Standing Shoulder Press: How to Hold the Bar!
The shoulder press is one of the best exercises for developing upper body muscle strength, and it is also a must-have training exercise for us!
The standing shoulder press is another difficult movement! There are a lot of details to master!
How to hold the bar is a very particular question! Many people don’t do the shoulder press well because they did it wrong in the first place!
Many people feel very uncomfortable or have limitations when performing shoulder presses. The main reason is the grip!
How wide is the grasp?
Grip distance is very important in shoulder press! But everyone’s frame is different! One reference point is to observe the position of your elbows!
When your barbell hits the bottom:
Viewed from the front, the forearm must be almost perpendicular to the ground. If the barbell is not directly above the forearm, it will cause unnecessary torque in the position of holding the bar, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Extra torque means extra effort is required to prevent the barbell from falling forward or backward. Some people will experience shoulder discomfort when pushing up with a too narrow grip, because the space under the acromion is smaller and the risk of pinching is higher. Memorize your optimal bar grip distance so you can quickly find it every time you practice.
Viewed from the side: It is recommended that the elbows be a little in front of the bar, because this will make the radius bone more perpendicular to the ground. Many people put their elbows directly below or behind the bar, so that they can push up while The bar has a tendency to run forward, especially in new lifters, and the result is often overextending the lower back to complete the movement.
Do not raise or open your elbows excessively. Excessive scapula forwarding will cause the muscle tension around the scapula to disappear and lose stability, and the efficiency of pushing will also be reduced. Excessive splaying will prevent the forearm from being perpendicular to the ground.
How to hold it?
Use a full grip: clasp the thumb around the four fingers, keep the wrist neutral, and don’t press it! Keep the barbell directly over the bones of your wrists.
Grasping firmly stimulates the muscles of the forearms, which helps stabilize the weight, makes the movement efficient at the beginning, and recruits more motor units in the arms and upper body.