Compound upper-body push

Overhead Press

The standing overhead press drives a barbell from the shoulders to a locked-out position overhead. It is the primary builder of shoulder strength and overhead pressing power.

Primary muscles: Front deltoids (shoulders)
Equipment: Barbell, Rack
Difficulty: Intermediate

Secondary muscles worked

Triceps, Upper chest, Trapezius, Core.

Setup

Set the bar on your front delts with a grip just outside shoulder width.
Keep elbows slightly in front of the bar and wrists stacked.
Stand with feet about hip-width and squeeze glutes and core to brace.
Look straight ahead with the bar resting on your upper chest.

How to do the Overhead Press

1
Brace hard
Tighten the core and glutes so the torso does not lean back.
2
Press straight up
Push the bar in a straight line, moving your head back slightly to clear your chin.
3
Lock out overhead
Finish with the bar stacked over the mid-foot and shoulders shrugged up.
4
Lower under control
Return the bar to the front delts without crashing.

Common mistakes

Excessive lower-back arch or leaning back to press.
Pressing around the face instead of moving the head back.
Stopping short of a full overhead lockout.
Using leg drive (that turns it into a push press).

Notes by experience level

Beginner

Start with an empty bar or seated dumbbell press to build stability.

Intermediate

Keep the press strict and add weight slowly.

Advanced

Add push press or tempo work to push past sticking points.

Program the Overhead Press into an adaptive plan and let Kova set your next target.