HOW TO: OVERHEAD PRESS
The barbell press is an upper body, vertical press. We're looking at a strict press overhead.
I'm using a barbell here. You can use dumbbells. You can use kettlebells as well, depending on what equipment you have available.
Same principles apply as all of the other big compound movements...it's about generating as much tension as we can through the entire body. It's an upper body based movement, but I also want my feet loaded, my hips loaded, my core engaged. Set myself in a good position. Tell my brain I'm safe. I'm uncomfortable. I'm stable. Joints are stacked neatly and tightly. Produce more force.
To set up, I want the barbell loaded at about mid chest height in the rack.
I'm going to step in tight, place the barbell across the platform I'm going to set with the shoulders, by driving the elbows high and slightly forward, so the barbell should be sitting relatively clean on the meaty part of the shoulder, or front delts.
Then I take the load by standing up, take a step back and give myself some room away from the cage, and make my final adjustments.
From the ground, build the foundation from the feet up, keep the core relatively engaged to maintain spinal alignment, take a deep breath to create tension and provide stability, then drive the arms towards the overhead position, moving the head back to allow for a good clean bar path, with the head falling back into good alignment as the barbell passes the head.
Hit the top position, lock it out, stabilise the shoulders, maintain posture and alignment momentarily before reversing the movement back down to the start position in the front rack.
I want to count as many good quality strict reps as I can. As I start fatiguing. If I'm trying to get a couple of extra reps out, I'm gonna use a little bit of a push press, a little dip and drive to allow me to get past the sticking point, lockout, stabilise, then lower nice and controlled back into the start position.
Quality over quantity.
I can also use a barbell in a seated position, which will take out the ability to use leg drive. Or I can use other tools that train the same movement, like kettlebells and dumbbells.
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