Shoulders · Barbell · Compound · Intermediate

Overhead Press

A standing press that moves a barbell from the front of the shoulders to locked-out arms overhead. It works the front and side delts and the triceps, and because nothing supports your back, the glutes and trunk have to hold you upright.

Overhead Press, start position
Start
Overhead Press, end position
End
FrontBack
PrimarySecondary
Main muscles
Shoulders, Front Delts
Also working
Triceps, Core, Traps

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in the rack at upper-chest height. Grip just outside shoulder width so your forearms are vertical, with the bar low in your palms over the forearm bones.
  2. Unrack, step back, and stand with the bar resting on your front delts, elbows slightly in front of the bar.
  3. Squeeze your glutes, pull your ribs down, and take a breath into your belly.
  4. Press straight up, pulling your chin back so the bar clears your face. Once it passes your forehead, move your head and torso forward under it.
  5. Lock out with the bar over your shoulders and midfoot and the shoulders shrugged up slightly, then lower it to your front delts and rebrace before the next rep.

Cues

Short phrases to think during a set.

  • “Glutes tight, ribs down.”
  • “Chin back, then head through.”
  • “Bar finishes over the middle of your foot.”
  • “Wrists stacked over elbows.”

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back until the lift becomes a standing incline press. It moves the work off the shoulders and onto the lower back. Squeeze the glutes and keep the ribs down.
  • Pressing the bar forward in an arc around your face instead of moving your head out of the way. A straight bar path is shorter and stronger.
  • Leaving the bar out in front at the top. Push your head through once the bar clears your forehead so it finishes over the shoulders.
  • Letting the bar roll back into the fingers so the wrists bend under load. Keep it low in the palm over the forearm; this is the most common cause of wrist pain on this lift.

The short version

Strength coaches have used the standing press as a measure of upper-body strength for a long time, and it remains in most beginner barbell programs. It progresses slowly. The shoulders are small muscles compared with the chest, so once the beginner gains run out, progress slows to a pound or two a month, and fractional plates help.

Most of the coaching is about two things: keeping the torso upright with a hard glute squeeze, and moving the head so the bar can travel in a straight line. When the strict press stalls, many programs add the push press, which uses a short dip and drive from the legs to handle heavier weights overhead.

Why people do it

  • Trains the delts and triceps through a full overhead range with a free bar.
  • The trunk and glutes have to work to keep you upright, so it trains bracing along with pressing.
  • Needs only a rack and a bar, and light loads mean small plates go a long way.
  • Carries over to bench press lockout and to anything done overhead, like handstands or putting things on high shelves.

Drawbacks

  • Slow to progress. Expect long stretches of very small jumps once the first few months are over.
  • Needs enough shoulder and upper-back mobility to get the arms vertical without arching the lower back; stiff lifters end up leaning back.
  • Can aggravate cranky shoulders or elbows, especially with high volume.
  • Missing a heavy rep brings the bar down near your face, and a spotter can't easily help from behind. Keep heavy singles conservative and leave room to drop the bar forward.
  • Often limited by trunk stability as much as by shoulder strength.

Sources

Questions

How much should you lean back on overhead press?+

Very little. A small shift back to let the bar clear your chin is normal, but if your torso tilts noticeably the press becomes a standing incline press and loads the lower back. Squeeze the glutes and keep the ribs down.

Why do my wrists hurt when I overhead press?+

In the rack position the forearm should sit close to vertical under the bar, with the elbow slightly in front of it and the bar low in the palm, right over the wrist. If the elbows drift behind the bar or flare wide, the hand ends up behind the load and the wrist folds back as you press. Keep the forearm stacked under the bar from the shoulders to lockout.

Strict press or push press?+

They do different jobs. The strict press is the strength test for the shoulders, while the push press uses leg drive to move more weight and gets you used to heavier loads overhead. Many programs keep the strict press as the main lift and use the push press when it stalls.

Why is my overhead press so weak?+

It is the lightest of the main barbell lifts for almost everyone, and it progresses the slowest. Gaining a pound or two a month is normal. Pressing more often, training the triceps and upper back, and using small plates usually works better than taking big jumps.

Swaps on other equipment

Each has the shoulders as its main muscle and is also a push, on a different piece of equipment.

Variations

Push Press · Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press · Standing Dumbbell Press · Z Press

Other shoulder exercises

Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake