Basicly benching and back rows will make your shoulders big enough but a few supplemental sets of moderate to high reps is fine too.

 

[CytoMel]

BUMP for more replies

 

[bigdelt69]

Genetics play a very important role. So does proper training. Lots of trail and error. Sounds kinda weird but my shoulders and my chest are very proportionate to each other. I totaly kill my shoulders twice per week. I only train chest once per week, and my chest grows equally as good as my shoulders. Trail and error son, trail and error.


P.S. - whats a shoulder routine with and Overhead presses?
Bodybuilders must do overhead presses!