Overhead Pin Press

What is Overhead Pin Press:

The Overhead Pin Press is a strength-training exercise designed to improve pressing power and target specific ranges of motion in the overhead press. This movement involves pressing a barbell from a dead stop, with the bar resting on safety pins or supports set at a predetermined height in a power rack. By eliminating the stretch reflex and momentum, the overhead pin press isolates the concentric (lifting) phase of the movement, making it an excellent tool for building raw strength and addressing sticking points in the overhead press.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Targets the front and middle delts, upper chest, and triceps, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Addressing Sticking Points: Targets specific ranges of motion to overcome sticking points, potentially improving the overall overhead press and breaking plateaus.
  • Joint Stability: Enhances shoulder and elbow stability by engaging supporting muscles throughout the movement, contributing to joint health and injury prevention.
  • Core Activation: Requires core engagement to maintain stability and control throughout the movement, contributing to core strength and stability.
  • Functional Strength: Improves shoulder flexion and abduction strength, elbow extension strength, and overall fitness, translating to improved performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Reduces Fatigue: Minimizes eccentric (lowering) phase due to reduced range of motion, reducing overall fatigue during training.

Variations:

  • Overhead Press: The traditional overhead press exercise technique.
  • High-Pin Press: Pins set at the forehead or eye level to focus on lockout strength.
  • Mid-Pin Press: Pins set at the chin level to target the mid-range of the press.
  • Seated Overhead Pin Press: Performed seated to reduce lower-body involvement, potentially improving stability and performance.

How to perform Overhead Pin Presses:

  • Setup: Position the safety pins in a power rack at your desired height (e.g., chin or forehead level) and place the barbell on the pins.
  • Starting Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width unrack it, and position yourself under the bar accordingly.
  • Execution: Brace your core and press the barbell upward, while lifting your head back slightly for the bar to pass through until your arms are fully extended.
  • Return and Repeat: Lower the barbell back to the starting position under control, then repeat the movement for your desired repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position and/or on the way down.
  • Exhale: Exhale at the end position and/or at the bottom after returning to the starting position.
  • Shallow Breaths: Avoid holding your breath for too long and inhale/exhale throughout the movement as necessary.
  • Biasing: Depending on the technique or specific range of motion, you may bias different muscle groups, such as the upper pecs, lateral delts, and triceps. For example, you may bias the upper pecs in the very bottom portion of the range of motion, front and side delts in the middle, and triceps on the very top or lockout. While also being able to bias the upper pecs in shoulder-width grip and side delts in wider, both in the bottom half of the range of motion.
  • Control: Don't bounce the bar off the pins—reset each rep to maintain control and tension.
  • Wrist: Maintain a slight wrist extension, keeping the bar stacked on your forearms.
  • Leaning Back: Lean back with your thoracic spine and keep your lumbar spine neutral throughout the movement.
  • Scapular Engagement: Maintain scapular depression while allowing your scapula to retract at the starting position and be neutral at the final position.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain external shoulder rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - increase the height of the safety pins
    • Using external force for support - a partner or spotter
    • Decreasing the Weight

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Increasing the Range of Motion - decrease the height of the safety pins
    • Increasing the Weight