Overhead press: how to do it
Main muscles: Front delts (anterior deltoid), Side delts (lateral deltoid). Helpers: Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head, Upper abs, Upper traps. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Barbell
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Shoulders
How to do it
- Bar on the front delts, grip slightly wider than the shoulders, feet at hip width.
- Brace the abs and glutes, move the head back and press straight up.
- At the top the bar is over the middle of the foot and the head comes back under it.
Common mistakes
Arching the lower back, pressing forward along an arc, helping with the legs.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Front delts (anterior deltoid), Side delts (lateral deltoid)
- Secondary
- Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head, Upper abs, Upper traps
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Programs that use it
- Strength 5×5, 3 days5 × 5
Alternatives: similar exercises
Seated dumbbell press
Dumbbells · Front delts (anterior deltoid), Side delts (lateral deltoid)
Arnold press
Dumbbells · Front delts (anterior deltoid), Side delts (lateral deltoid)
Upright row
Barbell · Side delts (lateral deltoid), Upper traps
Dumbbell lateral raise
Dumbbells · Side delts (lateral deltoid)
Close-grip push-ups
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Bench dips
Bodyweight · Triceps lateral head, Triceps medial head
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500