We all know that having huge shoulders makes you look more awesome in a t shirt, makes your bench bigger and looks awesome overall, but many people think pressing overhead is bad for their shoulders (they are wrong) and more importantly, it hurts their back. And I understand why it can; bad technique. But, today I’ve got an awesome Overhead Press Hack to Save Your Back.
Let’s talk about the Overhead Press before I give you the Overhead Press Hack to Save Your Back.
Pressing a barbell overhead has a bad rap because people say it is bad for your shoulders. Well, it is, if you do it wrong, and I see poor techniques used all the time on the Instagrams and in my gym (with people we don’t coach). However, any exercise can be bad when done incorrectly.
Also, a lot of people feel pain in the lower back while pressing overhead, and this again is due to poor execution of technique.
When lifting weights we have two forces to consider, I’ve explained this many times but in case you missed it they are:
- Shear
- Compression
Shear is a harmful twisting force applied to the whatever is the fulcrum in the exercise.
We see it mostly on the lumbar region when squatting or deadlifting poorly. It also pops its ugly head up in seated exercises, such as the seated dumbbell overhead press.
The seated positon greatly increases the shear force on the lumbar region in a not so good way.
Compression on the other hand is, in layman’s terms, gravity.
For the most part, compressive forces are not bad and actually can be good because they make your Skelton strong(er).
I came up with this hack for Overhead Press in my own training. I was doing dumbbell presses overhead and I just couldn’t get into the proper position because of my stupid hip which was affecting my ability to get my body aligned right. So, in the spirit of Old Man Conjugate-Find What You Can Do, I decided to prop my arse on a bench and support some of my bodyweight with my legs against the bench.
Holy shit did it work like magic!
NOTE: I have noticed that a large amount of people can press a bar overhead properly but have a lot of difficulty with dumbells. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
Anyway, here is the Overhead Press Hack to Save Your Back. I call it the Half Sit Overhead Press.
The Half Sit Overhead Press removes virtually all of the shear force from your lumber because it allows you to keep a strong brace in your torso to prevent you from going into hyper extension.
That makes it a winner.
To perform the exercise set up on an Incline bench and load your weight so that most of it is supported by your legs, not all. Keep the knees bent and root your feet into the floor. Brach the torso and press away. Remember to keep the abs/torso locked in place.
You’ll see an immediate and noticeable difference in your ability to press up and back as you are supposed to with much less twisting and bending.
I’ve got a handy video for you to watch too.
Something is fishy in WordPress and I can't embed the video, so:
Click this gif to watch the video.
Did you miss last week’s log?
Oh, yeah, follow us on Instagram too.
@TPSMalden
@tpsmethod
DM ME QUESTIONS THERE TOO!
You might be featured in a Coaching Log
SHARE THIS!
#bostonsstrongest
Vincere vel mori
C.J. Murphy
May 5, 2022
