How to do the Barbell Overhead Press
- Set the bar in a rack at upper-chest height and take a grip just outside shoulder width.
- Unrack the bar to the front rack, then step back with feet about hip width apart.
- Hold the bar across your upper chest with forearms vertical and elbows slightly in front of the bar.
- Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs, and keep your ribs stacked over your pelvis.
- Press the bar upward while moving your head slightly back to clear a straight bar path.
- Once the bar passes your forehead, bring your head through and keep the bar over midfoot.
- Finish with arms fully extended overhead and shoulders elevated without leaning back excessively.
- Lower the bar along the same path to the upper chest and reset before the next rep.
Common mistakes
- Overarching the lower back
- Bar drifting out in front
- Turning it into a push press
- Elbows flaring too wide
- Stopping short of overhead lockout
Form cues
- Squeeze glutes hard
- Press close to face
- Head back, then through
- Keep bar over midfoot
- Start from upper chest
