The press or overhead press is a weight training exercise which focus on the development of the shoulders. The lift is performed standing, by pressing the weight from the anterior deltoids overhead until the arms are extended. The press is primarily intended for the development of the shoulders. But because the lift is performed standing, it also develops the arms, the abdominals, the obliques, the costal muscles, and the back, which all act as stabilizers.

Movement Edit

The Press is performed by taking a barbell and putting it on the anterior deltoids. This can be done by taking the barbell from a rack or by cleaning the weight from the floor (clean and press).

Variations Edit

Other variations of the press are:

• Military press: heels together
• Olympic press: laying back while pressing
• Push press: using leg drive
• Behind-the-neck press: barbell in the neck vs. on the anterior deltoids
• Seated press: sitting on a bench
• Dumbbell press: using dumbbells
• Sots press: from the bottom squat position
• Bent press: pressing the weight overhead while twisting the trunk
• Side press: performed with a weight in only one hand
• Arnold press: rotating the palms while raising dumbbells
• Shank Press: using a neutral grip while pressing the barbell overhead on a smith machine while standing with your side to the barbell

See also Edit

• Military press
• Clean and press
• Bent press

References Edit

• Mark Rippetoe with Lon Kilgore, Starting Strength, The Aasgaard Company Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-9768-0540-5

External links Edit

• Various shoulder presses described at exrx.net
• Proper form in the shoulder press
• Description of the side press