Overhead Press

Muscles Overhead Press Works

Main musclePress the bar from the front of your shoulders to overhead as your elbows extend. The main muscles driving this movement are your front delts and side delts. Together, they raise your arms and drive the bar overhead.

Supporting musclesYour triceps help straighten your elbows, your upper traps help your shoulder blades rotate upward, and your abs keep your lower back from arching.

How it should feelAs you press up, you should feel the front and sides of your shoulders tighten. As your elbows lock out, your triceps should help finish the press while your torso stays steady.

Signs you're offIf your lower back arches or your chest flares forward, you are pressing with your chest and back instead of your shoulders. If your shoulders shrug hard into your ears, your upper traps may be taking over.

Remember thisKeep your ribs down and press the bar straight over the crown of your head.

Muscles used

• Front deltsfront of the shoulders
• Side deltsouter shoulders, used to raise the arms out to the sides
• Tricepsback of the upper arms
• Upper trapsmuscles from the back of the neck to the tops of the shoulders
• Rectus abdoministhe front abs, commonly called the six-pack
• Erector spinaelong muscles running along both sides of the spine

Setting Up for Overhead Press

Setup orderSet both hooks just below collarbone height → Add matching plates → Lock the clips

• Rack hooks

  Set it like thisIf starting from a rack, set both hooks to the same notch so the bar sits just below your collarbones while standing.

  How to checkFrom the front, the bar should sit just below your collarbones with both ends level.

• Plates and clips

  Set it like thisSlide matching plates all the way onto both sides, then lock the clips right next to the plates.

  How to checkBoth sides should have the same weight, with no visible gap between each clip and plate.

Watch out forAvoid setting the hooks too high so you need to stand on your toes, or loading different weights on each side.

Stance for Overhead Press

Foot widthPlace your feet about shoulder-width apart, and press the whole sole of each foot into the floor.

Where your weight goesPress the whole sole of each foot into the floor, and keep your heels down.

Upper body positionKeep the bar close to your body so it starts in front of your shoulders.

Why it mattersIf your foot support is unstable, the bar can wobble and your shoulders may take more stress.

How to Grip for Overhead Press

Grip typePlace the barbell on the thick lower part of your palms near your wrists, and wrap your thumbs around it.

Grip widthPlace your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, about half a palm wider on each side, holding the same position on both sides of the bar.

How hard to gripKeep the bar on the thick lower part of your palms near your wrists, and keep the backs of your hands in line with your forearms.

The Key Point for Overhead Press

Tighten your abdominal muscles and keep your lower back from arching backward, then lift the bar from in front of your face to above your head.

Think of it like thisKeep your back straight and the bar up

Before the fixMy back arches backward, and the bar swings back and forth.

After the fixThe torso stabilizes, and the bar goes straight up above the head.