Shoulder Press - advice

boredfatman wrote: »

well to get straight to the point...I find this particular exercise nearly impossible!

I use a machine at the gym rather than free weights. So I have a program of 4 sets, which are as follows:
1st set 10 reps at 40kg
2nd set 15 reps at 25kg
3rd set 10 reps at 40kg
4th set 15 reps at 25kg

I get through the first two sets with a good degree of burn. Then I star the 3rd set which reverts back to 40kg and I manage about 5 reps before it kills me.

Am I getting something wrong here? It is THE most difficult exercise to do.

Further info - I use all of the different weight machines with similar patterns during the same workout which also includes 40 mins of cardio work too.

I do this Monday to Friday with sat and sun for resting.

Any advice would be gratefully recieved!

Thanks again

BFM

I think the bolded is part of the problem if I'm interpreting this correctly. You really shouldn't work the same muscle/groups of muscles on consecutive days...you're not giving yourself any recovery between lifting sessions and that recovery is where you make your strength gains.

boredfatman wrote: »

Guys, so much helpful advice here! Thank you for all the help.

So, I'm going to give the weights a miss completely today so that my muscles get some rest, (just cardio today), and I'll start this in earnest tomorrow.

It does frustrate me some of the poor advice that I've apparently been given so far.

However some of the techniques suggested here I will definitely try and I might get some free weights for my own use too.

The shoulders are aching today from yesterday's workout so definitely a day off I think.

Can I do rowing on my rest days for some exercise, or am I best to stick to other forms of cardio such as elliptical and bikes?

Thanks again

BFM

Rowing is fine. It will probably help those achy muscles in fact.

I am very confused by what you're trying to achieve with 10-15 reps. Also- you do the same routine M-F with 40 mins of cardio?

I personally have done Starting Strength/ StrongLifts 5X5 and think that they're great structured (and free) programs that you can do on your own. I can't offer specific advice on shoulder presses, other than that freeweights/bars are better than machines because you have to use your own stabilizing muscles.

I can speak to your overall schedule. Most people have lifting days and cardio days. They may cool down/warm up with cardio on a lift day, but that would be the only exception. You're not going to get the most (strength) out of your lifting if you're fatigued from cardio and you're not going to get the most (max HR, endurance, best time, whatever your target is) out of your cardio if you're fatigued from lifting.

Stronglifts 5X5 is a lifting program that does Monday, Wednesday, Friday lifting days. The non-lifting days (Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun) can be cardio, with 1-2 rest days. The other great thing about a structured program is that a lot of people do it. If you're in the weight area and you're confused about your deadlift, chances are someone there knows how to deadlift using an olympic bar. You can easily ask someone to check your form, "Hey, can you tell me if my back is curving?" because they've all been there. A few people I know with home gyms set up cameras to record themselves and check their form.

Good luck!

benpoepen wrote: »

If you hurt your shoulders, you're out of the running for a LONG time. So using a machine for higher weights is actually a wise thing to do

No. Machines can be really bad for your joints, since they force you to a fixed range of motion, which could be totally wrong with regards to how your joints actually can and want to move.