If you're like
me, shoulders are one of your toughest bodyparts to develop.
So I've had to develop effective ways to really hit my
shoulders HARD and get the best results possible.
This exercise is one of
my favorites for building strength and explosive power
in the shoulders. I've found it to be VERY effective
for hitting the lateral delts as well, which is critical
for building shoulder width.
How To Do It:
To perform this exercise,
you'll need a barbell and a power rack. That's it!
Instead of pressing the
barbell from inside the rack, though, and taking a "traditional"
grip on the bar, you will be standing OUTSIDE the rack
on one side, facing in. You'll be pressing ONE END of
the bar, using the other end as a pivot point.
First, you'll need to set
one of the safety rails up near the top of the rack -
about forehead level is good. The other rail should be
set at just about shoulder height.
Set an Olympic barbell across
these rails so that it's sloping down to one side. Load
the high end of the barbell with at least one weight plate
(45 or 35 lbs) to counterbalance the end you'll be pressing.
Load the lower end of the
bar with weight - start with a weight that is fairly light
(if you can do dumbell presses with 50 lb dumbells, start
with just a 45 lb plate on the bar) until you get an idea
of how the exercise works. THEN you can start adding plates.
Also, be VERY sure you've got good collars on BOTH
ends of the bar - you don't want any plates sliding
off.
Now you're ready to start
the exercise.
Stand at the low end of
the bar (outside the rack) facing in towards the rack.
Grip the end of the bar with both hands (not overlapping
but butted up so they're right BESIDE each other
on the end of the bar). One will be closer to the end
than the other - you can switch that grip on the next
set to keep things even.
Stand a little off to one
side to start with here. When you do the exercise, you're
basically going to be doing a press with one hand (using
the other hand for guidance and balance), bringing the
bar up and overhead then lowering it down on the other
side. Then you'll repeat, going back over to the other
side.
Here's the setup - note
how the left side rail is up near the top (about forehead
height) - the working side rail is at about shoulder level.
I'm standing on the outside of the rack facing in towards
the barbell. I'm taking a staggered grip on the very end
of the bar.
The
press comes primarily from the
left arm here. The right arm is
just for guidance and balance.
Now
it's a press to the top. Once
you're at the top, start lowering
the end of the bar down to the
other side, taking up the weight
on your right arm.
Now
the weight is all on the right
arm with the left arm for balance.
Here's
a side view of the exercise. Not
the staggered grip on the end
of the bar. One hand is right
at the end - the other hand is
on the bar pressed right against
it but NOT on top of it.
Here's
the press to the top.
Then
down on the other side.
This is why I call it the "Side-To-Side
Shoulder Press." You start
with, for example, a left-hand one-arm
press, bringing the bar overhead and
across then performing a right-hand
one-arm press. You go back and forth
until you've done as many reps as you
can.
When
you're doing the press (especially at
the bottom of the movement), be careful
to use the other hand primarily for
guidance and balance, NOT to try and
pull up on the bar for help. That other
shoulder will be in an awkward position
to exert force and you don't want to
risk injury.
If
you want to REALLY finish off the shoulders
(I like to do this on my last set),
when you're done with the side-to-side
movement, you can continue with a two-arm
press directly to the front.
---
Overall,
this exercise is an excellent alternative
to barbell and dumbell presses. It's
a novel yet EXTREMELY functional shoulder
exercise that has the potential
to build excellent power and strength
in the shoulders.
The
positioning of the bar, the side-to-side
movement and the fact that you're gripping
on a MUCH thicker portion of the bar
all contribute to the overall effectiveness
of the exercise.
