How to military press for strong shoulders

The exercise has different names: military press, front press, or shoulder press. Whatever you call the exercise, it is best suited to train strong and muscular shoulders. Your trapezius, triceps, and abdominal muscles will also benefit. Here’s everything you need to know about the exercise:

What exactly is military press?

The military press is a so-called compound exercise. This means several joints, muscles, and muscle groups are involved in the execution. You can perform the exercise with dumbbells, a barbell, and a kettlebell. If you want more muscle mass, you should use a barbell because you can work with heavier weights. In addition, it is possible to perform the exercise while sitting or standing. Tip: If you perform military press in a standing position, you use more muscles than sitting. However, sitting is a little more challenging for the shoulders because the help from the legs is missing.

Which muscles are used?

The great advantage of this excellent shoulder exercise is that it trains many muscles, which is a great thing not only for aesthetic reasons. The shoulder muscles perform essential functions in the musculoskeletal system. For example, the deltoid stabilizes the humerus in the shoulder joint, and the trapezius muscle is vital for contracting, lifting, and lowering the shoulders. Not to forget the triceps, without which we would be unable to stretch our arms. Here is an overview of the muscles that are trained:

How to perform military press properly?

• First, you stand hip-width apart with your legs very slightly bent.

• Then grasp the barbell more than shoulder-width apart and place it on your chest.

• For orientation: Your hands are above your elbows.

• Then press the barbell vertically upward, with your body leaning back slightly.

• The arms are not fully extended. This keeps the muscle under tension.

• Finally, lower back to the chest in a controlled manner.

A few extra-tips

When pressing the barbell upward, you need to lift your chin slightly and bend your hips a tiny bit. Otherwise, you could bump your chin or nose. Once the barbell has passed your forehead, you can bring your head and body back under the barbell. Here is a video with all the essential instructions for the execution: