Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Seated Barbell Overhead Press
The seated barbell overhead press trains your shoulders and triceps by pressing a bar overhead from an upright, back-supported bench. The seated position limits help from your legs.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 2 min
How to do it
- Sit on the bench with your back against the pad and your feet flat on the floor.
- Grip the bar evenly, slightly wider than shoulder width, with your thumbs wrapped around it.
- Unrack the bar to the front of your shoulders, with your elbows slightly ahead of it.
- Draw your chin back slightly to clear the bar's path.
- Press the bar overhead until your elbows are straight, with the bar above your shoulders.
- Lower the bar under control past your face to the front of your shoulders.
- Return the bar securely into both rack hooks after your final rep.
Form cues
- Brace your belly before each press.
- Keep your wrists stacked over your forearms.
- Exhale as you press.
Common mistakes
- Turning the press into an incline pressKeep your hips against the seat without increasing your lower-back arch as the bar rises.
- Pressing too far forwardKeep the bar close to your face rather than pushing it in a wide arc away from you.
- Bouncing out of the bottomReverse direction smoothly instead of rebounding the bar off your shoulders.
Safety
A failed overhead rep can drop the bar toward your head or upper body. Excessive load or fatigue can also strain your shoulders or lower back when you lose position.
- Position the upright bench so you can reach the hooks without twisting or reaching behind your head.
- Set rack safeties just below the bottom of your pressing range; test their clearance and catch position with an unloaded bar.
- Use a light bar for warm-up sets before adding weight gradually.
- Finish the set before you need to grind through a rep, especially when training alone.
If overhead movement causes shoulder, neck, or back pain, choose a comfortable supported variation and seek guidance from a physiotherapist.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell
- Barbell Collar (optional)
- Power Rack
- Rack Safety Supports (optional)
- Upright Utility Bench
- Weight Plate (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 6–10 reps
- Rest
- 2 min
Choose a weight that leaves about two controlled reps in reserve.