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Preface: Dr. Ken's Reflections on "The Press: Seated or Standing?"
My personal preference has always been the standing press. It makes you work hard and involves a lot of muscle. However, as this 1985 article indicates, there are many who cannot safely do the press in this manner and find it safer to use a seated position. Its like the barbell deep knee bend: if you can do it safely, efficiently, and effectively, then do it. If not, fine an effective substitute. Same deal for the press.
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The Press: Seated or Standing?
One of my patients recently inquired if the overhead press should be done standing or seated. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, and there is no definitive answer.
The standing press requires you to control the bar and your body. There is quite a bit of indirect work given to the muscles of the low back and hips as the body is held in proper position. The compressive forces that affect the spine are, in part, dissipated through the lower extremities, providing some reduction of the forces which must be borne by the lumbar spine components. In many instances, however, the lumbar spine is still exposed to a great deal of compressive force due to the amount of weight being used and/or improper technique--a common occurrence when using maximum weights.
Many Olympic lifters who competed when the press was one of the three contested lifts suffered terrible low back pain and degeneration due to shearing and compressive forces which resulted from the technique used to elevate heavier and heavier weights.
Some trainees are poorly coordinated and do not expose the muscles of the deltoids and triceps to adequate workloads because they literally cannot control the bar or their bodies well enough to use meaningful resistance.
The seated press is, for many, safer, provided that support is given to the lumbar spine and upper back. The real disadvantage to this version of the press is that much of the compressive force produced by the overhead weight is not dissipated via the lower extremities. While the musculature of the lumbar spine may be under a bit less stress, the connective tissues may not be. The benefits that come with balancing the bar overhead are also reduced, although that may be a minor factor for the majority of trainees.
As I said, there is no definitive way to press. For almost all of my patients who have a history of low back trauma, I recommend the seated version, with additional support provided to the lumbar area with a rolled towel. If the available equipment allows, I have them keep their feet on the floor and a bit anterior to the torso, not behind it as is so often done. The new Nautilus Leverage Double Press machine is, perhaps, a great leap forward. Leverage factors allow heavy resistance to be used, while the seating angle prevents significant lumbar compression.
No matter how it’s performed, one has to maintain proper body position, and avoid excessive back bend and quick, jerky movements. The purpose of the press is to stimulate growth in the deltoids, triceps and other shoulder fixators, thus the emphasis must be placed upon those particular muscles. The only way to insure this is to use proper form and slow, controlled movement.
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This article has been retained courtesy of Dr. Ken Leistner and CS Publishing Ltd. It was originally published in THE STEEL TIP Vol. 1, No. 7, July 1985. It was reprinted in the publication HARDGAINER, Issue #51 - Nov/Dec 1997. It is reprinted here on Cyberpump! with permission. No reproduction, photocopying or transmission of this article may be used without expressly written permission from CS Publishing and Dr. Ken Leistner. Any use other than for personal knowledge and instruction will be considered copyright infringement, and will be viewed and treated as such.
Preface: Dr. Ken's Reflections on "The Press: Seated or Standing?"
My personal preference has always been the standing press. It makes you work hard and involves a lot of muscle. However, as this 1985 article indicates, there are many who cannot safely do the press in this manner and find it safer to use a seated position. Its like the barbell deep knee bend: if you can do it safely, efficiently, and effectively, then do it. If not, fine an effective substitute. Same deal for the press.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Press: Seated or Standing?
One of my patients recently inquired if the overhead press should be done standing or seated. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, and there is no definitive answer.
The standing press requires you to control the bar and your body. There is quite a bit of indirect work given to the muscles of the low back and hips as the body is held in proper position. The compressive forces that affect the spine are, in part, dissipated through the lower extremities, providing some reduction of the forces which must be borne by the lumbar spine components. In many instances, however, the lumbar spine is still exposed to a great deal of compressive force due to the amount of weight being used and/or improper technique--a common occurrence when using maximum weights.
Many Olympic lifters who competed when the press was one of the three contested lifts suffered terrible low back pain and degeneration due to shearing and compressive forces which resulted from the technique used to elevate heavier and heavier weights.
Some trainees are poorly coordinated and do not expose the muscles of the deltoids and triceps to adequate workloads because they literally cannot control the bar or their bodies well enough to use meaningful resistance.
The seated press is, for many, safer, provided that support is given to the lumbar spine and upper back. The real disadvantage to this version of the press is that much of the compressive force produced by the overhead weight is not dissipated via the lower extremities. While the musculature of the lumbar spine may be under a bit less stress, the connective tissues may not be. The benefits that come with balancing the bar overhead are also reduced, although that may be a minor factor for the majority of trainees.
As I said, there is no definitive way to press. For almost all of my patients who have a history of low back trauma, I recommend the seated version, with additional support provided to the lumbar area with a rolled towel. If the available equipment allows, I have them keep their feet on the floor and a bit anterior to the torso, not behind it as is so often done. The new Nautilus Leverage Double Press machine is, perhaps, a great leap forward. Leverage factors allow heavy resistance to be used, while the seating angle prevents significant lumbar compression.
No matter how it’s performed, one has to maintain proper body position, and avoid excessive back bend and quick, jerky movements. The purpose of the press is to stimulate growth in the deltoids, triceps and other shoulder fixators, thus the emphasis must be placed upon those particular muscles. The only way to insure this is to use proper form and slow, controlled movement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article has been retained courtesy of Dr. Ken Leistner and CS Publishing Ltd. It was originally published in THE STEEL TIP Vol. 1, No. 7, July 1985. It was reprinted in the publication HARDGAINER, Issue #51 - Nov/Dec 1997. It is reprinted here on Cyberpump! with permission. No reproduction, photocopying or transmission of this article may be used without expressly written permission from CS Publishing and Dr. Ken Leistner. Any use other than for personal knowledge and instruction will be considered copyright infringement, and will be viewed and treated as such.
