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Strength·Shoulders

Overhead Press

Overhead PressOverhead Press
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At a glance

Equipment
Barbell
Suggested reps
3–4 sets of 5–8 reps

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Common mistakes

  • You lean way back and turn the press into a standing incline bench, taking the shoulders out and stressing the lower back.

  • You press the bar out in front of your face and leave it there, instead of finishing with it stacked over the mid-foot.

  • You bend the knees and sneak in leg drive when the bar slows down.

  • You stop short of lockout, never finishing with straight arms and shrugged-up shoulders overhead.

What to focus on

  • Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs hard before the press so the torso is a rigid pillar, not a hinge.

  • Move your head back to clear a path for the bar, then push your head through the window once the bar passes your face.

  • Finish each rep by shrugging the shoulders up into the bar at lockout with your ears in line with your arms.

Related strength moves

Sources & further reading

  1. 1.EMG shows the overhead press strongly recruits all three deltoid heads — anterior, medial, and posterior Frontiers in Physiology (2022), EMG study