Overhead press

The press, overhead press or shoulder press is a weight training exercise, typically performed while standing, in which a weight is pressed straight upwards from the shoulders until the arms are locked out overhead.

The press is set up by taking a barbell and putting it on the anterior deltoids. This can be done by taking the barbell from a rack or by cleaning the weight from the floor (clean and press). Alternatively the movement can be performed with dumbbells, though they do not rest neatly on the deltoids. They do not have easily accessible high racks so the trainee needs to clean them or have a spotter assist them in getting them into the starting position.

The press involves moving a barbell or dumbbells from the shoulder and pushing it up above the head until the elbows are fully locked out. As the bar clears the head, the lifter leans forward slightly in order to keep balance. As the bar is lowered back to the shoulders and clears the head again, the lifter leans slightly back.

The press is a highly effective compound upper-body exercise. Performing it standing recruits many more muscle groups in order to maintain balance and support the lift, rather than performing it seated. Like the squat and deadlift, it can be thought of as a whole-body exercise, to some extent.

Other variations of the overhead press are:

The tables show single maximal repetition loads for adults at different levels of training.

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