Overhead press
A standing press that drives a weight from the shoulders to overhead until the arms lock out.
Overview
The overhead press, sometimes called the shoulder press, is a vertical pushing exercise. Standing tall, you press a barbell or dumbbells from shoulder height up overhead until your arms are straight, then lower back down. Pressing overhead asks the shoulders and arms to do the work while the core braces to keep you upright.
It builds pressing strength above the head and reinforces a stable, braced trunk. Dumbbells allow each arm to move independently, while a barbell offers a single fixed bar path.
The movement
- 1Stand tall holding the weight at shoulder height.
- 2Brace your core and keep your ribs down.
- 3Press the weight straight up until your arms are locked out overhead.
- 4Lower it back to your shoulders with control.
Beginner notes
- Bracing the core keeps you from leaning back as you press.
- The bar or weights travel in a straight line up over the shoulders.
- Dumbbells let each arm move on its own path.
A note on training information
Where it’s used
Sports this relates to:
Weightlifting
A technical strength sport built around lifting a loaded barbell overhead with speed and control.
Fitness
Strength and general fitness training — the foundation that supports every other sport.
Functional Fitness
Varied, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
Related exercises
Squat
A foundational lower-body movement where you bend at the hips and knees to lower down and stand back up.
Goblet squat
A squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
Jump squat
An explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
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Movement patterns
- PushPressing a load or the body away from the torso — horizontally or overhead — by extending the shoulders and elbows, developing the chest, shoulders and triceps.
- ReachExtending a limb toward a distant point or object, often at full stretch, by projecting a distal segment beyond the body's resting envelope while a stabilised base preserves balance and control.
- StrikeA ballistic, whole-body hitting action that channels ground-generated force through a proximal-to-distal kinetic chain to deliver momentum to a target via the hand, an implement or a body part at the moment of contact.
- ThrowPropelling an object by releasing it from the hand, driven by a proximal-to-distal kinetic-chain sequence that summates speed from the legs through the trunk and arm to the release point.
Techniques
- Badminton SmashA powerful, steeply downward overhead stroke that drives the shuttlecock sharply into the opponent's court to win the rally.
- Standing ClimbA cycling technique for climbing out of the saddle, standing on the pedals to add power on steep gradients.
- Volleyball SpikeA powerful attacking hit that drives the ball sharply downward over the net into the opponent's court, usually after an approach and jump.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Exercise
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-06
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