December 2000

The question-of-the-month for December comes from Michael in Indiana, a baseball player who asks about military presses.  His question is:

Dear Mike:

I've heard that the military press is bad on your shoulders, especially on the rotator cuff.  If this is so, what is an exercise I can use as a replacement for this.  Thank you.

Dear Michael:

Thanks for your question.  A large percentage of people in my gym have had a shoulder injury at one time or another.  Unfortunately, it seems to be a common injury.  However, some of these injures could possibly be prevented with smarter training principles.  I do not recommend doing military presses BEHIND THE HEAD/NECK.  It is okay to do military presses to the front which will work the shoulders just as well.  Another exercise you can do for shoulders that is a similar movement to the military press is over-the-head dumbbell presses.

While we are on the subject of exercises to avoid, I have listed below a few more  pertaining to shoulders, as well as other body parts.  AVOID the following:

	Military presses on the smith machine (front or back).
	Bench presses on the smith machine.
	Lat pulldowns behind the head.

Thanks again for your question, Michael.  I hope you found the information helpful and I clearly answered your question.

As always, don't forget to visit the Past Qs & As and my Training Tips section for more great tips and training info.

Until next month, train hard and stay healthy.

Mike Francois

Do you have a training question for Mike?  If so, visit our Ask Mike section and submit your question.

Note: Before embarking on any nutrition, supplementation, and/or training program, consult with your physician or other licensed health-care professional.