Shoulder Exercise - Weight Plate Pizza Presses

This exercise is also known as a "Waiter Press," but I like calling it a Pizza Press as I think it fits better.

Basically, you're going to be doing what looks like a standard shoulder press movement. But here's the trick...instead of holding dumbbells or a barbell, you're going to be using a single weight plate.

So how do you press a weight plate? Well, you're going to use one hand to grab the plate and place it FLAT on top of your other hand so you're pressing with your palm.

Ever see a picture of a shotputter about to throw?

THAT is the position the weight plate will be in - palm up, ready to shotput it across the room. As for the name of the exercise, think of the weight plate you're pressing as a pizza you don't want to drop on the floor as you're pressing it overhead.

This is a great exercise for the shoulders in that not only does it require strength, it requires balance in your hands, which also carries over to the shoulder.

Pressing with your palm flat gives a whole different dimension to the shoulder press movement than gripping around a bar or dumbbell handle. You'll feel the difference from "normal" press where you're wrapping your hand around a handle or bar

This Pizza Press is an excellent variation for when you have shoulder pressing on your training schedule but you don't feel up for heavy pressing with regular free weights. You can get a GREAT shoulder workout with lighter weights with this one because of the instability and balance involved.

How To Do Weight Plate Pizza Presses for Shoulders:

As I mentioned previously, you're going to be doing a shoulder press exercise. And instead of using a barbell or dumbbells, you're going to use a single barbell weight plate. Obviously this puts limitations on how much weight you can use, but I found 45 lbs to be plenty, due to the nature of the exercise.

To use a 45 lb plate, you should be able to handle at least 70 lb dumbbells on the dumbbell shoulder press. If you can do 50's, start with a 35 lb plate. If you can do 35's, go with a 25 lb plate. If you can do less than 35's, start with a 10 lb plate.

You'll be doing this exercise in a standing position. Reach down and grab the plate around the lip with your left hand. Lift it up and place the PALM of your right hand on the smooth BOTTOM face. You want to be SURE you're placing your hand on the smooth, flat face to maximize the effect of this exercise. Be sure to watch the video to see exactly how to get the plate into position.

Note: your palm will be on the plate surface but your fingers will be slightly bent to allow you to exert pressure with your fingers to help balance the weight plate as you press it up.

Be careful with this exercise! Because you're not gripping anything (but relying on finger pressure to balance the plate) the chances of the plate moving around are greater. So do this one light the first time to get an idea of what you're doing. THEN you can move up in weight.

With your palm flat under it, get it to shoulder level - you'll look like a waiter serving a pizza (or a shotputter).