Your Questions Answered, Part 13

These are your questions. You asked—we answered.

Today's question comes from Adam Jones:

"After working with John Meadows, who is not a big believer in overhead work, have you become an anti-overhead press guy?"

Dave, in fact, has been an anti-overhead press guy long before John ever was. Why?

Buddy Morris and Tom Myslinski convinced him of that many, many years ago.
He has never really experienced any carryover from it to his bench press. While one-arm overhead presses might have helped (it's still under debate), nothing produced as much carryover as a steep close-grip incline press.
After looking and talking with many experienced lifters, and asking them which exercises they could no longer do (and therefore he should steer clear of for longevity sake), he found that chins, dips, and overhead presses were ALWAYS on the list. (So was the bench press and squat, but as a powerlifter, he could not avoid them).
With an already "destroyed" shoulder, the overhead press would not have done anything but contribute and worsen the injury (perhaps even sooner).

However, it all depends upon the person. For people like Kenny Patterson, who lived by overhead pin presses for his bench press, it's big time.

Stay tuned for more episodes.