No one has ever gotten weaker from bench pressing, barbell overhead pressing, or back squatting. But many have been injured and have experienced setbacks from incorrectly performing or programming these lifts. When training with these exercises, an injury is most likely to occur for at least one of these four reasons:

• Incorrect Technique
• Poor Mobility
• Too Much Volume in the Gym (Too many sets & reps)
• Too Much Volume from Activities Outside of the Gym

The goal of this article is to educate you on why the overhead athlete is more susceptible to encounter injury from bench pressing, barbell overhead pressing, and back squatting. Once you understand the reasoning for avoiding these exercises, we’ll cover three exercises you should be performing instead that’ll allow you train similar muscles, while keeping your joints in safer positions.