Achy, sore shoulders? Try these pressing variations for strong shoulders!
I've been on a body baggage binge as of late.
Body baggage is a term I use to describe the everyday aches and pains we get. Sometimes these aches are from past injuries. Sometimes they're just from sleeping the wrong way the night before...
If you know, you know.
Regardless of how the baggage arrives, I'm ready to tackle it. Hands down the number 1 thing that I do as a Personal Trainer is find ways for people to work out, even when their bodies say no.
So if you're someone with achey shoulders...or if you just want to work out and keep your shoulders happy, give these 3 pressing variations a try.
1) Landmine Overhead 1 Arm Press
The landmine is my favorite pressing variation. The barbell works on a pendulum so you never get a full overhead position, but yet still use the same 'pressing' muscles. The other sneaky thing that I like about the landmine is it allows you to start the rep overhead, versus having to muscle the weights up to start each rep. Something that is VERY underrated in keeping shoulders healthy and strong. Do this as your primary strength movement for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps per arm. One way I like to do this is by starting each set with my non-dominant arm and then matching the reps with my stronger side. Give it a go in your next workout!
2) Tall Kneeling Cuban Press (With Band Tension)
This cuban press with band tension is kind of a strength training and physical therapy crossover. It's a really good exercise to do in your warm up routine to help recruit the muscles in your shoulder blades while pressing your arms overhead. It's shoulder friendly, well, because you aren't using any weights, but mostly because it truly 'warms up' the muscles in your shoulders to get them ready to press. Do 2 sets of 10-12 reps in your warm up, you won't regret it.
The arm bar is a great movement to add some mobility to your upper back, and also train rotation at your neck. In short, you're checking a lot of boxes. The neat thing about this movement is that you are moving your body around the weight, which takes a lot of pressure off your shoulder. I like to have clients do arm bars at the start of their workout, near their warm up, for 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps per arm.
Hoping these variations help you in your next workout! What body baggage should I outline next? Click the comment button below and let me know!
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