With so many advantages of the press, why do we bother with bench pressing? Heavier weight and more pectoral work seem to be the only advantages. Is this enough benefit compared to pressing all the time?
by Mark Rippetoe
Pressing a barbell overhead has somehow acquired the reputation as a dangerous exercise for the shoulders. Doctors and Physical Therapists routinely advise against the exercise weightlifters refer to as simply The Press on the false assumption that an injury known as “shoulder impingement” is the inevitable result. Not only is the press perfectly safe for the shoulders – as evidenced by the fact that shoulder injuries are the least-common injuries for Olympic weightlifters who use the barbell overhead – but the correctly performed press is the best exercise for keeping shoulders strong. Here’s why.
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With so many advantages of the press, why do we bother with bench pressing? Heavier weight and more pectoral work seem to be the only advantages. Is this enough benefit compared to pressing all the time?
Bench pressing allows you to get much stronger. It's an important part of the program if you're training to get strong.
If a trainee can't bench for any reason (injury, equipment, etc.), would pressing 3x a week using smaller increments be considered DTP? I've seen Rip say this is fine, but that was 8 years ago.
I would prefer to bench, and understand the benefits of both. I'm just curious how the results may change if running a LP with 3x/week pressing.
My bench is strong but my overhead is pitiful, thanks for this!
I have a question, and before posting this I read through the press chapter to see if it's already been answered. Apologies if I still somehow missed this.
My take, in a nutshell, is that in a correctly performed press, impingement is impossible. The shrug at the top prevents this.
How about heavy presses that lack a shrug or aren't shrugged well? Are they capable of causing impingement issues? Does one even progress to a "heavy" press without having a good shrug?
Mark always stresses that a correct press cannot cause impingement, but didn't find anything where he details what injuries you may encounter when incorrectly pressing.
I'm a DPT and I use the overhead movement pattern for most every shoulder issue as my primary goal for a successful outcome and load it as soon as they can defy gravity with just the weight of their arm. The same goes for the deadlift for low back pain and the below parallel squat with knees/hips. These represent the most useful movement patterns in life as far as function goes. Convincing patients and MDs is another matter....