What goes up?

This post will close out my series on various lifts and their importance, at least to me.  Not to say that there aren't any others that I consider, I just consider what I've talked about so far and about to speak of to be the most important.

This post will focus on two exercises, one is easily a lift, as it involves a barbell; the other can be considered one, but is often not included as a lift.  The first, the overhead press (or military press, shoulder press, etc.; plus variations.) is probably one of my favorite lifts, mostly because I'm not too awful in performing it.  The second is a gym-class favorite, the pull-up.  The pull-up is another of my favorite (mostly) exercises, as it's something that can humble or highlight.

The overhead press is simply pushing a barbell over your head until your arms are locked out.  As with most of the lifts explained prior, this isn't all that complicated, however it is very difficult.  To draw upon which muscles are engaged, it is a large percentage of your shoulders but without core strength (abs, lower back, glutes) you will not be successful in performing.  Additionally, arm strength can play a role as if your triceps are weak, then you'll likely fail at this lift.  So while you can lump this lift into a "shoulders day," realize that it's much more than that.

The pull-up is an extremely effective upper body exercise as is the overhead press.  Unlike the overhead press or even the bench press for that matter, this is not an exercise that can be made easier, or at least easily.  Your body weight is largely the resistance factor here and if you cannot move it, then you cannot do it.  There are ways to cheat the system and that's with the use of bands or a "partner assist," which can go wrong in many different ways.  The purest form of the pull-up is from a "dead hang," which is when your arms start out completely locked and you pull up until either your chin surpasses the bar or your chest/collarbone reaches the bar.  The muscles here include the upper back (yes, I know that there's more than one muscle here), shoulders, arms, and even the core (surprised?).  So another "bang for your buck" exercise.

These exercises/lifts make up the core of my training philosophy.  Now, I understand that many people struggle to perform even some of these, and that's ok.  Not everyone is able to or will be able to (or for that matter, want to be able to) perform these movements.  But success in these can improve overall fitness in a short workout per day.

For more information on how to do these lifts mentioned here or in prior posts, send me an email and I'll be glad to help!