I see trainers in my gym. Doing odd stuff. I look at it like this.. if you are 130 lbs.. telling me how to get huge.. I'm not inclined to believe you.
If this guy is running around.. 5x upper body, no legs, same workout.. and after 2 years looks exactly the same.. then I think his actions and physical appearance speak louder then his words of wisdom.
However, I do think free weights are better then a machine. But in your case, no spotter and such.. it will be difficult. And with a machine, there's a much lower chance of having bad form because well.. you can't really. With free weights, your body uses a lot of core stabilizer muscles to keep things in line and the range of motion is great.
Okay, back to your question.
Do military style presses with dumbbells. You can start off light.. go heavier over time. If the weight is too much, it's a dumbbell.. drop it. There's no big bars and there's nothing coming crashing down on your head. So dumbbells are your best alternative for shoulder military presses.
Then you could try a Smith machine military press. That is pretty nice as well. If you have one at your gym. Easily locks into place when you are finished.
And finally, some gyms have specific stations for free weight shoulder presses. But I would recommend a spotter in that situation as you will have to press the weight up to get it back into the holders. Although I did see a guy at our gym start it off on the side rails... kinda a safety catch.. and then press it straight up from there. So he was able to use that station pretty well.
He does have a point about the military press being better with a free weight. But you do what you have to do. That is, learn slowly and progress. If you are getting results from the machine, stick with it.. until you feel that you could make some progress with the dumbbells in a pressing style. Then if you get a partner or a quick spot, move onto the shoulder press station or smith machine if you have one.
The guy has a point about that.. but better or not.. you should start off slow and at your own pace. Progress to free weights when you feel comfortable trying such. He has no point when it comes to working his upper body 5x a week and never hitting his lower body.
There's a lot of armchair experts in the gym when it comes to giving advice.
My story is..
I got 50% you are fugging nuts for not wearing a belt when squatting and another 50% you are an idiot for wearing one. Moron if you do, moron if you don't. Sheesh..
