Why it's on the list: Like the push-press, this is a challenging full-body lift. It was once contested as a powerlift, and with a barbell, remains a popular lift for setting ambitious strength goals. But research has shown that dumbbells elicit a greater degree of muscle activation, even if you can't lift quite as much total weight.
Pro tip: Be sure to maintain a neutral hip position and learn how to brace your core to protect your lumbar spine. If you spend all of your time injured, you'll miss out on the gains!
Military Press Variations for Shoulder Development:
- Standing military press
- Dumbbell shoulder press (double-arm, single-arm, alternating)
- Dumbbell rotational shoulder press
- Double-kettlebell shoulder press
In your workout: After a thorough warm-up, choose a challenging weight, but not one so heavy that you break form. Classic rep schemes like 5x5 for muscle and strength are great. For more pure size gains, go for sets of 6-8 or 8-10 where the last one is a struggle, but you're in no danger of failing the rep.
