In an effort to be cutting-edge, personal trainers have invented many new exercises using various equipment. These include things like balance board squats and stability ball bench presses. I think nearly all of these exercises are ineffective if you are training to increase strength and gain muscle mass. Over and over again the old-school exercises beat-out the new exercises. There are various reasons for this, which I won’t get into right now, but if you need evidence then simply observe the strength levels of those who train with these exercises.The point is that while these new exercises are ineffective, they have caught-on in some training centers simply because they are unique. This is not so terrible in itself, but many of these new exercises seem to have removed the classic exercises from the gym entirely. One such classic exercise is the overhead press. Now, the overhead press has always been somewhat of an endangered animal due to the huge popularity of the bench press, but now it is nearly extinct in most gyms. So it is time for a reintroduction to this classic strength builder.As mentioned, the bench press is by far the most popular variation of the press, likely due to its activation of the pectorals. However, if you have become too bench press obsessed in your programming you have likely seen a plateau in your strength and size gains. One of the best ways to get your bench press moving again is to increase your strength in the overhead press. By focusing on the overhead press the deltoids, triceps, and upper back will all get stronger and bigger, which will translate to a bigger bench press. I strongly recommend that most trainees forego the bench press altogether for at least 6 weeks every year to focus on the overhead press. Don’t worry about your bench press strength, it will be much better when you return to it.There are many ways that overhead presses can be done. The first obvious choice is whether to use dumbbells or a barbell. You can then choose to be seated or standing. In this article we are going to focus on the standing barbell variations as these will typically give you the most bang for your buck.Standing Front Overhead PressThis is the classic version of the overhead press, with the barbell in front of the head at the collarbones. The bar is pressed overhead until the arms are straight. The finished position is with the bar directly over the head, even with the ears.Standing Behind-the-Neck Overhead PressThis variation is the same as the Front Overhead Press, except that the bar starts resting on the upper back, just as you would for an Olympic back squat. From this position the bar is pressed overhead and then returned to the upper back.Standing Bradford PressThe Bradford Press is a mix of the Front and Behind-the-Neck Presses. The starting position is the same as the Front Press. From this position the bar is pressed to a position just above the head and then brought down onto the upper back. From the upper back the bar is pressed as in the Behind-the-Neck Press, but only to a level slightly above the head and then brought back to the front of the body. This is one rep.Push PressThe Push Press is a variation on the Front and Behind-the-Neck Presses, although it is usually performed with the bar in front of the head as in the Front Press. From this position the motion of the arms is the same as in the Front Press. The only difference is that the movement is initiated with a slight bend in the knees followed by an explosive extension of the knees. This brings the leg muscles into play which will allow you to use more weight.Use one or more of these overhead pressing variations in your training program in place of the bench press. If you do I know you will be pleased with the strength and muscle gains you experience.
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