Top 6 Exercises for Managing Shoulder Injuries

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What to Do for an Injured Shoulder

After 6 years of coaching at the highest levels across multiple disciplines, the most common issues I see in my sports therapy clinic have to do with the shoulder. Statistics show us that shoulders are the most commonly injured area in many sports including CrossFit, weightlifting and rugby.

I give my athletes, from beginners to Olympians, 6 common exercises to help them prevent nagging injuries around life and training. Most of these exercises look at one of these key principles:

Strengthening the Lower Traps

Often neck and shoulder pain comes from an imbalance between upper and lower trapezius The lower trapezius should be the primary agonist once the arm is raised above 60° but is often neglected in favor of the upper traps.

Building the Infraspinatus

This muscle should be responsible for the first stage of raising the arm, but in athletes with poor mobility it is often trapped, and doesn’t properly generate force when lifting the arm overhead. This is the muscle that is often ‘pinched’ in the shoulders due to being weak and having an overzealous upper trap. Simply strengthening it can help avoid trapped nerves and numbing sensations down the arm.

“Functional redundancy” of the upper traps without weakening them

”Overactive” upper traps can cause all sorts of issues, pathologically as well as in terms of performance, even leading to increased concussion risks and migraines. Effective training of deep cervical tissues can help prevent and fix this.

1) Supinated Grip Cable Machine Rows

This is a great exercise for focussing on shoulder blade retraction under constant load and is easier to mitigate for grip strength than a chin up (which are also excellent)

Check out this demo video of IRONMAN athlete Kloe Gibson as we incorporated the exercise into her program to help with postural efficiency for her sport.

• Palms facing upwards.
• Lean forward to allow for shoulder blades to slide forward, pull them down and back as you row. Push your elbows backwards like you’re ‘trying to unhook your bra’, for those of us that know about such things.

2) Modified Cobra Pose / Diamond Push Ups

An interesting study looking at the electrical muscular stimulation of the lower trapezius found that these positions were some of the best body weight only movements to do so.

• Focus on a squeeze in between the bottom of your shoulder blades and allowing them to move as you press.
• Holding hands further back on either exercise will help here.
• Try holding a cobra pose with your hands by your side, palms facing upwards for time as well.

3) Dead Hangs

Dead hangs allow for space in joints at the shoulder girdle. There is some reasonable research that links benefits experienced by our monkey ancestors and a relief in pain from modern human lives.

For an extra bit of fun try out a gibbon grip dead hang by turning your wrists out so your palms face backwards.

• Play around with pulling into your lats, mid back and shoulders while you perform these.
• Use straps if you need to hang for longer.

4) Low ROM Lateral Raises

Keeping the range of motion limited on these (around 60°) will help in building the infraspinatus, preventing the levator scapula from pulling against the shoulder blade as much.

• The first 60° of raising the arm should be primarily performed by the infraspinatus
• Turn pinkie fingers up to the ceiling to help and keep tension off traps and in the deltoids and rotator cuff

5) Lu Raises

These are an extension of the lateral raises and the shoulder should be trained through a full ROM in general. If they’re good enough for the Chinese Olympic lifting team they should work wonders for you, provided you start light and focus on good scapula movement.

• Focus on keeping a neutral rib cage by bracing into core, think about keeping your sternum and pelvis in the same place throughout.

6) Neck Flexion and Extension

Going very light with these has been shown to cause what’s known as functional redundancy of the upper traps. This means that instead of using your traps to turn your head (when they should just be for lifting your shoulder blade and hyper extending your neck) the deeper muscles of your neck will do it, allowing for proper positioning and usage of the other muscles in your neck and shoulder.

• The same focus should be made in keeping the rib cage and shoulders still
  Move through a range of motion that is comfortable to you with a very light weight (see my article about neck training for further details).
• You could also try doing these while biting onto a towel which can help in activating the scalene muscles in the neck. This can cause what is called reciprocal inhibition of the muscles at the back of the neck (like how your triceps relax as you perform a bicep curl).

This list is certainly not exhaustive and you should seek medical advice if you’re struggling with chronic pain. Feel free to check out my neck training program if you’re having issues around your neck or shoulders. It can be dropped into most training regimes and is an extremely cost effective way of helping your ailments.

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3 Killer Kettlebell Mobility Exercises for Your Shoulders

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Let’s face it: sometimes your shoulders feel rickety even on good days. But overhead mobility and good upper body articulation is so important for everyday life — it pays major dividends to dedicate some time to working on your shoulder strength through all ranges of motion.

We love to see healthy, pain-free shoulder joints here at TH. Check out this blog for three kettlebell shoulder exercises to work into your next training session.

Time to Work on That Sticky Shoulder Mobility

Low back pain might be the most prevalent injury among those who train, but shoulder issues are arguably a close second.

Whether it’s an impingement that limits range of motion, hypermobility that makes dislocation more likely, or the dreaded rotator cuff tear that keeps orthopedic surgeons busy to the tune of 250,000 repair procedures each year, shoulder problems are pervasive.

This means that regular shoulder mobility work is a must. But sometimes people are coming at the problem with the goal of removing restrictions and adding greater range, when in fact what’s lacking is stability and strength.

Even when people realize this, their attempted solutions fall short.

Endless variations of “rotator cuff exercises” – see five kinds of shoulder flys, endless scarecrows, and three-pound Granny weights – are the go-to, and yet often produce little more than local soreness.

While a few of these movements have a place you have to understand that there are other “big rock” exercises that do much more to stabilize and strengthen the muscles and other tissues of the shoulder and scapula area.

Three Shoulder-Focused Kettlebell Exercises

Here are three kettlebell exercises focused on shoulders to add to your training repertoire.

1. Single Arm KB Shoulder Press

OK, you could derive a lot of benefits from shoulder pressing a barbell with both hands.

But only using one arm adds an additional stability component and will help you avoid “cheating” with your stronger side while hiding the deficiency of the weaker one.

Making the shoulder press unilateral will also ask more of the inactive side, as it has to counterbalance the force you’re generating with the active arm.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Pick up a kettlebell in one hand and hold it to your collarbone, with your palm facing your chest.
• Bracing your abs and squeezing your glutes, straighten your arm to press the kettlebell overhead.
• Lower the weight down under control, and use the stretch reflex to initiate the next rep.
• Complete the desired number of reps, then switch sides.
  

Form tip: Keep your active wrist straight, and create stabilizing tension by balling the hand of the non-active arm into a fist. Try to keep the path of the kettlebell straight up and down.

2. Overhead Carry to Suitcase Carry

Like the single-arm kettlebell press, you could use a dumbbell for both of these carry variations and/or a short bar for the suitcase one.

However the compact design of the kettlebell and concentration of mass in a smaller area makes it easier to obtain and preserve the proper alignment, particularly with the overhead component in which your shoulder is most vulnerable.

• Repeat the first three steps of the single-arm kettlebell press.
• Walk down your driveway, across your garage (check overhead clearance first!), or between two cones.
• Keep going until you start to feel slight fatigue in your arm, shoulder, or thoracic spine, then slowly lower the weight until it’s down by your side.
• Continue walking until you again fatigue a little, then switch arms and start over in the overhead position, before transitioning to the suitcase carry.
  

Form tip: When the weight is overhead, imagine a straight line running through your hip, wrist, elbow and shoulder. Start with a lighter weight that you think you can handle. When transitioning to the suitcase carry, put the weight further back than you might initially, so your active hand is between your side and back pockets.

3. Turkish Get-Up

Of all the exercises you can do to sort out your dodgy shoulders, the get-up arguably reigns supreme. Why?

Because it requires both a horizontal (when you’re lying on the floor) and overhead press position and tests the integrity of your shoulder complex while static and in motion. Plus, unlike many movements, the get-up involves controlling the path of a kettlebell across the transverse plane, which is why folks like the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) prescribe it for golfers.

Not to mention that the off-arm has to provide stabilization through the shoulder as you maneuver your body from lying, to a lunge, to a standing position, and then back down. As the get-up is a highly technical exercise, you can follow the directions below and check out the video, but you’ll be best off seeking a coach to make sure you’re getting the finer points down.

• Lie on your back with your left leg straight and left knee bent, with your right leg flat on the floor. Then position a kettlebell next to your left shoulder and grip the handle with your left hand.
• While still gripping the kettlebell with your left hand, use your right hand to help move it toward the center of your body and then extend your left elbow.
• As soon as your arm is locked out, allow your left shoulder to move to the back of the socket. Your left hand and elbow should be in a straight line over your left shoulder. Try to maintain this alignment throughout the rest of the exercise.
• Roll onto your right elbow, keeping your gaze fixed on the kettlebell.
• With your right arm staying straight, push off the ground with your right leg and extend your right elbow with the right palm flat on the ground and positioned in a straight line down from the other arm, which is still gripping the kettlebell overhead.
• Squeeze your butt muscles and drive off the ground with your right foot as you extend your hips toward the ceiling.
• Use your right arm and leg to support you as you pull your left leg under your hips. Then place your right knee underneath your torso, making sure that you keep looking up at the kettlebell.
• Move your bodyweight toward your right side and get your torso upright. As soon as your right hand comes off the ground, pull your shoulder back and turn your arm outward. You should be in a lunge position.
• Use your left leg to push yourself up out of the bottom position of the lunge with your torso remaining upright and weight centered over your hips.
• Bring your right foot forward so it meets the left, and stand up with your feet facing forward and shoulder width apart. Your left arm should be fully extended overhead and your right arm straight out in front of you.
• Reverse the pattern to return to the floor.

Form tip: Don’t ever do an AMRAP-style workout with get-ups, but rather focus on quality and take your time between reps. In some sessions, reduce the weight (again, this should be lighter than you think you can lift to begin with until you nail the correct technique) and pick one segment of the get-up to pause at during each rep (e.g. the lunge with arm overhead, or rolling onto the elbow).

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Handstands are a gymnastic staple, but unless you took to gymnastics as a kid, they’re not easy to learn. Holding a freestanding handstand for just one minute can take years to perfect, but even the less gymnastically-inclined athlete can learn to do handstand push ups against a wall. (That means you.)

 A guide to getting upside down like a pro

The CrossFit Games popularized handstand push ups as a movement accessible to most people with arms and not nearly as intimidating or time-consuming as a freestanding handstand. Watching professional athletes blow up their shoulders by doing huge sets of inverted push ups is super fun and inspiring. Have you ever noticed how jacked their shoulders are?

Isn’t it time you made it to that point? (Well, maybe not the Games, but definitely the HSPU mastery.)We wrote this guide to get you working on the necessary basics and progressions for handstand push ups. Nailing that upside-down strength carries over into a ton of other movements too, so let’s get crackin’.

Kipping vs strict

The age-old battle of “to kip or not to kip” is so outdated—as with pretty much all gymnastics movements, a pro gymnast can do both. Many coaches encourage building up your strength and coordination prerequisites by practicing the strict movement first. 

For some beginners or novice athletes, there comes a point when it’s easier to pick up the kipping rhythm even if they can’t yet rep out a ton of strict HSPU (just like with strict vs. kipping pull ups).

The value of kipping comes in speed and high-volume output. CrossFit athletes use kipping handstand push ups in fast, intense workouts designed to get your heart racing. Like with pull ups, kipping is programmed more often in metabolic conditioning training (metcons), while the strict version is usually used to build strength and skill. It’s worthwhile to learn both.

How to Do a Kipping Handstand Push up

Kipping handstand push up points of performance

Setup

Find a wall free of distracting objects and with plenty of space. Be wary of any squat racks, nearby equipment, or gym friends who might catch a foot to the face. Place an ab mat or a gymnastic mat against the wall to cushion your head.

Kick up into a solid handstand with your heels against the wall and your hands framing the ab mat. Engage your lats, keep your core tight, spine neutral (don’t let your low back sag), and drive your heels up the wall. You should feel like you’re “reaching” toward the floor or actively pushing the floor away from you. Look out and ahead, not down at the floor, to keep your neck neutral.

Lower

With control, bend your elbows and lower the crown of your head to the mat. Don’t lose tension and crash down or you’ll suffer the consequence of your bodyweight + your neck + gravity. The three points of your head and hands will create a tripod position (like three legs of a camera tripod). Your head is just for stabilization, not to completely support your weight.

Tuck

Holding your tripod position steady, sit your butt back toward the wall and hinge at the waist, pulling your knees down toward your triceps. This is the tucked position where your kip starts. It kind of looks like a waiter in an upside down squat holding a tray over his head.

Explode & Press

The actual push up happens in a series of quick, fluid movements. From your tucked position, launch your feet back up the wall, driving your heels toward the ceiling. The second your hips reach full extension and your body hits a point of weightlessness (Sound familiar? Like all Olympic weightlifting.), use the momentum to press into the floor and extend your arms overhead. You’ll land back in your original handstand position.

The goal is to harness the power from your explosive hip extension to take some of the work away from your core, arms and shoulders. In a strict handstand push up, you don’t get any help from your legs. Try maximizing your hip power by pulling your pelvis in toward your belly at the bottom of your tuck instead of leaving your hips on the wall.

HSPU Scaling, Progressions & Variations

Check out this video for some handstand push up variations and pay attention to their similarities and differences. The pike push up on a box is a great place to start getting the hang of the strict movement while deficit HSPU are more advanced and strength-focused. The freestanding strict handstand push up is Level 10 difficulty, wow.

yoga headstands

Getting confident in every version of a freestanding headstand is a lesser-known secret to handstand push up mastery. When supporting yourself upside down is easy, you don’t have to work as hard to balance. Plus, being comfortable upside down comes with some nice health benefits—it improves your motor control, spatial awareness, and circulation.  

Shoulder mobility

Love it or hate it, having mobile shoulders helps with every overhead movement including handstand push ups. If your shoulders, chest, and lats are stiff, sticky and restricted, it’ll be that much harder to support yourself in proper alignment against the wall. Do some regular soft tissue work and long-hold stretches to open up your overhead positioning. 

barbell push press

The push press is the one right-side up movement that most closely mimics the handstand push up. Your arms and head make a similarly tripod shape while your core and shoulders are doing most of the work. There’s no excessive tuck, but you still bend your knees and use your legs to drive the barbell up before pressing. 

hollow body holds and rocks

A running theme in any gymnastics practice is this: you probably need to get better at the hollow body position. For everything from handstand walks to pullups and bar muscle ups, the hollow body is essential. Handstand push ups are no exception. A strong, stable core keeps your back from arching and holds your body nice and tight when you’re upside down. Nobody likes a banana back.

Wall walks

A surprisingly long and taxing movement, wall walks are perfect for hammering away at some pressing strength and core/shoulder stability. Keep your abs tight and see if you can get your nose as close to the wall as possible. Try not to flop down off the wall. 

Bonus:  Try HSPU Negatives

Kick up to the wall and lower down with a 3-5 second tempo. Pull your knees down to your tuck position so you can come off the wall, then kick up and work the negative again. Just like with pull up negatives, this drills the point of greatest tension for the movement and translates to stronger strict handstand push ups. 

Are you doing the same movements over and over again to build beefy shoulders, but not really seeing the beef? For hard-gainers, the struggle is real. Maybe you need a little inspiration to think outside the box when it comes to your shoulder work. We’re here for it.

Marc Lavallee has trained Canadian military units in the Search and Rescue Technician (SAR-Tech) program along with members in their active duty and selection phases. He currently coaches for a policing agency. In this blog, Marc lets you in on his favorite tri-set to set your shoulders on fire.

Level Up Your Shoulder Training

Are your shoulder workouts getting stale? Have you been following the same program for too long, doing the same exercises every week forever? Are you bored yet?

We’ve all seen those people in the gym every week, month and year doing the exact same routine and looking no different than they did when they started. Sometimes we are those people. It’s amazing that they’re taking positive steps toward improving their health. But maybe if they changed their programming from time-to-time, they would see better gains.

Don’t get stuck in a training rut. Especially when it comes to your upper body and shoulders.

It can be really hard to see muscle growth in your shoulders if you’re a hard-gainer. And if you’re not shaking things up once in a while, your delts are just going to adapt to whatever stimulus you give them.

It’s time for me to share my favorite tri-set (aka triplet) to fry your shoulders at the end of your upper body workout. Proceed with caution.

Upper/Lower Split Training

Training with a split by body part during the week usually does not provide the stimulus frequency needed to grow each muscle. You know what I’m talking about: hit chest on Monday (International Chest Day), wait seven days and hit chest again the following week. But with an upper/lower split you will hit the majority of your muscles multiple times a week, giving them more overall volume.

Typically, the layout of your workouts will start with the compound (multi-joint) lifts. For upper body, you start with bench press variations, row variations, dips and pull-up variations. These are all movements that recruit multiple muscle groups and joints.

After compound lifts you move into your accessories or isolation exercises. This is where we fit this shoulder tri-set. And to wrap up your workout once you complete this tri-set, you could work on some bicep/tricep movements or add in some rotator cuff work.

What’s a Tri-Set?

A tri-set is three slightly different exercises that work the same muscle group in dynamic ways. The idea is to perform these movements back-to-back with little rest so you force the muscles to stretch and tear, which induces hypertrophy.

A tri-set is also sometimes called a triplet. Whatever you choose to call them, hammering a muscle group like this should leave you shaking and totally gassed. You should have nothing left in those muscles and be barely able to hold them up when you’re done.

The King of All Shoulder Finishers

Complete 3 sets of 12 reps each, going in order:

A. Seated DB Cleans

B. Incline Prone DB Y-raise

C. Standing DB Shoulder Press

Why These Three Shoulder Exercises?

We need to take a 3D approach when we look at the muscle fiber orientation in your shoulders. This particular combination of movements hits the three different orientations of the shoulder fibers to help get that nice “boulder” look.

The seated DB cleans hit numerous muscles in your upper body: your traps, rotator cuff, and all three delts (anterior, medial and posterior). The incline prone DB Y-raises work your lower traps, upper back, rhomboids and posterior delt.

The standing DB shoulder press isolates all angles of the delts. Performing them standing (instead of seated) fires a ton of stabilizer muscles in your core, glutes, low back and traps. Shoulder presses also get the triceps involved with that overhead position, extending the elbow to a lockout.

If you’re performing traditional lifts, the DB shoulder press is probably already in your repertoire. It’s a solid staple. The other two exercises may be new movements to you and will help progress your upper body (and probably bust some plateaus).
Performing these three movements back-to-back in a nasty tri-set puts a huge demand on your shoulder muscles. The lack of recovery between each exercise really challenges them.

Once you perform all three movements, take 60-90 seconds of rest, then get right back into your next set for a total of three sets. If you can do four, increase the weight or volume next time. You shouldn’t be able to make it to four sets.

Give this tri-set a try to spice things up in your current upper body workouts. You won’t regret it. (Well, maybe a little… when you can’t lift your arms later.)
Coach’s Tip: See these other blogs for extra shoulder workout mojo…

4 Uncommon Movements to Build Massive Shoulders
4 Reasons Your Shoulder Workouts Need More Overhead Pressing
Upright Rows: The GOAT for Shoulder Workouts

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Overhead pressing is one of the most challenging compound movements. If you’re lacking in core stability and shoulder mobility, pressing weight overhead can be downright frustrating. What if you have muscular asymmetries or imbalances? What other movements out there can you work on to strengthen your overhead press or work around injuries?

Cory Caruthers is a trainer and ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist who’s been an athlete himself for 15 years. As a dad, it’s hugely important for him to model a healthy lifestyle for his kids. And that means knowing how to squat well into old age. In this blog, he outlines shoulder anatomy and three excellent variations of the overhead press: landmine presses, half-kneeling single arm presses, and the Z press.

Get Stronger Shoulders With Varied Movements

Pressing heavy weight overhead is hard. And it’s even harder when you lack mobility and stability in the right areas of your body. Overhead pressing is excellent for building strength and size in your upper body, especially your shoulders, triceps, traps, and core. 

But pressing with a barbell presents a problem: the bar can restrict your full range of motion. 

This restriction can lead to excess stresses on your shoulder joints and spine, especially when your posture is slouched over, your head and neck forward, staring at a screen most of the day. This rounded posture limits your mobility and can lead to joint trouble.

Of course the barbell overhead press isn’t a bad exercise. It’s absolutely something you should aim to be able to do comfortably. But there are other alternatives that can help you grow strength and solid muscle in your upper body while encouraging better overhead mobility.

Muscles Used in The Overhead Press

The dominant movers for the overhead press are the muscles that make up your shoulders and upper trunk like the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids. Your triceps are also involved to help push the weight at the top portion of the lift and straighten out your elbows. 

Then you have the muscles that help stabilize the shoulder and scapula such as the bicep brachii, rotator cuff muscles, serratus anterior, and your traps. When you do this exercise standing, it becomes a full body exercise, so your core works hard to stabilize your spine and pelvis. Without this stability you’d be putting your joints in compromised positions.

The standing overhead press is considered a compound lift, since it works multiple joints and requires core stability. 

Standing Overhead Press Form

Whatever pressing variation you use will change some small elements of how you lift the weight (I’ll go into detail for alternative exercises), but consider this your general guide to good overhead press form: 

1. Whether you do this with a kettlebell, dumbbell or barbell, keep your elbows around 45 degrees in front of your body while pressing. A flared elbow to the side will put your shoulder joint under unnecessary stress. 
2. Keep a neutral spine to prevent your ribs from flaring out and low back from overarching. Brace your core, push your ribs down, and slightly tuck in your tailbone. 
3. Stack your shoulder blades — don’t let your shoulders shrug up into your ears. 
4. Press the weight overhead and make sure your arms are straight upon lockout. Good cue to remember is “biceps next to the ears.”

These tips are universal with almost all overhead pressing variations. For a super in-depth look at strict overhead pressing, see this blog: Strict Press: A How-To Guide

Why Do More Unilateral Variations?

Training unilaterally (one limb at a time) will expose your imbalances, whether it’s general weakness, mobility, or stability issues. For many of you, it could be a new stimulus to work unilaterally — introducing a new stimulus can mean new muscle growth. Unilateral work also means strengthening that weaker side while improving your form and other imbalances. 

And don’t forget the benefits of working your core, specifically in anti-lateral flexion. Stick with some of these unilateral variations for some time, then go back to the barbell overhead press. Watch how much more stable you feel and how much stronger your core is. 

You’ll increase your work output while keeping your joints happy. It’s beneficial to switch your focus for a while from strictly barbell to unilateral variations that challenge your body in different ways.

Try These Instead of Using a Barbell

Landmine Press

The landmine press is one of my go-to exercises for athletes who lack overhead mobility in their shoulders. You can set up the landmine anywhere that allows you to put one end of a barbell on the floor or against a wall without sliding (wedged between two plates should work). 

If you have a landmine attachment, that’s perfect, but you can definitely do this movement without it. Once you have the bar set up and the weight added to the top end of the bar, you’re ready to lift. 

Start with a standing split-stance position. Whatever arm you’re working first, the opposite leg is in front.

1. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and keep your hips squared, meaning don’t let them rotate.
2. Grip the top end of the barbell at shoulder-height with your wrist straight.
3. Push the weight up and forward, think about pushing with your elbow, not your hand. 
4. Your arm will be inclined in front of you between 45-60 degrees
5. Don’t stop pushing when your arm is straight, give an extra push with your shoulder blades. Imagine you are reaching for the cookies on the top shelf at home. 
6. With control bring the weight back down to the front of your shoulder. 

Half Kneeling Single Arm Overhead Press 

This variation is great for building the skill of lifting overhead. Being in a half-kneeling stance will take the legs away from the movement, reducing the chances of you using leg drive to get the weight overhead. Your core works harder to stabilize your torso from bending to one side (lateral flexion) and you’re able to work on the mobility/stability of the shoulder complex individually. 

I recommend starting with the less stable or weaker side first, and let that side be the guide. For example, if your left side is weaker and can only do 15lbs for 10 reps, your stronger side has to match that even if it can do more.

1. Grab a light-moderate dumbbell or kettlebell and take a half-kneeling stance with one leg in front of you (like a lunge). Push into the floor with both feet to grip the ground with your toes.
2. Slightly tuck your tailbone, squeeze your glutes and brace your core to prevent arching into your back or flaring your ribs.
3. Bring your DB or KB into a front rack position on the arm opposite your grounded knee.
4. Keeping a neutral spine, press the weight overhead by “punching” the sky with your knuckles, slightly rotating your arm so your knuckles are behind you. Remember not to let your elbows flare out, keep them around 45 degrees. 
5. Lift until your bicep is next to your ear, arm is straight, and shoulder blade is stacked. 
6. Lower the weight back to your starting position.

Z Press

If you want a strong overhead and bulletproof shoulders, then work on the Z press. You can load this bilaterally or unilaterally, both are great options. Unilateral pressing will put more demand on your core by forcing you to keep a straight spine. 

The Z press not only works on overhead strength and stability, but also trains a little hip and hamstring mobility. Mastering the Z press will make gains in the overall health of your shoulder tissues.

1. Sit on the ground with your legs straight in front of you. If you lack some hip mobility you can widen your legs or sit on a plate. 
2. Bring your weight (pair or single dumbbells/kettlebells) into the front rack position in front of your shoulder.
3. Brace your core, keep your spine neutral and drive your legs into the ground for more tension. Because you’re on the ground with no back support, your core is in high demand to keep your spine from moving.
4. Punch the sky with your knuckles, slightly rotating your arm so the knuckles are behind you. Don’t let your elbows flare, keep them around 45 degrees. 
5. Lockout with your bicep next to your ear, arm straight, and shoulder blade stacked. 
6. Lower the weight back to your starting position.

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Getting bigger, wider delts that pop off your shoulders requires more than just attacking your shoulder workouts — you gotta do them with purpose. Understanding positioning, muscle relationships, and the correct equipment to use is paramount to building the delts of your dreams.

Josh Gangaware is a personal trainer based in Boca Raton, Florida. When Josh isn’t training clients or working out himself, he’s mentoring other coaches, chasing around his two young kids, watching sports, or head-banging to heavy metal. Josh focuses on muscle-building for adults, athletic development for young athletes, and post-rehab training.

In this blog, Josh walks you through the key principles of building muscles and three helpful tips to work your shoulders both smarter and harder.

The Key Principles of Building Muscle

Any athlete, bodybuilder, or fitness enthusiast will tell you one of the most impressive things on a body is big, juicy shoulders.

Having shoulders that pop off the body instead of falling straight down from the shoulder joint is a mark of the sustained hard work and focus required to build a high-functioning upper body.

While some people are genetically gifted with the ability to build impressive delts, most of us need a more direct and focused approach. We can’t just look at a pair of dumbbells and think of doing side-laterals, we need to actually attack the shoulders in a very precise manner.

When it comes to building muscle, there are a few principles we must abide by:

1. We need high-functioning joints. In this case, we need shoulder joints (and surrounding areas, i.e. rib cage and shoulder blades) that are mobile AND stable enough to allow the muscle to produce maximum amounts of force. Warm-ups that are specific to you and your limitations are so important.

2. Putting ourselves in the correct position/posture can make or break your execution and, as a consequence, your results.

3. Exercise selection needs to be appropriate. To build muscle, we need to either load the muscle heavy or put it in lengthened positions to maximize tension across the muscle.

4. Do your isolations right. To maximize tension across the muscle, we can’t have extraneous body parts moving around wildly. One end of the muscle (the origin) needs to be locked into place while the other end (the insertion) moves about the full range of motion of the muscle.

My main points for this article can also be applied to other muscle groups, but today I’ll be focusing specifically on the shoulders.

Tip #1: Find the Scapular Plane

Movement is generally categorized in three planes: frontal (front-to-back), sagittal (side-to-side), and transverse (rotational). Most exercises are performed in one or more of these patterns.

To get the most of the shoulders, we need to find a fourth plane: the scapular plane. This angle is where your shoulder blades are in a neutral position and have the freedom to move around the rib cage.

The scapular plane lies at about 30-45 degrees in front of the midline of your body. If you hold your arm(s) straight out about half-way between right in front of you and out to the side, that is about 30-45 degrees. The exact angle will depend on your own body.

An easy test to find the scapular plane is to move your arm out at 90 degrees (like you would normally be doing an overhead press), move the upper arm forward slightly, and reach overhead. Repeat this step a few times and find the one that feels best reaching overhead. If you get it right, you shouldn’t feel any restriction from the humerus running into the AC joint (the joint that separates that collar bone from the shoulder blade).

The angle of the upper arm at this point is where your scapular plane sits. This is where any overhead pressing or lateral raises take place.

For the overhead press, this allows the front delt to be the primary mover and helps stave off impingement-type pains. Similarly, for the lateral raise, this position allows the middle delt to drive the motion.

Find the scapular plane and you’ll unlock better performance and have less trouble with injuries.

Tip #2: Understand the Relationship Between Muscle Tension and Muscle Length

Whenever a joint goes through a range of motion, our muscles work in a spectrum of lengthened to mid-range to shortened positions. We may not always think of it in this way, but we inherently feel it when we lift.

Throughout this arc, muscles have varying degrees of force they’re able to produce. The strongest amount of force is produced in the mid-range while weaker forces are produced in the lengthened and shortened positions.

Working within each range can be beneficial to develop specific adaptations.

Shortened Range:
The shortened range generally produces more blood pooling (aka “the pump”) and metabolite accumulation. Getting into a position to work the shortened range usually requires stability at the joint.

Mid-Range:
Most of the exercises we perform lie in the mid-range. This is where our muscles are the strongest. The ability to load a muscle is probably the most important factor in growing it, and the mid-range allows us to drive the greatest amount of load through the muscle.

Lengthened Range:
This is the more stretched position of the muscle. Even though the muscle isn’t super strong in this range, it still creates a significant amount of tension across the muscle, which we can use to our advantage.

So why not just live in the mid-range, since it can produce the greatest amount of force?

Theoretically, it makes sense – if the only thing we are loading is the muscle. However, we need to remember that loading with (relatively) heavy weight, our joints and connective tissues are also taking some brunt of the force.

Working the mid-range is great and necessary for growth, but we need a bit of variability in how we attack muscles to avoid injury.

This is where getting into lengthened positions is a hidden gem for building muscle. Lengthened positions still allow you to keep crazy tension on the muscle, but because it isn’t as strong in that range, you don’t have to load it as much, sparing your joints (and still working the muscle).

To stay in the lifting game for the long-haul, our bodies like variability of movement. Working in some shortened and lengthened range opens a broader scale of movement, building mobility and stability.

Above any other factor, being consistent with training for long periods of time will net the greatest results. Taking measures to be able to do so is pretty darn important.

This concept becomes extremely valuable when we look at the appropriate tools to use for building muscle.

Tip #3: Choose the Correct Exercise Equipment

When it comes to building muscle, not every piece of equipment is ideal for the job. Leveraging isolation and external stability is going to give you the greatest opportunity at growing muscle. So, take advantage of the right equipment. You also need to understand where each implement can provide the greatest stimulus in a given range.

Instead of breaking down every implement, I’ll break it up into free weights, cables, and machines.

Free Weights

Looking at the shoulders specifically, free weights can be a great choice for hitting the mid-range on pressing movements. When it comes to exercises like lateral raises, we’re using more of a shortened range. The arc of movement of the lateral raise means the farther away the arm travels from the body, the greater the resistance is acting on the muscle. So we are not only changing positions of the limb to increase difficulty, but also how the load is acting on the muscle.

Conversely, on the overhead press, the load isn’t changing in terms of moving from the midline of the body (the weight is always being resisted vertically). Only the length of the limb is changing. Remember, free wights act against gravity, which is only going to act on them straight up and down.

On another note, free weights do require a good amount of internal stability and skill to perform the exercises correctly with enough load to generate a muscle-building stimulus. While it’s always great to work on the skill of movement, free weights may not be the best choice for building muscle – at least until you’re pretty advanced.

Cables

Unlike free weights that have variable resistance based on position, cables offer constant levels of resistance through a range of motion. This is great for developing the shoulders because you can make small adjustments to your body or cable position to bias shortened, mid-range, or lengthened ranges.

Performing a lateral raise (making sure your arm moves along the scapular plane) with the cable in the bottom position will hit more of the mid-range of the middle delt. If you slide the cable up to thigh-height and perform the same movement, you’ll focus on more of the lengthened range.

Machines

The major benefits of machines come from the external stability they provide, as well as the consistent path of motion.

Building muscle requires pushing toward failure of the muscle itself. With free weights there’s often some kind of limiting factor – usually your stabilizers or core. When you’re locked into a machine, you can push the muscle closer to failure.

Consistency of reps is also important, not just from a muscle building perspective, but also in terms of developing skill in the movement. The fixed path of the machine allows repeated reps in the same path without risking the rest of your body fatiguing.

The main drawback of machines is finding the correct positions, or even manipulations, to make them fit each individual body.

BONUS: Setting Up a Bodybuilding Program

If you’re working through a more bodybuilding style of programming, the easiest programming set up would look something like this:

• Shortened Range Movement: lighter weights/higher reps
• Mid-Range Skill: Based Movement: 5-10 reps with free weights
• Mid-Range Machine: Based Movement: 6-12 reps, leaving 1 in the tank
• Lengthened Range Movement: 8-12 reps, close to failure

For other styles of programming, try to make sure you’re working in shortened and lengthened range exercises regularly to get the most out of your training!

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Andrew Watsford is a strongman competitor, coach, and co-owner of DNA Strength and Performance in Australia. He is an ASCA level 1, World Rugby advanced S&C coach, and he holds Rugby Australia level 1 coaching accreditation. In this piece, he’ll teach you to master pressing movements in any commercial gym (no special equipment needed) and achieve strongman shoulder status.

Strongman Competition Basics

The overhead press is a staple in any strongman competition. It can come in many shapes and sizes, from max weight to max reps in a specified timeframe.

Its variations include the log press, viking press, axle clean and press, circus dumbbells, kegs, sandbags, stones and even a heavy rectangle block, which is called the block press. (Strongman athletes aren’t known for clever names.)

I want to focus on two of the main strongman overhead press events: the circus dumbbell press and the viking press. I’ll coach you through these lifts and how to modify your gym equipment if you don’t have access to strongman equipment.

Circus Dumbbell Press

First, let’s focus on the circus dumbbell press. If you don’t have access to conventional circus dumbbells, you can use regular dumbbells from the rack and foam drop blocks. Using Fat Gripz will make the lift feel similar to using actual circus dumbbells.

This movement can be broken down into three different parts.

First is the clean to the shoulder. Grab the dumbbell with either one or both hands (if you need the extra stability). Keep your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly further out for more stability.

Once you have yourself steady, take a breath to brace your core, then press the dumbbell overhead and lock out your elbow. As the weight of the dumbbell goes up, you will need to adopt a push press or split jerk stance. I would recommend a push press unless you have a solid Olympic lifting background.

Viking Press

The viking press is usually a rep-based event in a given time frame, typically 60 seconds. It’s a neutral grip press, meaning your hands face inward.

It’s hard to find a gym with equipment specific to the viking press, even in strongman gyms. But fear not! You can easily mimic this movement with a power rack, two barbells and safety bars.

At your power rack, set one side of the safety pins at shoulder height and the other side at the next lowest setting. On the lower setting, sandwich the safety pin between two 5kg (10lb) plates with collars on each end. There will be a space between the two plates where the barbell sits on the safety bar. On the higher side, stand outside the power rack and load the plates for your desired weight.

From here, use the ends of the two barbells as handles. You can either strict press or push press the weight up. A “good lift” is given once the body is straight, elbows locked and head through.

Using Strongman Presses in Your Strength Training Program

Be sure to train both arms for the circus dumbbells as it’s common for one to be stronger than the other. But don’t fret – both the viking press and circus dumbbell press are amazing tools to address your imbalances. Alternatively, try swapping out your usual barbell presses for the more unique viking press.

These movements are just two of many awesome strongman events that could massively improve your strength training. Strongman work also includes a number of deadlift, pulling, and carrying events that will take your cardio to the next level.

So, don’t be scared of the strongman style! Give these lifts a try at your next training session.

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If you frequent globo gyms, you’ve heard the question, “how much do you bench?” (if not directed at you, then at someone with a bigger chest than you). But is the bench press really worth all the hype, or do we just gravitate to it because that’s where we started as teenagers? What other upper body movements could be more useful? Dave Leek is a personal trainer and coach out of Ontario, Canada. He’s been in the fitness industry for almost 20 years and currently maintains a roster of remote clients while coaching CrossFit. As a dad, functional training and longevity are important to him. That includes having strong shoulders. In this piece, he takes us through some shoulder anatomy before outlining why the shoulder press is such a dominant upper body movement—it helps with functional fitness, strengthening the supporting muscles, improving your physique, and preventing injuries.

Why Are Big Chests Are Overrated?

In 1899, the ‘Russian Lion’ George Hackenschmidt performed the first ever recorded floor press. This moment gave way to the development of what we know today as the bench press, arguably the most popular exercise (or at least most discussed in locker rooms) in the world.

Not long after this, the famous question posed by gym-goers everywhere found its way into workout conversations across the globe—”How much do you bench?” 

The problem is this question doesn’t tell you much about the caliber of the lifter. It only offers one small piece of the pie and I’m here to suggest that it’s not even an important piece, probably more like the crust. A better question to determine overall strength would be “How much do you shoulder press?”

Before you write me off for disrespecting your favorite lift, let me explain. I’m not saying the bench press doesn’t have a place in a well-rounded training program. It’s a pretty essential compound lift. But pound-for-pound, the shoulder press should be given more love and prioritized in more routines.

Anatomy Refresher

Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of a complex muscle group that allows for a wide variety of movements. Also called the glenohumeral joint, it has more range of motion than any other joint in your body in order to articulate your arms in as many directions as possible.

The primary shoulder mover is your deltoid, a thick, triangular muscle with a wide origin point that surrounds the joint on all sides and inserts into the humerus. The primary functions of the deltoid muscle are arm abduction (raising your arm to the side of your body), flexion (moving your arm forward in an overhead position), and extension (moving your arm backward, behind your body).

Your delts work in tandem with the other muscles, like your biceps, triceps, trapezius, and pectorals, to stabilize and move your arms.

Why is the shoulder press such a dominant movement?

The shoulder press (or strict press) is the “weakest” compound lift for most athletes, meaning it’s the lowest number in weight they can move. Compared to your bench numbers, your overhead press capacity feels measly, so it’s a bit less celebrated. But this is misleading, since it’s incredibly difficult and impressive to move heavy weight overhead.

Shoulder pressing actually used to be included in powerlifting competitions as part of your meet total, but it became too difficult to judge and was removed around the 1970s. Strongman competitions still include variations of overhead pressing using logs, but the movements aren’t “strict”—a lifter can use their legs to drive the weight overhead.  

The strict shoulder press (also called the military press) could be considered the king of upper body movements for several reasons.

1. It has greater functional carryover into daily life

Functional carryover is an exercise’s ability to improve day-to-day living by providing more strength for casual tasks outside of the gym. These are things gym rats sometimes take for granted their ability to do easily: picking up their kids, carrying groceries, walking up stairs, etc. 

Good shoulder health is necessary for placing/removing items from high shelves, lifting your child up in the air, throwing a ball, hanging something on the wall, and so many other tasks. Without proper shoulder function, all of these movements can be painful or completely unavailable to someone. 

The shoulder press builds strength and maintains (or improves) overall range of motion, making regular daily living tasks doable, easy, and pain-free. For the general population, shoulder function might be one of the greatest assets we own as human beings. Without it, our daily activities are severely limited, which means a reduced quality of living.

2. It’ll improve the surrounding musculature

While the shoulder covers a lot of real estate on the upper body, it’s far from the largest muscle group. Your shoulders are dwarfed by your chest and back muscles, yet they contribute to the function of those surrounding muscles. Your shoulders play a huge role assisting your back and chest during different movements.

Basically all upper body exercises require using your arms. Most, if not all movements that require using your arms also necessitate using your shoulders. Without strong, mobile shoulders, a lot of upper body exercises suffer. If you’ve ever had shoulder surgery, you know how true this is. 

A lot of athletes can actually increase their bench press by improving their overhead press, but not necessarily the other way around.

3. You’ll have a better overall aesthetic

Some of you might be saying, “What’s better than a big chest? Haven’t you seen Pumping Iron?” Sure, a large chest definitely turns some heads on the beach or in the weight room. But a big chest paired with underdeveloped lats, shoulders, or arms looks pretty ridiculous. Every 15-year-old kid starts their workout journey with push ups and bicep curls, so it’s no wonder we often see these big chests accompanied by rounded shoulders, excessively tight lats, and twig legs. 

“How much do you bench?” has led to some amateur physiques. But you’re not that guy.

A well-developed set of shoulders are a) less common and b) make any physique look huge by adding width to the frame of the torso and creating the visual of a more tapered waist. Big shoulders are also better at filling out t-shirts, sweaters, and dress clothes so you can show off your hard work year round.

A big chest is nice, but if I had to pick one or the other, I’d take large shoulders with an average chest over a large chest with average shoulders.

4. You can prevent shoulder injuries with a stronger press

We can’t overlook the preventative health benefits of strong shoulders developed by overhead pressing. Your shoulder joint is supported by your rotator cuff muscles, and while these muscles can (and should) be trained independently, the basic shoulder pressing movement works on them all at the same time.

The list of possible shoulder injuries is extensive, including things like frozen shoulder, shoulder impingement, shoulder dislocation, shoulder bursitis, and rotator cuff tears. There’s a high-cost, high-reward element to being the most complicated joint in the body. The surrounding musculature requires more care and attention to keep things working pain free.

There are about a million different exercises to train the shoulder and keep it functioning properly, but they all largely center around a strong and healthy overhead press.

The bench press is a phenomenal exercise for developing upper body strength and size, but I believe its glory days are done. The title of most popular upper body exercise should be retired from the bench press and passed on to the shoulder press.

It’s hands down the best upper body pressing exercise and I motion to make “How much do you press?” the new question to determine one’s athletic acumen.

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Simply put, big shoulders are sexy. If you’re into bodybuilding, you know that your shoulders form the wide top of your hourglass or “V” shape. Having round boulder shoulders is immediately noticeable for your physique aesthetics and usually means the difference between an L and XL t-shirt.

Build Mountain Peaks to Look Down on Your Enemies

Here at TrainHeroic, we love building big shoulders. Case in point:

• 4 Uncommon Movements to Build Massive Shoulders
• Master the Arnold Press for Sculpted Shoulders
• Strict Press: A How-To Guide

Your shoulders are responsible for stabilizing your upper trunk and articulating your arms in a bunch of different directions. This makes them injury-prone if neglected or overworked. Strong delts and a well-oiled rotator cuff protect the complex shoulder joint from tears, impingement, and all kinds of weird stuff that can cause shoulder pain. 

The bulk of weight training for shoulder workouts involves presses or jerks—push press, strict/military press, push/power jerk, split jerk—everything that requires holding weight overhead. The strongest shoulders can press big plates. 

But your shoulders are capable of more than just pushing weight above you. Pulling movements like lateral and front raises, dumbbell flys, and upright rows are awesome for hitting your shoulder muscles from different angles. 

Training your shoulders to pull weight vertically also loosely translates to some useful functional movements like carrying groceries, helping a drunk friend up to their feet, or playing tug-o-war with your dog.

Shoulder anatomy & injury myths

Wherever the viral disinformation started that upright rows are bad for your shoulders, we wish it hadn’t. We’re here to dispel some *scary* myths that demonize this exercise for causing shoulder impingement issues.

The idea behind this is when the two bony parts of your shoulder come together at the top, it can cause pain and impingement. But for 95% of us, our anatomy actually allows for this movement to happen. Upright rows themselves aren’t inherently dangerous. 

Whether or not this movement is fine for your body has to do with the shapes of the bones in your shoulders, and most of us are within a normal range. This is absolutely an exercise that your shoulders are capable of performing safely. 

There is just no evidence that supports the idea that upright rows are “a great way to shred your rotator cuff” or that they’re otherwise a hazard.

Check out this video by E3 Rehab if you want to get into the weeds here.

More than likely, if you have pain or symptoms associated with upright rows, it’s probably related to load. Like any exercise, it’s up to you to scale appropriately and make the necessary modifications so you can reap the rewards of adding upright rows to your shoulder workouts.

If your joints are healthy and you lift with good form, upright rows are no more a threat than any other shoulder exercise. And just like how bent-over rows create a strong back, upright rows help build shoulder peaks that would make Mount Fuji jealous. 

So, if you want to grow bulging pumpkin delts like Dana Linn Bailey, this pulling movements is where it’s at. Check out our guide and get to rowing!

How to do Upright Rows

Points of Performance

Upright rows can be done with a range of equipment: a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, EZ-curl bar, or smith machine. We’ll use a barbell to keep things simple, but you can execute everything the same way with dumbbells, too. 

Setup

Start standing with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. Hold your bar with an overhand grip down at your waist.

Grip: Wide vs. Narrow

Grip width preference is basically up to you. The general consensus is that a wider grip will work the side head of your deltoid while a narrower grip hits your traps and front delts a little more. Upright rows hit all three heads of your delts in general—whether you take a wider or narrower grip will change the focus of the movement only slightly. 

Coach’s Tip: A super wide grip upright row looks suspiciously like a snatch grip high pull in Olympic weightlifting. And a narrow grip with a wide stance looks suspiciously like a sumo deadlift high pull.

Row

With a tight core and neutral spine, pull your elbows up toward the ceiling. Pull the bar up your body so it lands just under your chin or around the top of your chest with your elbows bent. You don’t need to raise the bar all the way up to forehead level.

Keep your elbows higher than your wrists for the entire movement. Squeeze at the top, then return the weight to your starting position. If you have to swing your torso excessively or “kip” with your hips, the weight is probably too heavy. Check your ego. Unless you’re doing Olympic weightlifting high pulls, upright rows are not intended to be a dynamic/explosive exercise.

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Massive overhead strength is a hefty goal to chase. Since it’s one of the more difficult aspects of strength to develop, holding a fat stack of plates overhead always looks impressive, feels epic, and establishes dominance over your enemies.

Master the Push Press for strength, size, & explosiveness

In Strict Press: A How-To Guide, we mention that there are a lot of different names and variations for getting a weight from your shoulders (front rack) to above your head. These exercises require strong shoulders, a stable spine, and a sturdy core. Every overhead movement variation falls into one of two categories.  

• Category 1: strict press, overhead press, military press, shoulder press
• Category 2: push press, push/power jerk, split jerk, squat jerk

The lifts in category one are all essentially the same movement, while category two has a couple of nuances. The basic rule is this: initiation of the movement is different between the two categories and the same within each.

What’s the key differentiator? Leg drive. 

For category one, the basic press is initiated by bracing your core and pushing the bar vertically without bending your knees or using your legs for momentum. In category two—push presses and jerks—the lift starts with your legs.

It’s that simple. And that complex when it comes to technical force production. The differences in these overhead lifts seem confusing at first, but with enough practice, they become second nature. 

The push press is like a middle ground between strict pressing at lower weights, and doing jerks, which allow for the heaviest overhead weight. Push presses are a killer strength builder and shoulder burner for hypertrophy too. (Skeptical on that one? Try a TABATA push press with a light weight and thank us later.)

Here’s your guide to push presses with a barbell. Remember, the same basic movement mechanics apply when using dumbbells, kettlebells, soup cans, or whatever weight you’ve got in your hands.

How to do the Push Press

Points of Performance

Setup: Stance & Grip

Set your barbell in the rack at about mid-chest height—the same height you would use to squat. Find your front rack position by gripping the bar overhand, just outside shoulder width. Your forearms should be vertical, not too wide (avoid making a “W” shape with your body).

Drive your elbows under the bar to the other side and let the bar rest across your shoulders, supported by the meaty heels of your palms. Your elbows should be pointing slightly in front of the bar. Keep your chest upright and hold tension in your shoulders so the bar doesn’t sag down. 

Step out of the rack with your bar and find your feet anywhere between shoulder and hip-with stance.

Dip & Drive

Take a breath to brace your core before initiating the lift with a movement called the dip and drive.  

Dip straight down by bending your knees and sitting slightly. The key for generating power from this position is to control the dip. Keep your torso upright. Don’t lean forward and let the bar travel out in front of you—that’s no bueno for your balance. And don’t dip too far down so it turns into a quarter squat, just a slight bend in the knees is all it takes. 

From the bottom of the dip, use your legs to drive aggressively into the floor and accelerate the bar upward. You’ll come up onto your toes a little if you’re driving hard enough. 

Press

Good timing comes into play here. As you straighten your knees, push up on the bar with your arms until your elbows lock the bar overhead. 

Pull your head back and out of the way as the bar passes in front of your face, then bring your neck back into neutral alignment when the bar moves past your forehead. This way your bar path stays in a straight line over your midfoot for the whole lift.

Coach’s Tip: Don’t let your knees re-bend once they straighten! That’s a totally different lift, the push jerk. Once your knees lock, they should stay in place. This is when most of the “work” is done—push hard with your arms and upper trunk to finish the press. 

Receive

Bend your elbows and return the bar back to your shoulders with control. Tuck your chin again to move your head out of the way and use your legs to catch the bar with a slight bounce. 

Variation: Behind the Neck (BTN) Push Press

If you want to practice some dynamic spatial awareness without having to move your head out of the way of the barbell, try BTN push presses.

Setup and execution are essentially the same except the barbell is loaded behind your neck, resting across your traps (like for a back squat). Make sure your forearms are vertical, so all you need to do is dip, drive, and press the bar directly overhead.  

Pressing from behind your neck ensures the proper bar path and allows for easy balance training.