BodyBeats

One move

Barbell Overhead Press

Strength Upper body Core

How to read ahead. Do to go one move at a time.

Bar at the shoulders, brace, press straight up, and let the head travel through at the top. Lock out without leaning back. Lower with control to the shoulders.

Option. Use Dumbbell Shoulder Press or Arnold Press. Seated if the lower back wants to arch. Strict press first — push press only once the lockout is honest.

Show the steps
  1. 1

    Bar at the front of the shoulders, hands just outside them, elbows slightly in front of the bar. Feet about hip-width. Squeeze the glutes and brace the core.

  2. 2

    Press the bar straight up. As it passes the head, move the head through so the bar finishes over mid-foot, not out in front.

  3. 3

    Lock the elbows without shrugging the shoulders into the ears. Ribs stay down — no laid-back lean.

  4. 4

    Lower the bar to the shoulders under control. Inhale as you lower, exhale as you press.

  5. 5

    Keep the wrists stacked over the elbows. Do not flare the ribs to finish a heavy rep.

  6. 6

    Stop or sit the press if the lower back arches. The dumbbell press is a full win, not a consolation.

Barbell Overhead Press

  • Builds overhead strength you can use to put things on a high shelf
  • Trains a braced trunk as much as the shoulders
  • Has a seated or dumbbell version whenever the bar feels like too much

Barbell Overhead Press

Upper body Core

Move type

Strength

Targets

Shoulders Triceps

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The exercises on this website are general fitness ideas, not medical advice. Listen to your body, ease off if something feels sharp or wrong, and stop if you feel dizzy, faint, or short of breath. Talk to a doctor if you have any concerns.

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