Overhead Shoulder Press (3 MISTAKES!)

Build ripped athletic shoulders with the AX System here… http://athleanx.com/x/get-jacked-shoulders The overhead shoulder press is one of the best ways to build big shoulders, if you do it properly. In this video, I show you how the seated dumbbell shoulder press can be a bit of a compromise when it comes to the results this exercise can ultimately deliver. See the most common mistakes made when performing the overhead press and how to fix them. First thing you want to be conscious of during the overhead dumbbell press (when performed seated) is the tendency to press your head back into the bench as you reach for that extra bit of effort to complete the press when fatigue sets in. We actually perform this same maneuver when we get towards the end of a hard set of bench press as well. This places a great deal of strain on the neck and the supporting muscles of the neck like the traps and rhomboids. If you ever notice that your neck gets sore a day after doing your shoulder workout, you may in fact be slightly straining one of these muscles. By assuming a standing position to perform the dumbbell overhead press, you are avoiding this common mistake. Next, when the shoulder dumbbell press is performed seated the tendency is to press the shoulder blades back into the support. This acts to disrupt the smooth upward rotation of the scapula that should take place when elevating the arm over the head. Even if you don’t prevent the movement entirely, you are delaying or throwing off the timing of the scapular contribution of the move and this can lead to stress on the muscles involved in the movement. Many people can either begin to get impingement or aggravate an existing impingement in their shoulder by incorrectly performing the seated version of the press. Again, the cure here is to stand up and avoid the bench all together if you can’t prevent your tendency to lean back too far during the movement. Finally, doing the press in a standing position instantly makes the exercise a more athletic one. We can’t overlook the fact that the kinetic chain in the body prefers to generate force from the ground and transmit it up the chain to be expressed through your upper body. For this reason, doing your presses standing can not only help you to more naturally generate power in the press, but see faster shoulder growth because of this. In the video, I demonstrate a push press variation of the shoulder press. This more explosive variation of the dumbbell shoulder press gives you the chance to not only lift heavier weights but train your muscles to work together more like they would in a natural athletic expression of this move. If you want a complete athletic training program that helps you to build ripped athletic muscle while keeping your joints healthy and safe, be sure to head to http://athleanx.com and get your complete ATHLEAN-X Training System. Use the same exact program used by today’s top professional athletes and their teams. For more videos on how to build big shoulders and get bigger side delts, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at http://youtube.com/user/jdcav24