Behind the Neck vs. Overhead Press: Which Builds Higher Shoulders? | Legion
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If you wish to construct a well-rounded, proportional higher physique, you want robust, balanced shoulders.
And whereas many weightlifters lean on the overhead press for this, it doesn’t work your entire shoulder equally. Particularly, it does an awesome job of creating your entrance delts, nevertheless it’s much less efficient for rounding out your aspect and rear delts.
So, is there a greater approach to press that targets all three heads of the delts extra evenly?
Scientists on the College of Milan tried to reply this query once they had eight aggressive male bodybuilders carry out one set of the next workouts:
Seated barbell overhead press
Seated barbell behind-the-neck press
Seated machine overhead press
Seated machine behind-the-neck press
For every train, the researchers measured muscle activation within the three heads of the delts, together with the pecs, traps, and triceps.
Muscle activation within the traps and triceps was related throughout all workouts, whereas the pecs have been barely extra lively through the free-weight overhead press variations. When it got here to shoulder activation, the entrance delts have been equally engaged in all workouts, however the aspect and rear delts have been far more lively through the behind-the-neck barbell press than through the different workouts.
Listed here are these ends in graph kind:
Is the Behind-The-Neck Press Higher Than the Overhead Press?
Do these outcomes make the behind-the-neck overhead press higher than the common overhead press for constructing huge, balanced shoulders?
Not essentially.
They present the behind-the-neck press has advantages, however I nonetheless consider the common overhead press is the higher choice for most individuals, and right here’s why.
First, many individuals discover barbell urgent behind-the-neck uncomfortable as a result of it calls for a degree of shoulder mobility that most individuals don’t have. Even when your shoulders are cellular sufficient, you’ll seemingly must push your head ahead to keep away from hitting it with the bar, which makes the motion awkward.
Second, the behind-the-neck press places your shoulders in a much less secure place—arms out to the aspect, elbows bent at 90 levels, palms ahead (typically known as the “high-five” place). This place will increase the chance of harm in comparison with urgent together with your elbows barely ahead.
Third, you may’t elevate as a lot weight within the behind-the-neck press as you may within the overhead press, which limits your potential for gaining power and muscle.
A greater strategy is to concentrate on the overhead press (both seated or standing) to securely construct power and muscle in your shoulders, then complement this with isolation workouts that concentrate on the aspect and rear delts, like dumbbell aspect lateral raises, rear delt raises, or reverse flyes.
Or, if you happen to’re quick on time and need an train that trains your shoulders extra utterly, the dumbbell shoulder press is a strong alternative.
This train means that you can transfer extra freely than the barbell press, letting your arms and shoulders transfer right into a place that’s safer and extra snug, whereas nonetheless partaking your aspect and rear delts successfully.
That is how I prefer to construction my coaching, and it’s the strategy I like to recommend in my health books for women and men, Greater Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger.
Scientific References +
Coratella, Giuseppe, et al. “Entrance vs Again and Barbell vs Machine Overhead Press: An Electromyographic Evaluation and Implications for Resistance Coaching.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 13, 22 July 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.825880. Accessed 29 Sept. 2022.
Kolber, Morey J, et al. “Shoulder Accidents Attributed to Resistance Coaching: A Transient Evaluation.” Journal of Power and Conditioning Analysis, vol. 24, no. 6, June 2010, pp. 1696–1704, pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4572/562b2275dafe888c38acef7e1c7206fd030e.pdf, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181dc4330.
Kolber, Morey J., et al. “Traits of Anterior Shoulder Instability and Hyperlaxity within the Weight-Coaching Inhabitants.” Journal of Power and Conditioning Analysis, vol. 27, no. 5, Might 2013, pp. 1333–1339, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318269f776. Accessed 28 Dec. 2019.
Saeterbakken, Atle H., and Marius S. Fimland. “Results of Physique Place and Loading Modality on Muscle Exercise and Power in Shoulder Presses.” Journal of Power and Conditioning Analysis, vol. 27, no. 7, July 2013, pp. 1824–1831, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318276b873.
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