Barbell vs Dumbell Military Press for shoulder width?

[needsize]

Okay, time for a new debate. I'm curious what exercise people have found more effective for increasing the size of their medial/side delt. I'd prefer to narrow the debate to dumbells or barbell presses to the front, as pressing behind the neck puts the shoulders in an ackward and injury prone position.

Over the years I've tried both with good results, but this year I decided I wanted to see if I could dispel a popular myth, that pressing to the front is mostly front delts and will do nothing to increase shoulder width. Well, I've been doing only pressing to the front (as well as side laterals) for the past 6 months, and have noticed an incredible amount of growth in my side delts, so at this point I'm giving my nod to the military press.

 

[Screwball]

An exercise that will totally annihilate the medial and rear delts is the wide-grip upright row. Hands are placed about shoulder width apart on the barbell. It also hits the delt/bicep tie-in. No more secrets this month!

 

[needsize]

An exercise that will totally annihilate the medial and rear delts is the wide-grip upright row. Hands are placed about shoulder width apart on the barbell. It also hits the delt/bicep tie-in. No more secrets this month!

The problem there is that it's another exercise that puts your rotator cuffs in a really injury prone position, some guys can do upright rows forever without problems, I so much as look at them and my shoulders hurt.

 

[Ingram]

I like to do barbell military in front, I think they work the posterior just as well as doing them behind your head. The only thing is you have to use very strict form or you'll end up working more front than side. When you lean back while you're pressing in front of your head the workload starts stressing your Anteriors. I try to sit as strait as possible and keep my head from tilting back.

Dumbell millitary is a good exercise too, but I feel a bigger burn from using a barbell.

 

[needsize]

I like to do barbell military in front, I think they work the posterior just as well as doing them behind your head. The only thing is you have to use very strict form or you'll end up working more front than side. When you lean back while you're pressing in front of your head the workload starts stressing your Anteriors. I try to sit as strait as possible and keep my head from tilting back.

Dumbell millitary is a good exercise too, but I feel a bigger burn from using a barbell.

I also found with dumbells it was getting too hard to get them up to press, I got up to the 110's for reps, and it didn't feel safe swinging them up and I don't always have a spotter to pass them to me. On the other hand, on military I've been able to do sets of 5 on 235lbs, right to the upper chest, and it feels a lot safer.

 

[FitnessFrk]

any over head pressing movement targets the anterior head and uses the medial as a synergist.

lateral raises are the ONLY exercise that specifically targets only the medial head. use a long TUT and you will see results, don't worry about increasing weight.

 

[Ingram]

I also found with dumbells it was getting too hard to get them up to press, I got up to the 110's for reps, and it didn't feel safe swinging them up and I don't always have a spotter to pass them to me. On the other hand, on military I've been able to do sets of 5 on 235lbs, right to the upper chest, and it feels a lot safer.

Getting them up for me isn't as bad as bringing them down I just kick'em up with my knee and it's all good. Now bringing them down is the hard party, I bang up my knee's/leg pretty bad everytime I hit the 100's.

 

[strong island]

Either pre-exhaust by doing laterals first OR

Lateral/Press superset.

 

[revexrevex]

Do all of you use back support for overhead pressing? I can usually do 75x6 with dumbells, but when sitting on the bench without back support i barely got 55 x 8, yet I felt it in the shoulders for a week. With backsupport there is a tendency to arch the back and therefore pushing up more weight

 

[onemind]

I don't do behind the neck barbell presses because of shoulder injury. So I use the hammer strength behind neck press and have gotten greta results. I am up to three plates on each side for a set of 6.