Do Shoulder Presses Hurt Your Back?

The shoulder press exercise involves pressing a weight from shoulder height, straight overhead until your arms are straight. You can perform it sitting down or standing up, with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells or a machine. Any exercise performed incorrectly can hurt your back, but the shoulder press is a common offender, particularly when you perform it in a certain way. If you find one form of shoulder pressing causes back pain, there are other ways you can perform the exercise to work around this.

  1. Standing Shoulder Presses

    • The standing shoulder press, also known as the military press, is usually performed with a barbell or pair of dumbbells. Overhead pressing in this standing position can be problematic if you extend your posture and arch your lower back, according to strength coach Eric Cressey. Instead of pressing the weight straight up overhead while maintaining a straight torso and tight mid-section, many people push their hips forward and place excess strain on their lower backs. To take some of the pressure off your back, squeeze your glutes as you press up, advises trainer Tony Gentilcore. This will tip your pelvis forward slightly and prevent you from leaning back.

    Seated Shoulder Presses

    • In theory, seated shoulder presses are less likely to cause lower-back pain than standing ones, as your back is supported by a bench. Like standing presses, you can perform these with dumbbells or a barbell or even switch to a seated shoulder-press machine. Seated presses can still be troublesome if you set the exercises up incorrectly however. Your head, shoulders and butt should be in contact with the bench at all times, and you must not let your lower back arch, advises the American Council on Exercise.

    Upper-Back Pain

    • While not as common as lower-back pain, you can experience upper-back discomfort during overhead presses. Poor shoulder mobility and limited upper-back extension can both cause back pain when pressing, according to strength coach Bret Contreras. If you struggle with either of these, spend some time stretching your chest, shoulders and lats before every shoulder press workout and use light weights with perfect form to improve your range of motion, rather than carrying on trying to lift heavier with poor technique.

    Solutions

    • If you still want to work your shoulders but can't perform regular overhead presses pain-free, there are a number of approaches to take. Cressey recommends performing singe-arm half-kneeling presses. By kneeling down for the exercise, you have to use lighter weights and keep your core tight, which reduce the temptation to arch your lower back. You can also switch to lateral raises, front raises and rear-deltoid raises to work your shoulders if any form of overhead pressing brings about back pain. If the pain persists, consult your doctor or a physiotherapist.