Military Press VS. DB Press

[ngm21084]

which one do you guys do prefer or both?  and with the military press do you go behind the neck?  has it ever caused you any shoulder pain?

[mass 04]

of the three I love BNP. IMO it hits all three heads of the shoulder the best. I alternate the three week to week, but when I do the Behind the Neck press I pre exhaust with side laterals so I don't go as heavy and never had any problems.

[dov]

I use both presses in my shldr routine. Very strict and always to the front...I also love standing BB presses..again, very strict..no leg involvement

[ngm21084]

i really dont care for behind the neck...it hurts the shit out of my shoulder...ive been debating on giving it a go on the smith machine...but i do arnold presse as opposed to just regular db presses...

[Montague]

I typically favor db’s over bb’s for most pressing movements, though I don’t ignore the latter completely.

I agree with those who say that using db’s requires each arm to work independently and also recruits more ancillary muscles to balance the weight as opposed to using a barbell. This generally makes execution of the press a bit harder.

I once had a pretty noticeable imbalance between my right and left arm when pressing. About a month and a half of db work corrected that nicely.

I also do Arnie presses once in a while.
Nice feel for something different.

[John O]

I also favor DB over barbell. For me DB's, if for no other reason just feel better. I use to do PBN but I think they will take a toll on you real quick! This is an exercise that places the shoulder joint in a bad position and the range of motion puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulders. Not worth it. (IMO)

[Montague]

I also favor DB over barbell. For me DB's, if for no other reason just feel better. I use to do PBN but I think they will take a toll on you real quick! This is an exercise that places the shoulder joint in a bad position and the range of motion puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulders. Not worth it. (IMO)

Dumbbells allow for more freedom of movement, which offers more room for adjustments.
Barbells lock you in more and can be a bit uncomfortable for that reason.
Sometimes making that minor adjustment is all it takes to avoid some potential problems.

As for BNP, they just don’t seem to bother some people, while others couldn’t do them if their life depended on it.
Everybody’s different in that regard.

One very experienced friend once told me to never push or pull anything behind the neck because it’s too dangerous.
Another very experienced friend once told me to do BNP, but to save them for the end of your workout when you’re nice and warmed up & loose.
The biomechanics still didn’t agree with me, so I simply don’t do them, period.

Listen to your body on this one.

[webcake]

Dumbbells allow for more freedom of movement, which offers more room for adjustments.
Barbells lock you in more and can be a bit uncomfortable for that reason.
Sometimes making that minor adjustment is all it takes to avoid some potential problems.
As for BNP, they just don’t seem to bother some people, while others couldn’t do them if their life depended on it.Everybody’s different in that regard.
One very experienced friend once told me to never push or pull anything behind the neck because it’s too dangerous.Another very experienced friend once told me to do BNP, but to save them for the end of your workout when you’re nice and warmed up & loose.
The biomechanics still didn’t agree with me, so I simply don’t do them, period.
Listen to your body on this one.

Exactly. BNP comes down to the individual. I was once training with  a mate, and i can do BNP easy, yet he couldn't do them at all. I guess it comes down to the flexibility of your shoulders. Still, i mostly do regular presses with barbell.

I might do BNP when i train delts this week. Haven't done them for a while.

[ngm21084]

yea im def a no go with bnp...not even on smith machine...ill just stick with the arnies and the front side shoulder press....thanks guys...

[SF1900]

I actually prefer barbell presses to the front. Do not like dumbbells too much for shoulder presses.

[HERACLES]

We usually do both- AS for BTNP, I wont dare go to heavy where I am straining, thats just asking for trouble. But usually we would do both in a workout, followed by your lateral movements then R delts, and shrugs..

[JasonH]

Behind neck presses definitely - my strongest exercise.

Dumbells are a close second though - I'm concentrating on these at the moment in my shoulder workouts.