Complete guide to overhead pressing for shoulder development
Master the shoulder press with our step-by-step guide. Learn proper form for standing and seated overhead presses. Use Spotwell's AI form analysis to perfect your shoulder press technique.
Track Shoulder Press with Spotwell →Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, or sit on a bench with back support. Hold the bar at shoulder height with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Keep your core braced, chest up, and elbows slightly in front of the bar. The bar should rest on your upper chest/clavicles.
Take a deep breath and press the bar straight up. Keep your core tight and don't arch your back excessively.
Lock out your arms overhead, but don't hyperextend. The bar should be directly over your head, not behind it.
Control the bar back down to the starting position. Don't let it crash down on your shoulders.
Sets: 3-4
Reps: 6-10
Rest: 2-3 minutes
Builds shoulder strength and size. Targets anterior and medial deltoids.
The bar wants to travel straight over the mid-foot, but your head is in the way at the start, so you must move your head back slightly as the bar passes your face, then push it back to neutral at lockout. Pressing around your face in a subtle S-path keeps the load balanced over your base. Finishing with the bar behind your ears and directly over your shoulders is the most stable lockout position.
Pressing overhead is safe for most people when you have adequate shoulder mobility and use good technique. Keep your core braced, avoid excessive lower-back arch, and lock out fully with the bar stacked over your shoulders. If you feel pinching, work on thoracic and shoulder mobility and make sure you are not shrugging or flaring incorrectly.
Standing overhead press recruits more core and full-body stability and carries over well to athletic strength, while seated pressing with back support lets you isolate the shoulders and often handle a bit more weight. Both build strong deltoids, so choose based on your goal. Many lifters rotate between the two across a training block.
A strict overhead press uses no leg drive; the effort comes entirely from your shoulders and triceps. If you dip your knees and drive with your legs to start the bar, you are performing a push press, which is a different exercise that lets you move more weight. Decide which lift you intend to do and keep the technique consistent, and Spotwell's iPhone camera form analysis can help you count clean reps and confirm you are staying strict.
At the start, keep your elbows slightly in front of the bar rather than flared straight out to the sides, with the bar resting on your upper chest and clavicles. This position keeps your wrists stacked over your elbows and lets you press efficiently. Keep your wrists straight and firm so the bar does not roll back.
Use Spotwell's AI rep counter and form analysis to perfect this workout. Download now and start tracking.