For big, muscled shoulders, few things are better than pressing directly overhead. Military presses and shoulder presses are by far the two most common. What's the distinction, and what sort do you go with?
The military press vs shoulder press confusion seems easy to figure out since the exercises are almost the same thing. Positioning, stability, and even method each perform differently depending on the lift you are performing.
What is a Shoulder Press?
The shoulder press is a compound exercise. This means that your body works together to lift the weight from around chest height and push up to directly overhead. It can be done seated or standing, and also with a barbell, dumbbells or a machine.
So what does a shoulder press do? The main goal of a shoulder press exercise is to improve strength and muscle mass in the shoulders, and also work the triceps and upper body. The front deltoids of the shoulder do most of the work while your triceps, side deltoids of the shoulders, chest and stabilisers work secondarily to assist with the movement.
One great thing about performing shoulder presses is that you can mix and match equipment, as well as position, based on your own goals, fitness levels, or the amount of equipment you have on hand. For example, by performing dumbbell shoulder presses with the help of a rubber hex dumbbell set, you can strengthen both arms independently.
What Is a Military Press?
The military press is a more specific version of the overhead press. In traditional military presses the set of an object occurs while standing up, holding a barbell in an upright posture using a close-footed stance and without much movement at the upper body.
What's different about pressing something up while using military press is the emphasis on upper body pressing, where, while performing other pressing moves you may naturally use legs as well or you might naturally extend back. For this exercise, core stability needs to be part of the lift.
So what do military presses work then? With the move, shoulders and triceps are stressed, and your core, glutes, and upper body help control a shifting weight going over the head. It also challenges your complete body control, given the stable position required.
Military Press Muscles Worked
Knowing what muscles the military press works, you will understand how it may fit into your training program. Main muscles include:
• Front deltoids: These are one of the main muscles to bring the weight overhead.
• Side deltoids: Support and aid shoulder movement to work on an overall shoulder program
• Triceps: These muscles complete the press.
• Upper chest: Helps in the pressing movement.
• Trapezius and serratus anterior: Support and stabilize the shoulder blades.
• Core: The front and back support the torso to remain stable.
• Glutes: They are responsible for supporting you in a controlled standing posture.
Shoulder Press vs Military Press
What it essentially comes down to, as it's shoulder press vs military press, the main difference is that shoulder press is the generic term for overhead pressing exercises, while military press is a more strict variation.
Shoulder press can be performed sitting down or standing up and with dumbbells or with machines or even with a barbell. Military press is typically performed standing up and strictly with a barbell and with almost no lower-body involvement allowed.
This means you can mold the shoulder press much more towards your wants/needs. Sitting press enables more balance where you may put all of your focus into the shoulders, rather than with the standard military press in a standing position, you have your core and stabilising muscles required to put in some work.
Neither is superior, just whichever one applies best to your goals and desired outcome.
Dumbbell Military Press Muscles Worked
The target muscles you activate when doing a dumbbell military press are largely the same as in the standard barbell pressing variations. Your front deltoids are stressed equally to your side deltoids, and the triceps play a big role in elbow extension. By using dumbbells, however, you can make the exercise more challenging as each arm must manage its own weight, therefore working on your coordination, and perhaps revealing whether you’re weaker on one side than the other.
A 5-75 dumbbell set can also be useful for progressive training because you can gradually increase the resistance as your shoulder strength improves.
What Is Shoulder Press Good For?
In short, it really comes down to the ability to make you stronger in your shoulders, build the rest of your upper body, and create more pressing power. When done consistently, shoulder presses can help to strengthen your triceps and deltoids, contribute to a strong upper body, and play a role in a balanced workout.
You could add a Hammer Strength iso lateral row, for example, on the pulling aspect to your overhead press and target the lats, as well as the upper back.
Final Thoughts
The military press vs shoulder press debate comes down to your goals. Both build stronger shoulders, triceps, and pressing power. Choose the variation that suits your goals, focus on proper form, and progressively increase the weight for consistent results.
