The overhead press is one of the best strength and muscle-building exercises you can do.
It used to be THE primary upper-body building exercise until the popularity of bench press skyrocketed in the 1950’s and 60’s. Long before people asked, “How much can you bench?” people used to ask, “How much can you press?”
So popular has the bench press become that Monday is now known as National Bench Press Day. While the bench press is rightly a fundamental part of most people’s routine, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the overhead press. In my own workout routine, I have 4 exercises that are fundamental. These exercises are the pillars on which everything else is built. They are squats, deadlifts, overhead press, and bench press. Look at popular routines such as StrongLifts 5×5, Starting Strength, or 5/3/1. You’ll see that those 4 lifts are present in each of the routines. So why is it that the overhead press seems to be neglected by your typical gym goer? Over the course of a few short years, a number of changes swept across the world of weightlifting. They changed how people viewed the overhead press.
It used to be THE primary upper-body building exercise until the popularity of bench press skyrocketed in the 1950’s and 60’s.
A Brief History of the Overhead Press
As Mark Rippetoe states in his legendary book Starting Strength: “The day the barbell was invented, the guy who invented it figured out a way to shove it over his head.”
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the clean and press was added to the programme for the first time. It remained a part of the Olympic programme until 1972 when it was dropped as various forms of cheating developed.
Instead of relying on upper body strength, lifters began subtly using larger lower body muscle groups to increase the weight they could lift. It also became common to see lifters leaning further and further back, turning it more into an incline bench press than a strict overhead press.
Further developments outside of olympic weightlifting resulted in the decline of the overhead press. During the 1970’s, powerlifting was swelling in popularity. It featured regularly on ABC’s number one ranked Saturday afternoon sport show, “ABC’s Wide World of Sports.” As a result, the bench press, squat, and deadlift began to take centre stage. The overhead press wrongfully became yesterday’s lift. Another sweeping change that happened in the 1970’s was the rise of machines inside the gym. Arthur Jones began selling his range of Nautilus machines to gym owners across the country. These machines were popular with gym owners. They required very little training or input from their own staff. This allowed gym owners to focus on developing their salesforce rather than hiring more experienced trainers. A final reason that the overhead press has fallen out of favour is the mistaken belief that the lift is bad for the shoulders. It’s a commonly believed myth that it can cause shoulder impingement. However, the shrug at the top of the overhead press prevents this from happening. Few people seem to understand that a poorly performed bench press can often be the cause of shoulder impingement. Within a few short years, the overhead press was no longer THE lift for building upper body strength. Instead it played second fiddle to the bench press and new look gyms with their array of shiny machines.
Within a few short years, the overhead press was no longer THE lift for building upper body strength. Instead it played second fiddle to the bench press and new look gyms with their array of shiny machines.
Why Everyone Should be Overhead Pressing
The overhead press is a full body compound exercise.
Whilst your shoulders and arms are the prime movers in the exercise, your traps, abs and legs are also used to stabilize the weight. The overhead press uses more muscles and more central nervous system activity than any other upper-body exercise.
The overhead press allows you to build stronger and more muscular shoulders and triceps. It helps to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles. It also prevents any shoulder imbalances by complementing the bench press to build upper body strength. By overhead pressing, you’ll be ensuring that the posterior deltoids don’t lag behind the anterior side (which is strengthened by the bench press). It’s important to have a balanced physique for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you look a bit odd if you have a couple of very well-developed muscle groups and others that have been completely neglected. An extreme example of this is those hilarious pictures of people that have failed to train their legs. If you don’t know what I mean, just type “skipped leg day” into Google and check out some of the results! Whilst it makes sense to train muscle groups equally for vanity reasons, you’re also less likely to injure yourself. Muscle imbalances can put stress on joints and ligaments. If left unaddressed this can lead to painful consequences. For all the mistakes that I’ve made in the gym, I’ve always managed to stay largely injury free. A big part of that has been following a balanced workout programme preventing any major muscle imbalances. Many powerlifters don’t see the significance of the overhead press in their training schedule. But it still warrants an important place. In 2012, powerlifting legend Brandon Lily attributed the press to helping him finally smash through the 500 pound bench press barrier that had haunted him for 3 years. For every bench press workout you do, there should be an overhead press workout to compliment it. It’s not a coincidence that when your shoulder strength increases, so does the amount of weight you can bench press.
Guide to Overhead Pressing
On the face of it, the overhead press is a simple exercise.
During the lift, the bar moves in a straight line from your shoulders until it is locked out with your elbows overhead. Once your elbows are locked, you lower the bar back down to your shoulders. Throughout the duration of the lift, your legs should remain straight.
However, the overhead press is a relatively technical exercise. As a result it takes a fair amount of effort and practice to nail the correct form. Overhead pressing with bad form can result in injury. It’s important to understand how to do the lift before you jump into it. Chances are, if you see someone doing an overhead press in the gym today, they will be seated on a bench rather than standing. And that’s a pity. Whilst the deltoids are slightly more targeted, they miss out on working the abdominals, lower back, glutes, and thighs. These are what make the standing overhead press such a great compound lift. As with any exercise, you should practice with light weights, or even just the bar, to perfect the lift before increasing to heavier weights.
Here are the steps to nailing the overhead press:
- Start with the bar in a squat rack at shoulder height. The width of the grip you take is determined by how far apart your arms need to be to get your forearms vertical. Once you’ve done this, take a bulldog grip to prevent your wrists bending back during the lift. Your palms should be facing upwards at this point.
- Remove the bar from the squat rack, and take one step backwards. Lock your knees and hips. Your grip should be roughly shoulder width apart. The bar should either be on the front of your shoulders or as close to it as possible. Make sure your elbows are just in front of the bar.
- Take a deep breath and press the bar in a vertical straight line. You will need to move your head back as the bar travels upwards to avoid being hit in the chin or nose!
- Once the bar has passed your forehead, shift your body forward so that you’re under the bar. Lock your elbows out and shrug your shoulders.
- Steadily lower the bar back down to the starting position, remembering to move your head back to avoid being hit by the barbell.
However, the overhead press is a relatively technical exercise. As a result it takes a fair amount of effort and practice to nail the correct form. Overhead pressing with bad form can result in injury.
Common Mistakes Made With the Overhead Press
With a complex lift like the overhead press, it’s no surprise to see a few common mistakes when trying to master the lift.
Here are the most common mistakes with the overhead press:
The Bar Doesn’t Travel in a Vertical Straight Line
Typically this will happen for two reasons.
First, the lifter is scared of hitting themselves in the face with the bar. So instead of pressing in a straight line they press the bar ever so slightly forwards.
The second mistake is once the bar passes their forehead, they don’t shift their body forward. The problem with the bar being further forward is that you lose balance as the weight pulls you forward. By not pressing in a straight line you won’t be able to press as much weight. It is much easier to press the bar in a vertical straight line as it’s the shortest distance possible.
Excessive Arching of the Back
Earlier in the article I talked about why the clean and press was eventually removed from the Olympics.
Lifters began arching their back to enable them to lift more weight. It’s no surprise then that this also happens on the weights floor of your typical gym.
If your overhead press is beginning to resemble an incline bench press, it’s a pretty good sign the weight is too heavy for you. Your lower back should stay neutral during the overhead press. You run the risk of having a nasty injury such as herniating a disc if you’re excessively arching your lower back. The best way to stop your back from arching is to take a deep breath before each rep and squeeze your abs hard.
Bending of the Knees
Similar to arching your back, to press a heavier weight than you’re capable of you might bend the knees.
By bending the knees you’re engaging your legs and hips, which have a lot more power than your shoulders and arms. This is actually known as a push press. Whilst the push press is a great exercise, this is not what an overhead press should be.
If you’re resorting to either excessive arching of the back or bending the knees, take some weight off. Even if your ego says you should be lifting more, your form doesn’t. Your goal with any lift should be too complete the lift with the correct form, not by any means possible.
Moving of the Head
Throughout the duration of the lift, your head should stay completely still.
Some lifters have a tendency to follow the bar with their heads as it’s moving. This is a mistake that often occurs when people bench press as well.
Fortunately there’s a simple fix. When you’re overhead pressing, focus on a point on the wall that’s in your eye line. Some lifters even resort to sticking a piece of paper with a dot on the wall when they’re lifting to make sure their head remains still.
Some lifters have a tendency to follow the bar with their heads as it’s moving. This is a mistake that often occurs when people bench press as well.
Wrap Up
For the majority of people, the overhead press should take centre stage alongside the squat, deadlift, and bench press.
There simply isn’t another lift that will build shoulder and tricep strength like the overhead press.
Many lifters have the bench press as a staple of their workout, but the same can’t be said for the overhead press. This is wrong. For every bench press workout there should also be an overhead press workout. The overhead press will help to prevent imbalances in the shoulder, which can lead to injury further down the road. Like any of the big compound lifts, the overhead press takes plenty of practice to master. Once you’ve nailed the form and begin to add more weight to the bar, you’ll understand why the overhead press is the king of the upper body lifts.
About the Author
Gareth founded Lift Like A Rock Star to help confused and frustrated 25-40 year old guys get the body of their dreams. He does this by providing a BS free strategy that has come from over a decade of his own trial and error.
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