Scapular Activation During Shoulder Press?

darreneatschicken

So proper bench form includes having the scaps pulled back and down during the entire lift.

I was just wondering if this was the case for the shoulder press as well?

Chieflrg

OHP you want your traps pinched together at the top.

Everything else depends on what kind of shoulder press you are preforming but optimally we want everything from our toes up contracted.

Cherimoose

The scapula automatically rotates as your arm rises (which you can see in action here), so it can't be locked down like on the bench press.

darreneatschicken

I am doing standing shoulder presses with DB's atm. Preparing to do StrongLifts but am obviously too weak for the BB because of rehab. So I'm pretty much doing the DB version of StrongLifts right now (except some exercises I'm doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps in order to work more on form through light weight and repetition).

Today I did 3 sets of 10-12 reps DB shoulder press with ascending weight (5 lb -> 7.5 lb -> 10 lb). I focused on having my arms and elbows a bit in front of my body, but when I descended with the DB's, I made sure to go below parallel while squeezing my scaps down and together.

I also realized that I have to relax my legs during the lift by bending them ever so slightly. I find that if I forget to do this, my legs end up becoming hyperextended, causing unnecessary extension through my lower back.