*** The 2019 Gym Rats Thread ***

Is there any logic to switching out shoulder pressing for just side laterals?

I've been told that due to shoulder pressing hitting the front delts that things like chest pressing does already, your better off doing side laterals to hit the side delts than just doing more front delt work with shoulder pressing.

What you reckon?
 
opethdisciple said:
Is there any logic to switching out shoulder pressing for just side laterals?

I've been told that due to shoulder pressing hitting the front delts that things like chest pressing does already, your better off doing side laterals to hit the side delts than just doing more front delt work with shoulder pressing.

What you reckon?
Click to expand...

No.
 
TL;DR - there's no magic exercises and if you do/don't like OHP, do/don't do it and do something else.

There's been a trend over the last couple of years for dropping OHP if the goal is pure hypertrophy. The list of reasons is usually:
1) flat/incline presses are better bang for your buck and easier to progress as far as pushing movements go, and obviously this is where the meat and potatoes of your anterior delt and tricep work comes from (just as various pulling movements work the posterior delts)
2) correctly executing the OHP requires greater shoulder flexibility than say, flat bench, it's easy to fudge standing OHP and turn it into a glorified incline press. and there's a lot of stabilisation required from the torso and even the legs (I always feel it in my quads even though my form is dead strict)
3) pressing in general doesn't fully recruit the lateral delts (as their function is shoulder abduction when the shoulder is internally rotated)
4) due to it being a full body movement in a way (see 2), it has a higher stimulus/fatigue ratio than shoulder isolation work alone which has an impact on recovery

These things are all valid and people have certainly grown their shoulders not doing any vertical pressing and just focusing on lateral raise variations and upright rows for the lateral deltoid... however:

1) if you really enjoy OHP that's a good enough reason to do it, and for general strength a bodyweight OHP scores more man points than a big bench
2) there's still some medial delt involvement with OHP, and nobody with a huge strict press will have tiny shoulders
3) it doesn't have to be either/or - one can always throw in a couple of sets of lateral raise variations or upright rows later in a workout if you're worried about them missing out on experiencing enough tension to get a training effect on them
4) progressing with medial delt isolation work is a pitifully slow process because it's a very small muscle and unless you have access to a good lateral raise machine where the pads are above your elbows, it ends up being a lot of sets/high reps, because most variations have you holding a cable or DB, creating a very long lever arm. This is why most people end up swinging/heaving/shrugging weights about when they'd be better off using much less weight with more control (and doing stuff like using ankle cuffs around their wrists to shorten said lever arm).
 
Product plug. Cheesy advertising aside, I’ve been really loving these grips:


Much quicker than bringing my rings to the gym and setting them up for pull-ups, and I’ve been really loving them for things like the Hammer Strength rows where it makes the whole thing more ergonomic than using the fixed grips. Nice for cable pulling stuff too... seen some wacky exercises being done with them but it’s just a tool and I like ‘em!

In addition, I got the green Theraband and that’s helped with my golfer’s elbow, but using these has definitely helped as well.
 
Can't believe how weak my chest is. Think I'm doing too much accessory work and not enough bench. Even at 60 KG I struggle to get 5 reps. Never been especially naturally strong though. Took me a year to DL 100kg and it felt like a big achievement.
 
DrToffnar said:
Can't believe how weak my chest is. Think I'm doing too much accessory work and not enough bench. Even at 60 KG I struggle to get 5 reps. Never been especially naturally strong though. Took me a year to DL 100kg and it felt like a big achievement.
Click to expand...

Pause reps at 70-75% worked wonders for me for my bench.

3x8 with a decent 2 count pause at the bottom.
 
DrToffnar said:
Can't believe how weak my chest is. Think I'm doing too much accessory work and not enough bench. Even at 60 KG I struggle to get 5 reps. Never been especially naturally strong though. Took me a year to DL 100kg and it felt like a big achievement.
Click to expand...

Decline, incline, dumbbells. Throw it all in. Don’t forget about overhead press.
 
Awesome session for me tonight.

Started with squats and then moved on to bench. Set my sights on a single at 120 before Christmas but smashed 3 easy reps out before moving up to 130. Smashed a single out on that and then tried my luck with 140. Failed half way up and had to have a helping hand to get the bar moving again but it was way closer than I was expecting.

Ecstatic with my progress this year and it's given me a great platform to target some PBs again next year.
 
Nice work Pigeon

Not quite so impressive but I managed 3X150 DL on my heavy set last night, after only 1 last week so feel I can probably push through the 5 next time rather than roll back my programme on madcow.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
Awesome session for me tonight.

Started with squats and then moved on to bench. Set my sights on a single at 120 before Christmas but smashed 3 easy reps out before moving up to 130. Smashed a single out on that and then tried my luck with 140. Failed half way up and had to have a helping hand to get the bar moving again but it was way closer than I was expecting.

Ecstatic with my progress this year and it's given me a great platform to target some PBs again next year.
Click to expand...

Juicy.
 
Getting the hang of this autoregulation thing, maybe should have deloaded this week but saving it till next week makes more sense with the typical gym opening hours etc.

My friend Mike did a training cycle with a whippy deadlift bar and pulled 360kg this weekend just gone (w/straps) to have a break from always using his IPF competition spec stiff bar. Pretty sure he'll pull 400kg one day with the same set-up. 300kg+ hitting floor is... a very satisfying sound.
 
For about a week over Christmas I want to still hit the gym but with my routine/diet/sleep being all out of wack I doubt I'll be able to progress any stronglifts. What's recommended for this week? Deload (and by how much) change the routine up for a week? I know some will say "just have a week off" but I don't want one. :p

Also what's the best way to get back to it after the week, basically just pick up where I left off?

110kg squats yesterday. Still managing every rep but only just. Failure is definitely coming soon!
 
ShortWarning said:
For about a week over Christmas I want to still hit the gym but with my routine/diet/sleep being all out of wack I doubt I'll be able to progress any stronglifts. What's recommended for this week? Deload (and by how much) change the routine up for a week? I know some will say "just have a week off" but I don't want one. :p

Also what's the best way to get back to it after the week, basically just pick up where I left off?

110kg squats yesterday. Still managing every rep but only just. Failure is definitely coming soon!
Click to expand...

Train arms. All of them...
 
ShortWarning said:
For about a week over Christmas I want to still hit the gym but with my routine/diet/sleep being all out of wack I doubt I'll be able to progress any stronglifts. What's recommended for this week? Deload (and by how much) change the routine up for a week? I know some will say "just have a week off" but I don't want one. :p

Also what's the best way to get back to it after the week, basically just pick up where I left off?

110kg squats yesterday. Still managing every rep but only just. Failure is definitely coming soon!
Click to expand...

Cardio :D

Jokes, obviously. I’m going to deload deadlift. Will try to keep everything else going.

Switching to whole milk in shakes for the time being.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom