what helps getting heavy db's up on shoulder/incline presses?

[Friendly Milkshake]

Apparently db's are much safer than barbell (i agree at least on flat bench)

Yet all the magnificent injuries i've obtained throughout my years of lifting, has been from just getting those weights up to press up ahead in some form or fashion, whether for chest or shoulders.

So what are some good tips or assisted exercises to do? muscles to workout? to get that initial lift off.

sure we could probably press these weights if some one assisted us...but getting them up it's a pain in the bitch.

flat bench i got no problem though.

[The Solution]

Kick them up from your knees

[LSMUSCL81]

Knee kick works for up till the 110's....anything heavier, I ask for help....kick the right up and someone hands me the left

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[Dan Kennedy]

Power Hooks.

[natenator]

Actually bring strong in the first place helps lol

[Deltasaurus]

I have a good method of going from standing to sitting and kicking em up with my knees or i get someone to hand them to me, On decline dumbbell i always have someone hand them to me or its literally impossible to safely fall back with them

[sassy69]

^^ Same as above - I start from seated w/ DBs, ends on my knees, leaning forward. W/ the momentum of leaning back, kick each up and get it up. I personally start from up all the way up so I have them up and can start, instead of from dead stop. Works for me - maybe because of my tweaky elbows I prefer to start that way. Basically if I can kick DBs up to a stable place by myself w/ extension, I'm golden. If I can't get the stability at the top, then its too heavy for me to do alone and I'll get a spot. To date my best no-spot lift from set up to end of sets is 85 lb DBs. I've done presses w/ up to 95 lb DBs but needed help getting it up.

[robert da strongman]

My take on this issue...

I dumbbell incline after heavy pressing on a hammer press. The hammerr press is a safe alternative if you have access to one.

When doing the dumbbell incline I clean the dumbbells from the standing position and then sit on the bench. As I may back down momentum carries the dumbbells up to my shoulders.

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[GDavis]

Kick them up from your knees

This is the best tactic I have found other than finding a spotter/training partner

[GDavis]

I have seen people with these before.

[sassy69]

Another option if you are stuck w/o a spotter or maybe even the weights you want to use don't go high enough (e.g. nothing > 100 lb), you can also add in bands so the full resistance doesn't kick in until you've already gotten past the "getting them up" step.

When I went looking for youtubes on this, I found some ideas I hadn't even thought of:



Here you would just set up the bands behind your back w/o getting tied up in the bench itself



-depending on the bench you're using, you may or may not be able to get the bands around the back of the bench and still be able to gracefully get them up. However if you set up big band resistance, you actually don't need the DB itself to be all that heavy.

[Friendly Milkshake]

also, i have a misaligned spine or something where it causes one shoulder to be farther back than other.....so im sure thats one of the biggest reasons its harder for me to get heavier dbs up.

one of of my arms will go backwards as i press up while the other goes the opposite direction..i've felt like i was about to tear my arms out of my socket before. dont know how i should get that fixed....chiropractor? (fucked it up deadlifting 4-5 years ago) so even kicking them up can be a heart-felt journey.

[Jer]

Actually bring strong in the first place helps lol

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to natenator again.


My take is, if you can't kick them up from your knees, they're too heavy for you.

[Curt James]

Kick them up from your knees

One thing I learned from Bob Cicherillo courtesy of a free DVD from BB.com.

[Tu Holmes]

Do Arnold Presses and get stronger until you can pick them up without the assistance.