If your shoulders move well and your core is strong, doing overhead pressing—whether in front or behind your head—is safe for your shoulders and spine.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
Community contributions welcome
Activity of Shoulder Stabilizers and Prime Movers During an Unstable Overhead Press.
The study shows that overhead pressing, especially with unstable weights, makes your shoulder and core muscles work harder to stay stable. This might help protect your joints, but the study didn’t directly check if it’s safe for your shoulders or spine.
Overhead shoulder press – In-front of the head or behind the head?
The study looked at two ways of doing shoulder presses—overhead in front or behind the head—and found both are safe for people with normal shoulder movement and core strength.
Contradicting (0)
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Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.