Shoulders

[Chickenlegs]

I'm looking for a little advice on some shoulder exercises. I recently had surgery for a torn labrum and just got the ok to start hitting the shoulders with some substantial weight. The Dr. suggested I avoid overhead pressing unless I think it is absolutely necessary. I would like to continue with it, but obviously don't want to jack up my shoulder again.

Now for the questions. What is the proper form for overhead pressing? I've read the elbows should be in front of you, directly below the wrists and also read they should be flared to the sides. Which one would put the least amount of stress on the actual joint (I realize there will be some stress on the joint, just trying to limit it)? I have also read there is greater stress on the joint when the upper arms go below parallel to the floor. Any truth to this? Would I still reap the benefits with cutting the ROM that short?

I'm a little gun shy about doing upright rows, as they always caused a little shoulder pain. Maybe I'll try cleans. Any other suggestions?

[Kastro]

Take a grip that allows your forearms to be vertical to the ground when viewed from in front or behind--for most this will be 1-2" outside the shoulders. Feet should comfortably spaced; only a strict military press requires your heels to be together, which is turn requires much more core stability. Abs should be tight, with shoulder blades retracted. The bar rests on the anterior delts, or the chest depending on your flexibility, and the elbows should be in front of the bar when viewed from the side, but not excessively so (read: somewhere between vertical from the side, and the top clean position). Take a big breath and hold it. You're now ready to press!

The #1 problem you'll see is people pressing the bar out in front of them. There's about a 6" lever arm created by the lateral distance between the scapula and the bar at the bottom position. To reduce this as much as possible, the bar should be pressed as close to the face as you can manage. Thereafter, you do not press it backwards to make up this distance--the bar path should be a vertical line--but rather you move your torso forward, under the bar. The press is completed with the arms locked and shoulders shrugged. Note that at this point the bar will be well behind the forehead--directly over the scapula and the middle of the feet. Lower the bar to the chest, and exhale.

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