Body Banao

The Overhead press has taken a backseat to more popular Bench Press. It is a shame since the Overhead Press or simply the Press is far superior exercise to the Bench Press. However not many do this exercise in the normal gym and not many trainers can teach this exercise correctly.

In Overhead Press, you push the bar from your front shoulders to above your head till your elbows are tensed. Keep your knees locked throughout the entire lift and the feet should be separated by shoulder width.

Overhead Press variants:

Military Press. Overhead Press with heels joined.

Push Press. Overhead Press using leg force.

Jerk. One of the two Weightlifting lifts: the Olympic Jerk.

Bench Press is a type of the Press and not vice versa. There are many other variants of this exercise.

Many people consider the Overhead Press to be dangerous. If you are unable to press the bar above your head, bring it down to your chest and keep it on the floor. You won’t be caught beneath the bar as is the case with the Bench Press. However you may experience problems in the balance when you do this exercise first time. Begin light, concentrate on your form and increase weight gradually. You’ll get better.

Advantages of The Overhead Press. While the Bench Press lets you lift more weight than the Overhead Press, the Overhead Press is superior to the Bench Press in many ways.

Entire Body. The Overhead Press exercise your body as single piece. Your torso & legs steady the weight while your shoulders, upper-chest & arms push the weight overhead.

Develops Muscle. Abs & back steady the weight. Shoulders, upper-chest & triceps push the weight overhead. This exercise has been responsible for developing the body of old-time strongmen like Eugen Sandow.

Healthy Shoulders. The Bench Press uses more of your front shoulders than your back shoulders. On the other hand, the Overhead Press uses all shoulder heads uniformly. Switching between the Overhead Press and the Bench Press reduces risks of shoulder injuries that occur due to muscle inequities.

Fun. Pressing up a weight overhead after lifting it is lot more enjoyable than pressing it while reclining on a Bench.

Overhead Press Technique. Place the bar on your front shoulders by unracking it from your power rack or Powercleaning the weight on each set.

Foot Width. Shoulder-width distance. Opt for an alternate stance: one foot 5-10cm/3-4? ahead of the other.

Grip Width. Around 46cm/18?. The width is directly proportional to your build. There should be no contact with your shoulders.

Holding the Bar. Keep the bar near to your wrist, at the bottom of your palm. Not near to your fingers.

Chest Up. Expand the chest & push it up. Helps in using your back muscles & reduces the distance the bar has to move.

Elbows in Front. Elbows should be ahead of the barbell when seen from the side. The upper-arms should not be parallel to the floor.

Look in Front. Looking up harms your neck. Look ahead at a point on the wall ahead of you.

Compress Your Glutes. Prevents arching your lower back, thereby making it safer. Compress your glutes hard.

Doing the Overhead Press. Push the bar overhead in a straight line, the smallest distance from begin to end. However your head interferes in between. Hence shift your head & trunk during the Overhead Press.

Shift Head Back. Move your head back to let the bar bypass your chin/nose without running into them. Always look in the front.

Move Torso Ahead. After the bar comes to the forehead, move your torso in front. Keep on pressing the weight upward.

Head in Front. Your chin should be very close to your chest once the weight is at the highest point. Look ahead, not down.

Tighten the whole body. Compress shoulders, traps & back. Tense your elbows.