The perfect exercise for powerful shoulders. What is the Army Press and how to do it correctly?

The perfect exercise for powerful shoulders. What is the Army Press and how to do it correctly?

Before you work with the barbell, carefully study the technique of execution.

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Army press or overhead press is an effective exercise for developing a massive shoulder girdle. Several joints work in this exercise, so many muscle groups are pumped: delts, pecs and triceps. It can be performed standing or sitting, with a barbell, dumbbells or in an exercise machine.

The Army Press is ideal for building powerful shoulders. If you perform this exercise regularly, you will soon noticeably increase your strength. It is strongly recommended to pay attention to proper technique and sensation in the muscles. Otherwise, the effectiveness will be drastically reduced. You should feel the delts clearly, not just lift the bar up.

It is important to follow the correct technique to avoid shoulder injuries: recovery can take three to 12 months.

How useful is the army press?

Because of sedentary lifestyles, many people often have a sedentary upper back, which shortens the range of motion of the shoulder joints. This eventually leads to shoulder injuries, neck stiffness and other unpleasant things.

Properly performing the Army Press develops mobility in the upper back. Moving muscles will favorably affect the health of the spine, shoulders will become stronger, and blood circulation in the cervical region will improve.

Who should not do the Army Press?

We recommend refraining from the Army Press if you have wrist, shoulder and elbow injuries. Be sure to consult with a physical rehabilitation specialist or doctor before you start exercising.

Also be careful with the exercise if you have lower back problems or have had back pain for two months. When you lift the barbell above your head, your spine flexes and a heavy load is created, which can aggravate an injury.

How to do the army press correctly?

Technique of execution

• Stand up straight. Take the bar with a grip at shoulder width. Elbows point slightly forward.
• Bring your shoulder blades together and lower them down to stiffen your back. Lumbar with a slight flexion. Make sure it is stable during the exercise.
• As you exhale, straighten your arms as you lift the barbell above your head. Try to feel the work of your shoulder muscles. As if they were lifting your arms up.
• As you inhale, smoothly lower the bar down and bend your arms at the elbows. Lift the barbell with your arms only, without pushing with your legs or rocking your body.

Perform three approaches of 10-15 times. Rest between approaches – two minutes.

If you want to form a strong shoulder girdle with voluminous delts and powerful triceps, include the military press in your training plan. Use different variations of this exercise, but do it no more than once or twice a week, so that the muscles have time to recover.