Overview of Overhead Press
The overhead press not only helps build a strong back and shoulders, but it also improves shoulder mobility, balance, and core safety.
Similar to the shoulder press, the overhead press uses multiple muscle groups in the upper body to push the barbell. This pressing motion also engages lower body stability, which is why you are able to lift very heavy weights.
What is an Overhead Press?
The overhead press is an upper body exercise where you lift a barbell overhead while standing straight. It primarily works the shoulders, deltoids, triceps, and trapezius, but also involves other muscles such as the pectorals, serratus anterior, and abdominals. As such, the overhead press is one of the most important compound exercises.
Almost every weightlifting program worth its salt includes the overhead press, which is followed by any weightlifter or bodybuilder. While the overhead press is not part of the big three of squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, it does have a part in the Olympic lifts, which involves lifting a heavy weight overhead. In conclusion, there is no better test of upper body endurance than the overhead press, aside from the bench press.
What Muscles do Overhead Press Work
Muscles Involved in Standing overhead press
If you choose to do the overhead press from a standing setting, you’ll work a lot of the huge muscle mass in your upper body, including the:
- pectorals ( chest)
- deltoids ( shoulders)
- triceps ( arms)
- trapezius ( upper back)
Since standing upright requires balance, you also need to work your core muscles (including your abdominals and lower back). In an upright position, you need to compensate for changes in balance during each phase of the lift and create stability through your spine to ensure a proper foundation for weight-bearing lifting activities, explains Brent Rader, a physical therapist at the Center for Advanced Orthopedics.
In addition to upper-body strength, your lower body also helps when you push the weighted barbell overhead.
Seated overhead press
If you perform the overhead press in a seated position (i.e. with your back against the back of a mat), you are not engaging your core. All the work will be done by your shoulders and triceps.
Overhead Press Benefits
Functional exercises like the press can help improve your fitness and quality of life. Whether your goal is strength, stability, or muscle mass, the press should be an essential addition to your workout routine.
Strengthen Your Upper Body
The overhead press works several major muscle groups in the upper body, many of which contribute to a toned beach body. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to build muscle in a specific area.
Many athletes can benefit from the overhead press, and because it works so many different muscles, it can build a broad back, shoulders, and arms.
Build Shoulder Strength and Safety
Lifting anything above a certain height, whether it’s a barbell or a moving box, puts stress on your shoulders. If you don’t train enough, you can increase your risk of injury. One of the main muscles worked in this compound exercise is the shoulders.
The overhead press is a useful functional activity that can carry over to other lifts and life outside the gym.
Build Press Strength
If you want a better bench press, then building press strength should be a fundamental part of your workout.
There are many upper body exercises that can help build bench press strength, and the overhead press is one of them. It works the shoulders, triceps, and pectorals, all important parts of the bench press.
Other Benefits of Overhead Press
- Improves the strength and size of the shoulder muscles.
- Improves the size and strength of the triceps.
- Improves the size and strength of the trapezius muscles.
- When performing standing exercises, it strengthens the core muscles such as the obliques, transverse abdominis, lower back and spinal stabilizers.
- Helps increase the efficiency of other exercises such as the bench press.
Keep in mind: The overhead press involves the engagement of multiple muscle groups in order to lift a heavy object overhead.
How to Do an Overhead Press
The barbell overhead press is the main shoulder press exercise so we’ll go in depth right here on how to perform the overhead press with appropriate kind. You ought to have the ability to use a number of these exact same type signs to various other variations of the overhead press.
How to do Standing Overhead Press
1.Set the barbell responsible of a power shelf at upper chest elevation.
2. Stand up with feet carry width apart, toes mentioned a little with your core engaged, glutes acquired, looking directly ahead.
3. Get hold of bar with an overhand grip slightly bigger than shoulder width apart with the bar resting versus the heel of your hands.
4. Unrack the bar maintaining your elbow joints tucked in with your wrists piled over.
5. Slightly arch your upper back while squeezing the upper back muscular tissues then inhale to expand chest to involve lats and triceps then squeeze shoulder blades with each other while keeping your elbows at 45 degrees then press directly.
6. As the bar is passing your face begin squeezing your shoulder blades as well as shrug your shoulders while you push your hips forward somewhat as well as bring your chin back to stay clear of bar if required.
7. As soon as the bar moves past your head, shrug your traps and squeeze your shoulders as you fully expand your arms to shut out the weight.
8. Lower the bar in a controlled fashion through the very same movement.
How to do Seated Overhead Press
For the seated overhead press comply with the same signs but make certain to rest on the bench with your core engaged and back straight throughout the movement.
Variants of Overhead Press
There are several variants of the overhead press, such as the seated overhead press, push press, dumbbell press as well as more. The necessary version of the overhead press is the standing overhead press.
In toughness training the overhead press would certainly be considered the major lift where as various other variations of the overhead press like dumbbell presses as well as Arnold presses would be more useful lifts. We will certainly enter the various overhead presses and the various tools you could make use of with them such as dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands as well as even combination of a barbell with bands and also weight plates.
Overhead Press Pointers
Properly Warmup
The shoulder joint is a complicated as it can relocate such a wide range of motion so it is at risk to injury. The shoulder joint has the ability for axial turning so it’s extremely important to carry out some light mobility workouts in the whole ROM prior to attempting to lift moderate to hefty weight. For your warm collections, start light as well as gradually boost the tons.
Set Your Position
Your legs must be locked in position to stay clear of using them to drive the weight upwards. Picture yourself screwing your feet right into the ground before you start the lift.
Set Your Grip
The grip you use when doing an overhead press can make or damage the overall lift. You should make use of a complete grip with your fingers wrapped around the bar to ensure that you can squeeze the bar as you press up, this can add some stamina to the lift by involving your muscular tissues more. The full grasp is likewise helpful for avoiding possible slippage, you would not desire the bar to slip out of your hands at the top of the movement, would you? The bar ought to rest at the meaningful part of your palms to ensure that you can press straight up without needing to bother with your wrists flexing back.
Your knuckles need to be simply behind your wrists with the bar hing on the weighty part of your palms, near to your forearms. The objective right here is to minimize the possibility that your wrists bend back, while also enabling you to press straight up from your forearms into the bar.
For the grip width, do not go narrower than shoulder size as the tons will certainly be extremely put on your shoulder joints. Utilize a shoulder size or a little wider than shoulder width hold. If your hold is too large than you’re lowering the triceps as well as delts involvement. if your hold is too narrow your arm joints will not be in the appropriate setting.
Keep in mind: Some favor using a Bulldog grip where the bar will certainly sit in the heel of your hand like the complete grip over however the fingers must be bent as well as pushing versus the bar with your thumbs wrapped around the bar. Your hand needs to appear like a Bulldog’s paw.
Set Your Elbows & Forearms
Forearms need to be vertical, with elbow joints slightly inward to make sure that they do not wing out. Many people additionally make the error of maintaining their elbows behind the bar during, this makes it so that your forearms aren’t exactly vertical. If your forearms get on a minor incline then the path of the bar will not be straight up and down. Start with your elbow joints simply in front of the bar.
Contract Upper Back: Flex upper back muscles in scapular location as you’re finishing the lockout.
Stand Up Tall
Many people have the propensity to lean back when doing the overhead press. Don’t do this! You should finish the whole lift with your back directly in a neutral setting and also with your core involved. To help remain completely upright maintain your glutes acquired throughout the lift.
Keep Core Tight
Maintaining your core involved throughout the overhead press aids you relocate a lot more weight and keeps your back in a neutral placement. It aids to inhale before starting to push the weight up so that your core stays limited.
Look Straight Ahead
All too often people turn their head up as they push the barbell overhead. It is necessary to look straight ahead throughout the motion. To help with this you might wish to obsess your eyes on a things before you before you start the lift.
Press Bar direct
By pushing the bar upwards in a straight line you will certainly be able to lift larger weight as the mechanics of the body can generate the most require while keeping your joints straight under your wrists as you rise. A couple of common causes of not pushing straight up are not starting the lift appropriately where you’re under the bar or not relocating your upper torso back slightly as you press up.
Don’t Press With Legs
You ought to be getting your glutes to assist maintain your body to complete the overhead press yet prevent using your legs to create power or energy. Bear in mind, this is intended to be a strict press. If you can’t complete the motion without utilizing your legs to aid you in getting the weight up then you must decrease the weight you’re making use of. Nonetheless, we will certainly discuss a comparable workout called the push press in the future where you will be called for to use your leg power.
Tuck Chin
As you press the bar up don’t lean or guide to move the bar past your face. Tuck your chin (attempt to make a double chin even if you do not have one) as well as relocate your head back a little to clear your face then press your head with the window to finish the lift.
Stay in Line
Your entire body ought to be in-line throughout the activity. From a side view your body should maintain a vertical alignment. Keep your core limited by bracing for an imaginary punch to the intestine. You can also try to make use of a weight lifting belt to make sure that your abdominals have a surface to press versus. Your reduced back ought to stay in a neutral position throughout the movement to prevent hyper-extending it and also causing injury.
Shrug Shoulders
Shrug your shoulders on top of the movement to complete the shut out phase and turn on the upper back muscle mass.
