Barbell Overhead Press
A strict standing barbell press for the shoulders and triceps.
Also called Overhead Press, Strict Press, Military Press.
This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.
- Pattern
- Vertical push
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Laterality
- Bilateral
- Impact
- Low
- Trains where
- Gym
- At home
- No
How to do it
Set up
- Bar at your collarbones, grip just outside shoulders, glutes squeezed.
Do the rep
- Press straight up, pulling your head slightly back out of the way.
- Finish with the bar over your mid-foot, arms locked.
What counts as a rep
A rep ends with the bar locked out over the mid-foot with no leg drive and no backward lean.
One rep starts with the bar at the collarbones, presses in a straight line without leg drive, and ends locked out over the mid-foot.
Breathing
Brace before each press; exhale near lockout.
Common mistakes
Leaning back
What you seeThe torso bends backward and the press turns into an incline press.
FixSqueeze the glutes, keep the ribs down, and press the bar in a straight line.
The lean shifts load away from the shoulders and onto the lower back.
Stop the set if
- Sharp pain
- Loss of control over the bar
- You cannot finish the press without bending the knees or leaning back hard
General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.
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