|
My personal reasons for omitting
overhead Presses.
If you've noticed
all athletic trainers, trainers, personal trainers, fitness
professionals have a passion for repetitive movements that require
rotations, Sagittal plane
explosive patterns, and other forms of three-dimensional transitions.
The majority of Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Centers, industry
professionals agrees and conclusively shows many adverse reactions to
overhead pressing movements with non-athletes, and patients / clients
over the age of 30. Impingement syndrome and L-5 SI low back injuries
are the top injuries, specific to its path of motion, and opposed force
loads entering the body.
Impingement:
This is pinching within your
shoulder as your humorous raises your arm, the narrow space within the
shoulder joint naturally compresses. A group of muscles and tendons,
called the rotator cuff, allows all the parts to work together.
|
In 92% of the subjects tested,
the rotator cuff was not working as a force couple (duo); the
end result was the head of the humorous migrating superiorly
into the glenoid cavity.
Over time, this will irritate a
muscle or tendon, leading to swelling. The swelling then narrows
the space more, causing pinching and impingement overtime. The
main statement from the Sports Medicine Center of Miami is to
remember the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the
human body. The more mobility the less stability, and the
shoulder joint is equated as a golf ball on a golf tee,
rather then the hip joint that equates to a ball in a saucer.
(Much more surface contact on the hip)
|
 |
Only one third of the head of the
humorous is in contact with the golf ball. In regards to using a bar
my personal thought process leads to the following: A bar prevents the
shoulder moving through a natural arcing motion, as the hands have now
created a closed chain environment. The risk is even greater with a bar
as it changes axis of movement of the press requiring further
adjustments within the joint tissue. (stress)
By repeating, an overhead motion leads
to this problem.
In regards to the L-5 S-I pain: I speak
in regards to the non-athlete, office worker, who never performs any
type of overhead press other then an occasional reach to the top shelf.
Even the reach is not over head it has a different degree and range. I
have witnessed many body builders / clients unable to maintain proper
pelvic and lumbar stabilization during standing overhead presses. I ask
myself…what is the goal? How will this carry over to those
clients’ normal daily activities? And then I joke and say…”I cannot
remember the last time a client requested massive hypertrophy of his
/her front delt. My colleges agree that overhead presses are
nothing more than a front raise with impingement.
However everything is goal specific. I
feel the client will never increase their ability to stabilize their
center of mass in the overhead pressing position from a biomechanical
perspective. Internal forces must be exerted to create the required
reactive moments to stabilize the spine. The Intradiscal pressure is
increased 200 % in the standing position. This is followed by a force
emanating outward a weak link of the lumbar spine. The compression force
on the spinal disks, and S-I joint induces high compressive forces on
the spinal motion segments. (Note: A motion segment consists of two
adjacent vertebral bodies, the intervertebral disc, and the connecting
ligamentous structures compression forces acting at the L5/S1 spinal
disc as a function of the load held in the hands and the vertical reach
distance. Under certain conditions of force and vertical distance,
compression forces may exceed safe limits. Sorry my friends, I hope
you’re not married to overhead presses. Many exercises are based on
sensation, and your own perception of a loaded movement. Just because
you could…doesn’t mean you should! If you think the above is fiction,
wait until I tell you about the upright row! That will elevate your
shoulder girdle!
Dave Parise C.P.T.
|
 |
About the author:
Dave Parise is a
recognized leader in the fitness industry. On the cutting edge
of exercise today, Mr. Parise has been noted as one of the
“Top 15 Trainers” in the United States and across Canada by
the Association for Fitness Professionals, I.D.E.A.
Parise has 20 years
of experience in Human Performance and Exercise Science. His
creative culinary innovations with organic whole foods have been
rated “very delicious” by top chefs in New York. Dave was born
and raised in Hamden CT.
Dave
Parise C.P.T.,
C.E.O. Results Plus Personal Training
N.A.S.M. R.T.S. 1,2. C.S.C.S.
www.resultsplus.com
203-288-8822
|
 |
|
Natural
Bodybuilding at its Finest - Lift for Life.com |
|
