Barbells VS Dumbbells (Standing or Seated)

I got a good question over on Instagram.

I think it warrants a longer answer.

There is a reason I do seated dumbbell shoulder presses most of the time now versus standing overhead presses.

I posted this video…

In the caption, I wrote:

“Get to 100’s on shoulder press and watch your shoulders turn into boulders. No magic to muscle gain. Get stronger on key lifts. More weight and more reps.”

After I posted it someone asked.

“Are these better than a barbell OHP? I do both but not 100% sure.”

I mentioned that standing barbell presses destroy my CNS.

Let’s expand on that.

Overhead presses are awesome for building strength and muscle because they work lots of muscles at once.

You have to use your legs, back, and core to help lift the weight.

This is both a good and bad thing.

If you are starting out, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

I definitely recommend working on this exercise in the beginning.

But once you get really strong at this?

This can tire out your central nervous system (CNS).

Seated exercises, like seated dumbbell curls or seated shoulder presses, don’t wear out your CNS as much.

You aren’t taxing the core and lower back.

You don’t use as many muscles…

So your CNS doesn’t have to work as hard.

The problem with overworking your CNS is that it will make you less likely to be active throughout the day.

It also doesn’t feel great.

Another negative…

When you exercise a lot or push your body too hard, can lead to a stress response, making your body release a hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol actually lowers testosterone levels too. That’s why it’s important to find a balance in your workouts and give your body enough rest to recover.

It’s also why I recommend training just 2-3 days per week.

This will give you the ideal amount of energy both on workout days and off days.

• Lift progressively heavy weights
• Recover in between workouts
• Avoid exhausting your CNS (and releasing excess cortisol)

In addition to this…

Take the Mojo Stack

When you combine this stack, with just the right amount of workout volume and intensity.

And you get your diet dialed in?

You will rapidly gain muscle, lose body fat, increase T levels, and improve blood flow.

You will also have drive, ambition, a better sex life, etc.

Try the Mojo Stack

This combo is simply too good!

Talk Soon,

Greg O’Gallagher