Lower back pain during shoulder presses? Kneeling shoulder press instead

Lower back pain during shoulder presses?

The shoulder press (standing shoulder press) is an indispensable part of our training menu. Together with the bench press, it helps us build powerful upper body pressing muscle groups (shoulder muscles, chest muscles, triceps)

But compared to the bench press, the weight used in the shoulder press is not as heavy as the bench press! At the same time, the operability requirements are higher (requiring excellent thoracic shoulder mobility and core stability), and the difficulty is also greater

Not everyone can perform the shoulder press correctly!

When you do not have the shoulder press conditions, it will bring the risk of injury to your movements, and the most common The problem is that the mobility of the thoracic spine is not enough for the lumbar spine, and the lower back (lumbar spine) is not stable enough, resulting in overextension

Should I give up the shoulder press?

For people who are unable to perform standing shoulder presses safely and effectively, you can choose some other alternatives. Most people will choose to sit and lean on the back of the chair, but even if they lean on the back of the chair, many people may still have problems with arching their waists. , and it is easy to create the illusion of safety by relying on the chair

You can try kneeling on one leg to perform shoulder press

Compared with standing posture, this is a relatively less compensatory action. It is easier for the spine to find a neutral position, reducing the compensatory action (overextension) of the lumbar spine.

A neutral spine and reduced pelvic tension will help "feel" the contraction and engagement of the core muscles and glutes. In addition to dumbbells, you can also use kettlebells, bottom-up kettlebell styles, T-bars, and other tools.

When the body can better grasp the stabilizing feeling of the core muscles, hips and even shoulder blades, you may try to return to the standing posture. At this time, in addition to the core muscles, hips and shoulder blades, the standing posture also Facing the test of "lower limb" stability, after exercising the stability of the core muscles, hips and shoulder blades by kneeling alone, you may be able to better master the overall movements when standing.