How to Overhead Press to Build Upper-Body Strength and Muscle

The overhead press is a foundational lift that engages multiple muscles in your upper body, including your shoulders, triceps, and pectoral muscles, while also working your core muscles. It's a challenging lift that requires full-body engagement and can be performed with various weights such as barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.

To perform the overhead press, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and hold the bar shoulder-width apart in an underhand grip at your chest. Engage your core and draw your elbows slightly forward. Take a deep breath, then as you exhale, drive the weight overhead and lock out your arms at the top. Keep your knees gently bent, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and avoid arching your lower back. Lower the barbell with control back down for one rep.

While the standing overhead press is the most popular variation of the overhead press, there are other variations such as the seated overhead press, which focuses more on the shoulders and requires core stability since your legs can't help drive the move.

Another variation is the Arnold press, which works all three deltoids by rotating your palms from inward-facing to outward-facing as you press upward. This movement pattern is designed by Arnold Schwarzenegger and recruits more frontal muscles, allowing you to build more muscle for less.

If you're a beginner, it's recommended to start with lighter weights such as resistance bands, dumbbells, or kettlebells to build strength and hone your technique. Free weights such as dumbbells and kettlebells allow you to focus on one side at a time, making them perfect for beginners who want to address muscle imbalances, build balance, coordination, and power.

While the barbell overhead press should form your main lift in an upper-body workout, it can be taxing on your nervous system due to the heavy loading and explosive nature. Therefore, dumbbell and kettlebell variations can be used as assistance lifts or replace barbells as a main lift, allowing you to scale weight easily. read more...

Conclusion

The overhead press is a challenging but rewarding lift that targets multiple upper body muscles while also working your core muscles. By using proper form and technique and incorporating variations such as the Arnold press or seated overhead press, you can build upper-body strength and muscle effectively.