Machine Shoulder (Military) Press

Shoulders
Triceps

Equipment: Machine

New to this

Your first machine shoulder (military) press

What weight should I start with on the machine shoulder (military) press?

Start at 20 to 30 lb on the stack, or the second plate down if it isn't labeled. Do 2 sets of 10.

Shoulders are the smallest muscle group most beginners train directly, so the numbers stay lower than you expect for longer than you expect. Adding 5 lb every couple of weeks is a normal rate here.

Set the seat so the handles start at about shoulder height. Too low and you'll strain to get the first rep out; too high and you lose the bottom half of the movement.

What usually goes wrong on the machine shoulder (military) press?

You press with your lower back arched off the pad. Press your ribs down and keep your back flat against the seat. If you can't, drop the weight.

Your elbows drift forward in front of the handles. Keep them under your wrists through the whole press.

You stop short at the top. Straighten your arms fully without shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears.

If the press machine is taken

Any overhead press trains the same muscles. The machine's advantage is that the path is fixed, so a free-weight version will feel harder at the same weight. Expect to use less.

How to do it

Sit down on the Shoulder Press Machine and select the weight.
Grab the handles to your sides as you keep the elbows bent and in line with your torso. This will be your starting position.
Now lift the handles as you exhale and you extend the arms fully. At the top of the position make sure that you hold the contraction for a second.
Lower the handles slowly back to the starting position as you inhale.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.