Overhead Press

What is Overhead Press:

The Overhead Press, also known as Shoulder Press or Military Press, is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, specifically the anterior and medial heads. It involves lifting a weight, typically a barbell or dumbbell, from shoulder level to an overhead position while standing or seated.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Targets the front and middle delts, upper chest, and triceps, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • 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.

Variations:

  • Overhead Pin Press: A variation that starts from a complete dead-stop, with the barbell resting on safety pins in a power rack to eliminate momentum from the eccentric phase. This focused technique targets the concentric portion of the movement, allowing you to isolate the shoulders and triceps, overcome sticking points, and boost lockout strength.
  • Seated Overhead Press: Performed while seated, reducing lower-body involvement by doing the exercise seated, improving stability and performance.
  • Strict Press: Performed without leg drive, focusing solely on upper-body strength.
  • Push Press: Incorporates a slight leg drive to assist in lifting heavier weights.

Different Equipment:

  • Barbell (current): The classic variation, performed with a barbell, allows for heavier loads and symmetrical strength development.
  • Dumbbell: Uses dumbbells instead of a barbell, allowing for unilateral training, and helping in correcting imbalances.
  • Smith Machine: Performed on a Smith machine, which has a fixed path, helping in improving stability and overall safety.
  • Kettlebell: Involves pressing kettlebells overhead, helping in shoulder stability and grip strength.
  • Resistance Band: Uses resistance bands to perform the press, offering variable resistance throughout the movement, as well as being great for rehabilitation and improving shoulder stability.
  • Press Machine: Utilizes a shoulder press machine for a seated, guided overhead press, offering improved stability and overall safety.
  • Landmine Press: A variation where one end of a barbell is anchored, and the other is pressed overhead. It reduces shoulder strain and is suitable for individuals with mobility limitations.

How to perform Overhead Presses:

  • Setup: Place the barbell on either the floor or on a rack. Then, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  • Entry: Either perform a clean (deadlift then lifting the barbell explosively to the shoulders) or position yourself under the barbell and unrack it.
  • Starting Position: Hold the barbell around your neck height close to your clavicle, depending on your mobility, with your elbows flexed and close to your sides.
  • 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: Assume a shoulder-width grip for biasing the upper pecs or wider than shoulder-width for side delts.
  • 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:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Using Momentum
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • 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 Weight