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Strict Military Press - Home / Blog / Definitive Guides / The Definitive Guide to the Military Press: The Key to Big Shoulders

You can have exceptional breasts, bulging arms, and six-pack abs, but if your shoulders are small, the "look" is not complete.

Strict Military Press

If you are a man, you need full and round shoulders that frame your chest and look proportional to your biceps and chest.

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If you're a woman, this means sculpted, lean shoulders that make your arms more defined and your waist appear smaller.

You can achieve this in many ways using many different exercises, but it will be much faster and easier if you incorporate the military press into your regime.

Since the late 1800s, the military press and other variations of the above press has been considered the truest test of upper body strength.

For example, the prominent powerlifter Arthur Sakon made the press a key part of his training, and he once pressed 370 pounds with one arm:

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The military press was also one of the three weight exercises included in the 1928 Olympics, along with the lunge and the jerk.

One of the reasons is its removal from the 1972 Olympics, and another is the rise of powerlifting, which emphasizes the bench press over the military press.

The bench press is also easier for most people to learn than the military press and allows you to move heavier weights, making it more appealing to new lifters.

This cultural shift from the military press is a shame, however, because it may be the single best exercise you can do to build strong, developed and healthy backs.

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I was happy with my overall appearance, but look at my right shoulder in relation to my biceps and triceps.

Simply put, I was too small - the "weak point" of my body. (The same was true for my other shoulder.)

Shortly after this picture was taken, I started military pressing in earnest, and here's what a few years of heavy pressing yielded:

Again, compare the size and swing of my shoulders to the mass of my biceps and triceps. A remarkable improvement, right?

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I've continued with it ever since, and it's still paying dividends in the form of small steady gains in shoulder size and strength. Here's where I am now:

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So while building big, strong, well-proportioned shoulders has always been an uphill battle for me, I can thank the military press for a lot of what I've been able to do.

Balance, coordination, flexibility and pure heart are all involved in successfully pressing a large amount of weight overhead.

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Progression in the military press can also be difficult because it is always slower and more sporadic than you want, meaning that you must be willing to go through extended periods of stagnation to finally move to new levels of strength and skill.

And luckily, if you learn and apply the key lessons I've shared in this article, you'll avoid the biggest pitfalls and strengthen the habits that make military pressure real and powerful.

Contents What muscles does the military press work? Military Press Form 101 Military Press vs. Overhead Press vs. Shoulder Press How to do a military press with proper form. Military push-up with dumbbells. Press Arnold with the Smith machine. A simple, effective and challenging workout for the military press You don't have to go to absolute muscle failure every set. Rest 3 to 4 minutes between each set. Once you hit the top of your rep range for a set, move up the weight. 12 Scientifically Proven Ways to Increase Your Arm Press Continue to learn proper form (and stick to it without stopping) Improve back mobility , shoulders and hips Learn how to properly lift a heavy butt. of MindLift Explosives Military Press More Often Try Different Types of Military Presses Be Sure to Eat And Not "Microloading" Your Weights Strengthen Your Shoulders and Triceps The Bottom Line in the Military Press

The military press is unique in that it trains almost every major muscle group in the upper body and also stimulates the glutes.

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In fact, the only major muscle groups that are not involved in the military press are the quads, calves, and hamstrings.

The shoulders bear the brunt of the military press, of course, and especially the anterior (front) and middle (middle) deltoids.

The primary back muscle group recruited by the military press is the trapezius (traps), but the rhomboids also play an important role as back muscles.

The military press also greatly activates the triceps and even the biceps to a lesser extent, making it an excellent exercise for increasing arm strength and size.

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Finally, one of the things that makes the military press more challenging than other back exercises is that it requires stabilization of the entire torso as you perform each repetition. In this way, it is also an excellent exercise for training the abs, obliques and other core muscles.

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Search for information on the military press, and you'll also find tons of articles, videos, and podcasts about overhead and shoulder presses.

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Some say that the overhead press is a general term for all overhead exercises, and the military press and shoulder press are just different types of overhead presses.

Some say the military press involves keeping your legs together and not moving your torso, but I've never seen anyone do that in the gym and it wouldn't be helpful even if they did.

The reality is that there is no official definition for any of these exercises, because they can all be used more or less interchangeably.

However, when people say "military press" they are usually referring to what is also called the press above.

Strict Press (shoulder Press)

Unless someone indicates the use of dumbbells or sitting instead of standing, it is safe to assume that the "military press" they are referring to is the standing barbell variation.

Any aspect of military press technique—whether grip width, foot position, shoulder angle, elbow position, or anything else—can fall under one of these three categories. .

You should be able to remove the bar without having to half squat off the rack and without having to stand on your feet.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the bar one to two inches below its position when standing tall at the start of the lift or around the top of your sternum.

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Hold the bar low in your hands, closer to your wrists than your fingers, and squeeze as hard as you can.

The wrists should be bent only so that the bar rests at the base of the palm, but not bent at an angle of 90 degrees. This prevents joint pain.

Many people military press using a slightly wider grip than this - something more like a bench press or even wider - to make the exercise a little easier by reducing the range of motion.

The military press with too wide a grip makes the start of each rep harder than it needs to be and makes it difficult to properly stabilize your torso when the bar clears your head.

The Military Press

Instead, you want your hands to be in line with or just outside your shoulders, and your forearms should be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bar, like this:

A common mistake people make when preparing for the military press is to spread their elbows out to the side when getting under the bar. This causes the bar to lean forward and bleeds trunk tension, making it difficult to initiate a push.

Instead, you want your elbows to stay close to your hips and extend a few inches in front of the bar, sitting high on your shoulders and above your midfoot.

Most people use a full grip with the thumbs wrapped around the bar when military pressing, and others prefer a "suicide" grip without the thumb, which looks like this:

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We recommend that you keep the grip full, because it is stronger and safer. It also allows you to squeeze the bar as much as possible, which is a useful cue for pushing heavier weights.

However, if you find the "suicide" grip more comfortable, that's fine too, as long as you're careful. Unlike the bench press, it is easy to avoid failure in the military press, so the risk of dropping the bar on yourself is much less.

By pushing your elbows towards your body and slightly in front of the bar, allow the bar to rest on top of your shoulders and upper chest.

Arch your upper back enough so that the bar is aligned over your midfoot and your head is slightly behind the bar, like this:

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