The Seated Military Press:
The seated military press is identical to the standing press, except it’s done while seated on a bench instead of standing on your feet.
Here’s what it looks like:
The seated military press requires either a dedicated station, like this . . .
military press station
Or a squat rack or power cage like these . . .
To do the seated military press, place your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart with your toes and knees slightly turned out.
Press your heels into the ground to keep your upper back and butt rooted in place against the back of the bench.
The rest of the movement is just like a standing military press.
Here’s how it looks:
The first thing you’ll notice about the seated military press is it’s significantly easier than the standing press.This is why many well-informed strength training experts like Mark Rippetoe say the standing variation is better for developing whole-body strength and muscularity.
A study conducted by scientists at FacSogn og Fjordane University College supports this claim.
In this study, the researchers had 15 young, healthy lifters perform both the seated and standing military press with 80% of their one-rep max (1RM). The researchers also attached electrodes to the men’s deltoids, biceps, and triceps to measure muscle activation.
To record muscle activation, they used an electromyograph (EMG), which measures the electrical activity within a muscle. More electrical activity within a muscle indicates more muscle fibers contracting, which translates into a more powerful stimulus for muscle growth.
The researchers found that overall muscle activation was slightly higher in the standing versus seated military press, but the differences weren’t huge.
That said, there are a few drawbacks to the standing military press that you should be aware of:
You won’t be able to move as much weight.You’ll progress slower.
You’ll need more time to get good at it.
You see, the standing military press isn’t just a shoulder exercise—it’s a whole-body exercise that requires many support muscle groups to engage and work together, including the abs, lats, and lower back.
This is why most people find they can press about 10% more weight when seated versus standing and progress to heavier weights faster.From:
https://legionathletics.com/military-press/