Identifying and Fixing Overhead Press Issues
On so many occasions we see new members and general gym goers experiencing shoulder pain or who, cannot at least, achieve correct positioning with their arms overhead with or without loaded weight. Now obviously this is a huge concern as life will demand us to use our shoulders from time to time… just a little J
In this week’s blog we discuss the importance of doing an overhead press properly and how to achieve correct positioning to alleviate potential shoulder and other issues now or for later in life.
Before moving straight into how to correct the issue, let’s first look at identifying what is an unsafe overhead press.
Identifying the Issue/s
Identifying the most common mistake is easy.
If someone displays poor shoulder mobility or poor upper spine (thoracic) mobility they will most likely compensate in the lower back (lumber spine). This will produce a large extension in the lower back (ducks bum) to achieve the desired overhead position. As you could have guessed, there are some problematic issues with this type of compensation such as excessive loading in the erector spinae and lower trapezius (and middle trapezius to some degree). Additionally, this extension means your core; abdominals and glutes (butt muscles) aren’t being used to support the movement. The core and glutes can sometimes be overlooked in this movement, as it’s not the main focus but, avoiding the use of these major contributors could be very damaging to the facet joints through the entire spine, shoulder joint and upper cervical spine just to name a few.
If you exercise alone and aren’t sure how to gauge if you are compensating in the lower back, just ask someone to film you performing the exercise. This type of feedback is crucial to your overall awareness of what is actually happening.
Fixing the Issue/s
Let’s look at 4 simple go-to exercises to prepare the shoulder for an overhead press to minimize compensation in the lower back.
- Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) Release – As common as the foam rollers are, they’re definitely a great tool to use for soft tissue release for a whole bunch of muscles but in this case, the lats. Start with lying on your side and placing the foam roller under the rib cage area. Then, with light support of the legs or feet, roll up to the underarm area slowly. Most people, from day-to-day living i.e. desk work, will find these are quite tight and hurt a little when rolling. Be sure to persist with it as they will loosen up and the pain will become more bearable. Getting the lats to ease off will serve greatly not only for the overhead press but also the bench press, row or pull up.
- Middle Trapezius Release – The mid traps (in between the shoulder blades) are generally not a muscle group that is ‘over worked’ from day-to-day living. In fact, most people do not have strong enough mid trap muscles to actively pull shoulders back into better alignment for any movement let alone an overhead press. However, it’s still great to roll this area out and use it as a thoracic spine mobiliser which has the potential to ‘lock up’ easily.
- Passive and Active Hang – For the passive hang – grab any bar, tree branch (that won’t break) or beam that you can comfortably grip onto and allow your body to just hang. Let go of any shoulder tension, fully straighten your arms and allow your biceps to get as close to your ears as possible. This is a great stretch and allows a moment of lengthening and decompressing of the body. We then move into an active hang without letting go of the bar from the passive hang. This means to activate muscles such as the mid traps which are generally very weak in most people. Keep your arms straight (the elbows will want to bend to activate the biceps to assist but refrain from doing so) and pull up using your strength in the mid traps. This movement will only be a few inches but it’s enough to activate where we need to strengthen.
(Active Hang) (Passive Hang)
- Thoracic Spine Rotation and Lat Stretch – The great thing about this stretch is that it can be performed anywhere, all you need is a floor.
Simply kneel on the ground on your hands and knees and extend one arm in front of the body on the floor approximately 15 degrees off center (towards the left for your right arm or towards the right for your left arm) with palm rotated towards the roof. With the other hand, place it on the wrist of the extended arm and then lower the upper body towards the ground whilst rotating inwards towards the extended arm. Make sure to apply pressure to the wrist so it stays firmly on the ground.
So there you have it, four simple strategies to help increase your shoulder mobility to assist you in taking your overhead press to the next level.
Remember to take into consideration that this blog and video only addresses the shoulders and the lats. Please keep your eyes and ears open for our next blog which deconstructs and addresses the importance of the hips, glutes and core during the overhead press.
Jason Clark – Co Founder Perform360
