Exercises · Front delts · Barbell

Overhead press

How to do it

1. Stand with the bar resting at your collarbones and brace your core.
2. Press the bar straight overhead, moving your head back and then through once the bar passes your face.
3. Lower the bar back to your chest.

Form cues that help

• Squeeze your glutes and keep your ribs down so you do not lean back.
• Grip the bar just outside shoulder width with your wrists stacked over your elbows.
• Finish with the bar over the middle of your feet and your arms fully straight.
• Take a breath before each rep and hold your brace as you press.

Common mistakes

• Leaning back. Turning the press into an incline press shifts the work away from your shoulders.
• Pressing the bar forward. Move your head out of the way and push the bar in a straight line.
• Loose legs. Keep your legs and glutes tight so your whole body stays stable.
• Cutting the lockout. Finish each rep with your arms straight.

Alternatives and variations

• The dumbbell shoulder press lets each arm move on its own and can be done seated.
• The lateral raise isolates your side delts with lighter weight.
• The push-up and barbell bench press train pressing in a horizontal direction.
• The face pull is a good companion for your rear shoulders and upper back.

How to progress it

Add reps until you can finish every set cleanly, then add a small amount of weight. Smaller jumps, using fractional plates if your gym has them, suit a lift like this one. Log your sets each session. See progressive overload.

See it moving in FollowSet

FollowSet has a 3D demo for the overhead press, with the working muscles highlighted, and it logs every set. Download it on the App Store.

General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your shoulders, elbows or lower back, and ask a qualified coach or clinician if you have an injury.