technique library

How to
overhead
press

The overhead press is the lift where the floor does not help you and the bar has nowhere to hide. This is the standing barbell overhead press in six steps, three positions and the five faults we fix most often. If you are leaning back to finish the rep, that is a different lift.

  • MID-FOOTWhere the bar finishes: overhead and over the middle of the foot, with your head moved out of its way and back through.
  • RIBS DOWNRibs stacked over the pelvis and glutes squeezed, so the press comes from the shoulders and not the lower back.
  • ~SHOULDER WIDTHApproximate grip width. Your shoulders and wrists set the exact number.

the picture

Three positions

Side view, facing right. The bar travels in a straight line over the middle of the foot. Your head moves back to let it pass, then forward again once the bar is clear.

  • 01 / rack

    Bar on the front delts

    Elbows just in front of the bar, forearms close to vertical, glutes squeezed and ribs down. Every rep starts here.

  • 02 / midpoint

    Head out of the way

    Chin moves back so the bar can pass your face. The bar stays close and keeps tracking over the middle of the foot.

  • 03 / lockout

    Head through

    Arms locked overhead, shoulders shrugged up, bar over the middle of the foot. Your head sits through the window your arms make.

  • bar path over mid-foot

the method

Six steps

Do them in this order, every rep, including the warm-up sets. The press is short, so every mistake is easy to see.

  1. 01

    Set the bar and your grip

    Set the bar in the rack at about upper chest height. Grip just outside your shoulders with your thumbs wrapped around it. The bar sits in the heel of the hand, stacked over the forearm.

    cueBar in the heel of the hand.

  2. 02

    Get under the bar

    Step under it so the bar rests on the front of your shoulders and collarbone. Your elbows sit just in front of the bar and your chest is lifted.

    cueElbows just in front of the bar.

  3. 03

    Unrack and set your stance

    Stand up with the bar, take a short step back and place your feet between hip and shoulder width. The bar should sit over the middle of your foot.

    cueFeet planted, bar over mid-foot.

  4. 04

    Squeeze and brace

    Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down toward your hips. Take a big breath into your belly and brace. This stops the press from turning into a lower-back arch.

    cueGlutes tight, ribs down.

  5. 05

    Press

    Drive the bar straight up. Move your chin back so it can pass your face, then push your head forward through your arms once the bar is past your forehead.

    cueChin back, bar up, head through.

  6. 06

    Lock out and lower

    Finish with your arms locked and the bar over the middle of your foot, shrugging your shoulders up. Lower under control to the front of your shoulders, moving your chin back again as the bar passes your face. Reset your brace before the next rep.

    cueFinish with the bar over your ears.

troubleshooting

Five common faults

Most overhead press problems are one of these five. Film a set from the side, compare it with the diagrams above, then pick the closest match.

Leaning back to push

likely cause

Ribs flare and the lower back arches to turn the press into a standing incline press.

what to try

Squeeze your glutes, pull your ribs down and keep your torso tall. Lighten the bar until the press is shoulder work again.

Bar loops out in front

likely cause

Your head stays forward, so the bar swings around your face instead of past it.

what to try

Move your chin back as the bar rises, then press your head through. The bar path should be a straight line over mid-foot.

Elbows start too low or too far back

likely cause

The rack position is loose, so you press up and forward instead of straight up.

what to try

Set your elbows just in front of the bar at the start, with your forearms close to vertical, before you press.

Wrists bend backward

likely cause

The bar sits too high in the palm, so it hangs behind the forearm.

what to try

Move the bar into the heel of your hand and keep your wrist stacked over your forearm.

Stopping short of lockout

likely cause

The rep ends before your arms are straight and the bar is over mid-foot, often because the weight is too heavy.

what to try

Press until your elbows lock and the bar is overhead and over mid-foot. Reduce the weight until you can finish every rep.

progression

Earn the barbell

Skip rungs and the bar finds the weak link for you. Move up when every rep on the current rung looks like the diagrams.

  1. Half-kneeling dumbbell presssets × reps3 × 8tempo3-1-1effortRPE 5
  2. Standing dumbbell presssets × reps3 × 8tempo2-0-1effortRPE 6
  3. Barbell overhead press, empty barsets × reps3 × 5tempo2-0-1effortRPE 5
  4. Barbell overhead press, loadedsets × repsper your programtempoper your programeffortRPE 7-8

Numbers are an illustration of how a coach writes a prescription, not a program for you. Tempo reads as seconds down, pause at the bottom, seconds up. RPE is effort on a 10-point scale, where 10 means no reps left.

before you load the bar

Press safely

  • Clear the space overhead before you start. Check for the ceiling, lights and the rack's own uprights.
  • If you cannot get your arms straight overhead with your ribs down, shoulder mobility may be the limit. Work on that before adding load.
  • If a rep stalls, lower the bar to your shoulders and rack it. Do not chase the rep by leaning back.
  • Warm up with progressively heavier sets before your working weight.
  • Effort burns and pinches. Sharp or lingering pain, especially in the shoulder, is a stop sign, not a challenge.
  • This page is general guidance and not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with a qualified professional before you press under load.

get it coached

Train like an athlete

A diagram shows you the positions. A coach watches your overhead press, catches the fault you cannot feel and fixes it in the session. 2 free – no obligation – sessions are available on request.

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