Seated Barbell Military Press

Also called seated overhead press, seated barbell press and seated military press.

Works

Shoulders, plus triceps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Intermediate

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Sit on a Military Press Bench with a bar behind your head and either have a spotter give you the bar (better on the rotator cuff this way) or pick it up yourself carefully with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Tip: Your grip should be wider than shoulder width and it should create a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm as the barbell goes down.

1. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip length, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms. Hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. This is your starting position.
2. Lower the bar down to the collarbone slowly as you inhale.
3. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Back tight to the pad.
• Lower the bar to the collarbone.
• Press up, head through at the top.
• Lock out, ribs down.

Common mistakes

• Arching off the back pad.
• Bar drifting forward.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Easier

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