Men's Health September 11, 2025 0 Comments

Unlock Legendary Shoulder Power with This Forgotten Muscle Move That Champions Swear By!

Ever catch yourself staring down the same old shoulder press and thinking, “There’s gotta be a better way”? Well, let me introduce you to the half-kneeling javelin press—a deceptively simple move that flips your routine on its head while keeping those shoulders on fire. This isn’t just another run-of-the-mill lift; it’s a throwback to the strongman vibes of old-time sideshows, demanding more than just brute force. You see, balancing that long, unwieldy barbell overhead with one hand forces your wrists, grip, and core to team up like never before. It’s not just about pressing weight; it’s about mastering control—resisting the urge to hurl that barbell across the gym floor is key here—while building substantial strength that breaks out of the usual shoulder zone. If you’re ready to mix challenge with a bit of fun, this one’s for you. Curious how to nail the form without face-planting? Step into the half-kneeling stance and let’s get into the meat of this underrated powerhouse exercise. LEARN MORE

The half-kneeling javelin press is a simple, challenging, and a fun alternative to any standard shoulder-blasting presses you’re already incorporating into your workouts, according to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. As long as you resist the urge to heave a barbell across the gym, you’ll do okay throwing this exercise into your shoulder routine.

The javelin press may not help you to become a better track and field athlete, but hoisting a barbell overhead with one hand does gives off an old-time sideshow strongman vibe. While the move shows off shoulder strength, it targets a host of muscle groups not normally associated with shoulder work.

For starters, this variation requires wrist and grip strength to stabilize the oversized bar, while at the same time the instability caused by the length barbell also hits the core.

How to Do the Half-Kneeling Javelin Press

Set yourself in a half-kneeling stance while holding a straight barbell or EZ-curl bar with the same hand as your front foot. Because of the instability caused by the barbell’s long levers, you’ll have to be much more cognizant of your wrist positioning, as the goal is to keep the bar parallel with the ground while pressing. Otherwise, the bar may teeter and you’ll possibly wind up crashing one end on the ground.

As you can tell, fighting the barbell’s instability is a recurring theme when it comes to the javelin press. In this case, the final challenge is maintaining control during the eccentric (lowering) phase of the press, which is going to require greater control from your wrists to your core to fight against the bar’s momentum, which may cause the barbell to rotate awkwardly.

Again, the goal is to press the reps, keeping the bar parallel with the ground. Slow and controlled works best. Try starting with three sets of 10 to 12 reps.