Barbell Seated Overhead Press

1. Set an upright bench or seated press station inside a rack, with the bar racked at about shoulder height while seated.
2. Sit down, plant your feet flat, and grip the bar just outside shoulder width with wrists stacked over forearms.
3. Unrack the bar and hold it at your upper chest, elbows slightly in front of the bar.
4. Take a breath, brace your trunk against the backrest, and press the bar straight up, pulling your head back slightly to let it pass your face.
5. Lock out overhead with the bar over the back of your head and your arms fully extended, then exhale.
6. Lower the bar under control back to the upper chest, moving your head back out of the path.
7. Re-brace and repeat, keeping your lower back from arching away from the bench.

Common Mistakes

• Excessive back arch: driving the chest up and sliding into an incline press position shifts work to the pecs and strains the lower back; keep the ribs down.
• Pressing around the face: pushing the bar forward instead of moving the head creates an inefficient bar path; the bar should travel in a near-vertical line.
• Stopping short of lockout: partial presses skip the trap and triceps work at the top; finish with elbows fully extended and the bar over the shoulders.
• Bouncing off the chest: dropping the bar and rebounding out of the bottom uses momentum instead of deltoid strength; pause briefly at the shoulders.