The overhead press is an upper-body
weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Tra ...
exercise in which the trainee presses a weight overhead while seated or standing. It is mainly used to develop the
anterior deltoid muscles of the shoulder.
The standing version was once a component of the sport of
Olympic weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...
as part of the
clean and press movement, but was removed in 1972 due to difficulties in judging proper technique.
The lift is set up by taking either a
barbell, a pair of
dumbbells or
kettlebells
In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top (resembling a cannonball with a handle). It is used to perform many types of exercises, including ballistic exercises that combine cardi ...
, and holding them at shoulder level. The weight is then pressed overhead. While the exercise can be performed standing or seated, standing recruits more muscles as more balancing is required in order to support the lift. Other variations of the exercise include the
push press, a similar movement that involves an additional dipping motion in the legs to increase momentum.
[ An overhead press may also be performed unilaterally, with the lift being performed one handed; or in an alternating fashion with both hands holding a dumbbell or kettlebell, and then pressing with one arm and then the other.]
See also
* Clean and press
* Push press
References
Further reading
*
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{{Strength training exercises, state=collapsed
Weight training exercises