Ferrigno Shoulder Press
The Ferrigno Press can be a game-changer for anyone dealing with shoulder, neck, or upper back pain, especially for those who may not identify as athletes. It can also boost muscle gains for body builders who feel like they have hit a brick wall in terms of shoulder growth. It emphasizes the importance of understanding our bodies and finding effective ways to move and strengthen them.
The Ferrigno Press: An instance of simplicity in what is an overwhelmingly complicated assembly; the human shoulder. In the book Pumping Iron, the authors observed a wall hanging in the Santa Monica Golds’ Gym. It was a schematic of a railroad car. Its significance was described as affording vision for the simple elements that together become complicated assemblies. In the film Pumping Iron, Lou Ferrigno is seen performing shoulder presses in a unique manner. I concede that I didn’t understand it at the time. In the intervening years, I haven’t seen or heard of this movement described in this way and I think it appropriate to ascribe the movement to Ferrigno.
Many years later, as I was sitting in Extra-Spinal Biomechanics class, it hit me. In order to get this, you must see the movement of the arm with respect to the torso- motion at the shoulder- in its elements. The upper arm (humerus) moves in a socket that, together, becomes the place where the arm meets the shoulder-blade (scapula). But that is only half of the shoulder. The shoulder-blade itself, as it moves upon the torso, elevating the way it does when you shrug your shoulders, completes the arc that is the movement of lifting your hand overhead. This breakdown applies to movements like pressing overhead as well as reaching for the baking soda on the top shelf at the grocery store. So, why does this mean anything? Well, for the fitness/weightlifting enthusiast this becomes a very useful insight. We’ll describe why in a moment. For the person with shoulder pain issues, understanding this can become the key to making unsuccessful care efforts successful.
Lou Ferrigno had the biggest, most impressive shoulders of his day. All he needed was green paint, a wig and purple shorts to actually be The Incredible Hulk. No CGI here, folks. I’m sure this technique was part of his success. So, what is the Ferrigno Press? Taking the upper arm from its neutral position, at your side, to a point just above horizontal is a movement which contracts the deltoid completely. The Ferrigno press hits the “sweet spot” in the traditional overhead press where you get a full engagement of the deltoid without most of the downside of overhead pressing. I can look back, myself, over the years and think of many people who prematurely ended their weightlifting days because they had destroyed their shoulders.
The downside of the overhead press? The segment of the movement above the horizontal position finds the glenohumeral joint, the ball-in-socket, in full abduction/flexion the entire time. This portends injury to the sub-acromial bursae as well as prolonged isometric contraction to the deltoid. The hazards of prolonged isometric contraction are a subject for an entire discussion, but for our purposes, know that the deltoid is a muscle which finds itself engaged in many activities and very susceptible to overtraining and avoiding this segment of the movement is very much in the interest of mitigating the overtrained deltoid. In this same vein, the muscles of the neck and upper back are susceptible to overtraining- especially in boot-camp type workout regimens- and the Ferrigno Press allows for a shoulder workout while sparing muscles that get plenty of work in many other movements.
This thinking is consistent with Pre-Exhaust techniques which afford usefulness in isolating particular muscles as well as extricating muscles that need to be spared under a given circumstance. Athleticisms as well as vocations create situations where continuing to work or train through pain or injury are necessary. Many years ago, it became accepted that muscle isolation should be replaced with compound movements- “train movements, not muscles”; an innovation that was an improvement on the dogmatic muscle isolation of old-school bodybuilding. Since there are no movements that don’t require muscles, most athletes and training enthusiasts will eventually be forced to deal with individual muscles, either by improving their performance or sparing them from injury while training/work continues. The Ferrigno Press is an excellent instance where such focused effort can be very rewarding.
The non-athlete with shoulder/neck/upper back pain? Understanding the Ferrigno Press can be the beginning of finding clarity in the journey of regaining your health, wellness, and functionality. We all spend our entire lives in our bodies, lives that can be much better when we grasp a physical culture that finds us improved and empowered as stewards of our own frames. Having a conversation about this with your personal trainer, physical therapist or chiropractor is a good idea. Leave the frustration behind- get better and stay better!
Donaid Seals D.C