Spoiler: I didn’t wreck my shoulders. But I did discover a ton of useful stuff no one tells you.
I’ll admit it.
As soon as I read the article on Tom’s Guide by Jennifer Rizzuto – the one where she shares her challenge: 20 military presses a day for a week – I had two immediate reactions.
First: “Cool. I wanna try that too.”
Second (right after): “Yeah, but I can’t do it half-assed. I need to go full hypertrophy psycho.”
Because when you’ve been training shoulders for years, obsessed with hypertrophy and with a toxic love for the overhead press, you can’t just grab two dumbbells and say you did a challenge.
So I decided: 7 days, 20 military presses a day… but with serious weight, proper form, variations, time under tension, and a solid dose of bodybuilder-nerd insanity.
Here’s how it went.
Day 1 – Classic military press, but done properly
Simple start: standing, moderate dumbbells, narrow grip, elbows under wrists.
No jerking, no cheating, no spine turning into a Roman arch.
I set a slow pace:
- 3 seconds up
- 1 second hold at the top
- 4 seconds down
The result? After 10 reps it felt like I ran a marathon on my bare shoulders.
Forget “warm-up.”
I was quickly reminded that a properly executed military press demands full concentration, total control, and way more core activation than you’d expect.
Day 2 – Seated press: where lies go to die
Day two, change of scenery.
I sit on a bench with a vertical backrest. Feet planted. Zero help.
The seated press is brutal: no momentum, no cheating, just shoulders vs. gravity.
And the truth is, when you’re seated, you find out fast if your deltoids actually exist or if you’ve just been compensating with everything else.
After 2 sets of 10, it felt like someone had filled my shoulders with concrete.
Day 3 – Arnold press: the judgmental variation
Day three. I wanted some variety and a little Hollywood-style pump.
I went for the Arnold press. Start with dumbbells in front of the face, palms facing me, and rotate as I press until palms face forward.
Sounds simple? Try it after two days of heavy pressing.
You engage all heads of the deltoid, extend the time under tension, and activate stabilizers you didn’t know existed.
I felt puffier, more mobile, and even a little bit like Arnold (minus the Austrian accent).
Day 4 – Curl bar: the deception
Day four. I thought: “Let’s try a 35 kg curl bar, just to change the grip.”
Mistake.
The curl bar has an angled grip that feels comfy but wrecks your pressing path.
Your forearms scream, your elbows go diagonal, and the stability is pure drunken Jenga.
I made it to 20 reps, but not with dignity. My core was toast. My shoulders confused. The pump? Meh.
Moral of the story: variety is fine. But not every variation is your friend.
Day 5 – Superset: military + lateral raises = fire
Fifth day: time for combos.
I did 10 military presses followed by 10 lateral raises with no rest.
Simple on paper, devastating in reality.
Lateral raises after pressing are like espresso after grappa: you won’t forget them.
That’s when you really feel the side delts scream for mercy.
The effect? Delts felt like they were going to explode, and my heart was like, “Wait… is this the end or just the beginning?”
Day 6 – Controlled push press + slow eccentrics
Day six, changed the approach:
- 10 light push presses with a bit of leg drive
- 10 strict military presses with slow eccentrics
I wanted to see if adding some explosiveness could unlock new fibers. It worked.
Push presses let you use heavier loads and push higher, but be careful: if you don’t control the descent, you’re in for pain.
Following up with slow eccentrics is like pouring salt on a fresh wound. Painful, but effective.
Day 7 – Z-press: the final boss
Last day. The challenge deserved an epic finale.
I went full “Shaolin monk mode” with the Z-press: seated on the floor, legs straight, back upright, dumbbells overhead with zero support.
Sounds simple? It’s a demon exercise.
Every rep is an act of faith and core stability.
Everything must be under control: no momentum, no leaning, you can’t even cough or you’ll tip over.
I made it to 15 reps, had to stop, and finished the last 5 breathing like I was climbing Everest.
Final result: did it work?
Yes.
I’m not just talking about a temporary pump. I mean real awareness.
- My shoulders felt stronger and more stable
- My press form improved
- I reconnected with muscles I hadn’t felt in a while
- I figured out which variations really fire me up
And I made peace with the fact that military press alone won’t work miracles… but if you use it right, it changes everything.
What happens to the rest of your body when you do military press every day?
Quick side note: even if the goal was to hit shoulders, the rest of the body wasn’t just hanging out.
- The core was under constant stress, especially on standing days and unstable variations
- The lower back learned to stay in line
- The triceps got steady indirect volume
- Even the legs (on push press days) had to help create a solid base
Moral of the story? Military press is a shoulder move, but it recruits the whole postural orchestra.
Mistakes to avoid if you want to try it too
Feeling inspired? Good. But avoid these traps or you’ll end up like an “ego-lifting crusader”:
- Don’t start with heavy weights just to impress your dog watching you train
- Avoid doing it standing every time if you’ve got lower back issues or poor scapular mobility
- Don’t repeat the exact same scheme daily: mix it up, or boredom and plateau will show up together
- Don’t sacrifice form just to hit 20 reps at all costs. Better to do 12 good ones than 20 sloppy ones
How sustainable is it long-term?
Week’s over, but here’s the real question: can you keep going?
Honest answer: not like this.
Doing 20 presses every day works as a short-term experiment or a shock to your training.
But long-term you need:
- Periodization
- Recovery
- Stimulus variation
In short, it’s a great training block, but not a full program.
Want to use it occasionally to re-ignite your shoulders? Awesome.
Want to do it forever? Nope. Balanced approach is better.
So, should you try it too?
Yes. But not like a lunatic.
Doing 20 military presses a day won’t work magic on its own.
You need to be smart about it. Change angles. Play with time under tension. Tweak load, speed, and rest.
The difference between doing an exercise and training a muscle is all in the details.
This challenge teaches you exactly that.
PS: Where did the idea come from?
This experiment was inspired by an article on Tom’s Guide by Jennifer Rizzuto.
You can find the original by Googling:
“I did 20 military presses every day for a week — here’s what happened…”
I just made it a little more muscle nerd approved. 😎
