Is overhead press bad for athletes?

[Guest guest]

I have been reading a little bit about this topic, and it seems

that there are many different way to strengthen the shoulder complex

besides overhead aka. impingement press for athletes. I'd like to

hear other people's opinion about this topic. The athletes i'm really

talking about are the one's who's shoulders are constantly being used

and abused. Baseball, football, rugby, hockey ect...

Sy M. Banks

Prattville, Alabama

United States of America

[Guest guest]

Sy,

In two words, not necessarily. Do them right and they're fine. Poor form,

loading poundage on too fast, sloppy warmup, all can lead to trouble. But

those things will screw up any otherwise fine exercise.

Ernie Roy PT, CSCS

Northfield, NH, USA

Is overhead press bad for athletes?

I have been reading a little bit about this topic, and it seems

that there are many different way to strengthen the shoulder complex

besides overhead aka. impingement press for athletes. I'd like to

hear other people's opinion about this topic. The athletes i'm really

talking about are the one's who's shoulders are constantly being used

and abused. Baseball, football, rugby, hockey ect...

Sy M. Banks

Prattville, Alabama

United States of America

[Guest guest]

This seems like a loaded question (pardon the pun). As with any

exercise, it all comes down to specificity. What position does the

athlete play, what are the demands of the shoulders for that position,

how are they used, are there any pre-existing restrictions for the

ROM at the gleno-humeral joint? Developing shoulder strength and

hypertrophy is critical for athletes in high-impact contact sports,

but might not necessarily be needed for baseball/softball players.

For example, football, lineman (both O and D) should definetly be

pressing, but from a standing positon and preferably with the wrists

in a neutral (palms facing the midline grip). The neutral grip will

rotate the humerus in the gleno-humeral joint w/minimal restriction

in the ROM, plus doing the exercise standing will help develop the

integrated strength needed by those positions.

Think about how many athletes use their shoulders: for flexion in the

sagittal plane while performing a dynamic, explosive movement. If a

lineman has their shoulders abducted in the frontal plane, they'll

put themselves in a disadvantageous position. For linebackers and

DB's who need to wrap when tackling (unless they're playing in the

nfl-where for some reason they don't do this anymore), training in

the frontal plane would be an advantage b/c this is where the

strength is needed.

Props and hookers in rugby likewise need strength in the frontal

plane (espcially when binding the opposition in the scrum), and all

other players, especially centers and flankers need the FP strength

for tackling.

For whatever athlete you're working with, you want to ensure a full,

unrestricted ROM, dumbbells would allow a greater ROM then barbells,

and for what it's worth would be the training modality I'd use.

For any athlete, I'd personally stay away from seated exercises

(except for bobsledders and wheelchair warriors) and have them do any

shoulder exercise in a standing position.

As with any type of exercise, this is only ONE method or approach,

and is by no means THE only method. Specificity, specificity,

specificity.... " the ends justify the means. " Written for politics in

the 15th century (I think) but also applies to strength and

conditioning.

Cheers,

Pete McCall, CSCS

Washington, DC (where we're stuck w/Shrub for another four years) USA

>

>

> I have been reading a little bit about this topic, and it seems

> that there are many different way to strengthen the shoulder

complex

> besides overhead aka. impingement press for athletes. I'd like to

> hear other people's opinion about this topic. The athletes i'm

really

> talking about are the one's who's shoulders are constantly being

used

> and abused. Baseball, football, rugby, hockey ect...

>

>

>

> Sy M. Banks

> Prattville, Alabama

> United States of America

[Guest guest]

Sy,

As far as working with athletes whose shoulders are being constantly

abused, I feel you need to make their shoulders as strong as

possible. My rationale for this is, if their shoulders are strong

and well supported they will be able to take the abuse from their

sport. Another thing, most of the sports you mentioned are

contact/collision sports, so you just have to realize that sometimes

injuries happen and their isn't much you can do about it. The only

possible way you can prevent these injuries is to be proactive and

strengthen, but you still might run into problems and that is the

nature of the sports you mentioned.

Koski

Ames, IA

>

>

> I have been reading a little bit about this topic, and it seems

> that there are many different way to strengthen the shoulder

complex

> besides overhead aka. impingement press for athletes. I'd like to

> hear other people's opinion about this topic. The athletes i'm

really

> talking about are the one's who's shoulders are constantly being

used

> and abused. Baseball, football, rugby, hockey ect...

>

>

>

> Sy M. Banks

> Prattville, Alabama

> United States of America