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Military bench press is one of the best exercises for mass that engages the shoulder and stabilizing muscles. The military bench press can be performed standing, sitting, with a barbell, with kettlebells, with dumbbells, and each variant has a slightly different effect on the development of the figure. Check what the soldier press technique is all about and what effects this exercise gives.

Military bench pressis one of the basic exercises on the basis of which you can build strength and muscle mass. In addition tomilitary bench pressthey include: deadlifts, squats, rowing with a barbell in the descent, pressing the bar while lying down, push-ups on the bars.

By performingmilitary bench presswith a barbell, kettlebells or sitting, you can gain functional strength, a well-developed shoulder girdle, anabolic hormone release and an injection of self-confidence.

Learn the technique of this exercise and the effects of the so-called OHP -overhead press .

Contents:

  1. Military pressing - technique
    1. Soldier pressing barbells while standing
    2. Soldier pressing barbells sitting
    3. Military bench press with dumbbells
    4. Military press with kettlebells
    5. Soldier pressing on the machine
  2. Military bench press - what muscles work?
  3. Military bench press - effects of the exercise

Soldier pressing - technique

The OHP starting position can be standing or seated. We will discuss the standing position first.

Soldier pressing barbells while standing

  • Start position

Feet should be set shoulder-width apart or slightly larger. Keep your knees straight but unlocked - their role is to provide cushioning. The stabilizing muscles, i.e. the core and buttocks, should be tightened. Grasp the barbell so that the elbows form a 45-degree angle with the body. Keep the wrists straight as an extension of the forearms. After removing the barbell from the racks, place the bar on the upper part of the chest.

  • The technique of pressing the soldier's barbell

While squeezing the weight up, you should control the muscle tone all the time, the head is motionless and the eyes look straight ahead.We lead our elbows at an angle of 45 degrees from the body, and finish the movement with the weight held above the head and shoulder blades pulled down.

  • What to pay attention to when soldier pressing?

In bodybuilding training, elbows should not be blocked, while in a weight-bearing workout, yes. Another difference between the two exercise options is where to lower the barbell. People building muscle will want to keep their fibers constantly taut throughout the series. For this reason, they only lower the barbell to a right angle at the elbows which lead 90 degrees from the body. People who focus on lifting heavy loads, for example training for double slaughter, lower the barbell to the starting position, i.e. to the upper part of the chest.

General safety rules should be followed during shoulder training, always starting with a thorough warm-up of the shoulder girdle. The deltoid muscles also like a large number of repetitions, and the standing position during the soldier's bench press promotes increased stress on the vertebrae. For this reason, it is better to concentrate on more volume while standing. Correct technique is also an important element. Shoulder muscles are not prone to dupes deceived, they prefer more isolation.

Soldier pressing barbells sitting

Another frequently used variation of the military bench press is the sitting version. Apart from this element, there are no significant differences from the original. Many people perform this exercise with the Smith machine, i.e. the popular gantry crane. This allows them to lift a higher load while maintaining relative safety. Unfortunately, the disadvantage of such a solution is the motion path that is forced and unnatural for the body.

Read also:

  • Exercises for the chest - 9 best exercises for home and gym
  • BCAA - composition, dosage, effects and side effects of using BCAA
  • Straight legs deadlift - technique, advantages, effects

Military bench press with dumbbells

The barbell can be replaced with dumbbells. Then the training person must concentrate on the asymmetrical work of the muscles. Always one hand shows more strength than the other. For this reason, there are differences in the size of individual muscle groups. By working with dumbbells, you can even out the disproportions in strength and muscle size.

During the military bench press with dumbbells, you can also make variations calledarnoldki , an exercise invented by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The dumbbell press movement must be performed overhead with shoulder rotation. We begin with weights held so that the thumbs are outside of each other in front of the face. The elbows form a right angle. Pressing begins with a rotational movement that places the arms parallel to the body. Thanks to this, practically all parts of the deltoid muscles can be engaged.

Military press with kettlebells

Apart from dumbbells, you can also use kettlebell ball weights. They allow for more control of the body's work by shifting the center of gravity.

When squeezing weights above the head, make the same movement as in the version preparing for double slaughter. We start with the kettle arranged on the forearms and chest. Then we spread our arms so that they form a 45-degree angle with the body and start squeezing them up. It is important to fully control the path on which the weights are pushed upwards. The downward movement is also fully controlled - we can say that we are pulling the weights towards ourselves. It is an imitation of the movement we make when we pull ourselves up. This allows you to maintain greater tension throughout the body and enhances the development of the functional strength of the entire body.

Worth knowing

Military bench press - what muscles work during this exercise?

In the standing version of the soldier's bench press, the anterior actons of the deltoid muscles are most involved. The muscles that stabilize the spine also play an important role during the exercise. For this reason, you can feel the work of the back and abdominal extensors. The more we isolate the movement, the more load will be transferred only to the shoulders.

Soldier pressing on the machine

There are also many machines for military bench press that allow you to press with different grips. Changing the grip type to neutral or changing the width of the hand will significantly affect the development of muscle mass and functionality.

But this is actually the only advantage of the soldier pressing on the machine - besides, this variant of the exercise, in my opinion, has only disadvantages. It is often chosen by people who do not know their own body and want to sculpt their figure easily and pleasantly. However, training in the first place is to strengthen and build strength. Free weights are best for this.

The next and most important reason to avoid machines is with the wrong movement pattern. Each person has a slightly different anatomy, and thus also moves differently. The machine forces everyone to work in the same way, often inconsistent with the structure of a given person.

Military bench press - effects of the exercise

By doing OHP in a bodybuilding way, we will only build strength and mass of the front deltoid muscles. Thanks to the full range of motion, we can, in turn, increase the level of the body's functional strength and teach the body to smoothly cooperate with individual muscle groups. This cooperation is necessary in many activities of everyday life, as well as in many types of sports - including martial arts.

Military bench press is the first and most important exercise that builds strength and muscle mass of the shoulder girdle.

The great advantage of military bench press is the fact that we often have to put something on a high shelf or raise it above the head. Thanks to regular training with OHP, the quality of our everyday life will improve. Most functional exercises are primarily designed to imitate the movements you make every day.

From the psychological point of view, a person with enough strength to lift a lot of weight above his head will be more self-confident, which is also an undoubted advantage of this exercise.

This will be useful to you

Military bench press is one of the best exercises for anyone who wants to have larger and wider shoulders. It also allows you to learn the correct movement pattern useful in everyday life. It can be said that it is also a component of many other exercises. Done correctly, it does not pose any threat to the spine or the shoulder girdle, on the contrary - it can strengthen the core muscles.

About the authorTomasz Piotrowski He is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. He gained his knowledge from the best experts in the fitness industry in Poland. He has several years of experience working as a dietitian in a private facility in Krakow and experience in working as a personal trainer. He also writes expert articles on he alth, training and supplementation, and works in the supplement industry. He is passionate about fist fencing.

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