The overhead press is considered a gym standard (and favorite) for building shoulder strength. The exercise combines core and joint stability while engaging multiple upper-body muscles.

From the standard dumbbell seated press to the behind-the-neck press, there are plenty of variations to try.

What can you expect by adding this exercise to your workout? Let’s unpack the overhead press benefits along with its variations. We’ll also share some helpful tips to maximize the benefits of this well-known shoulder exercise.

7 Overhead Press Benefits

Some train their shoulders for athletics, some for aesthetics, and some for functional strength. Regardless of why you train your shoulders, strengthening them can have profound effects on your quality of life. 

Below are seven benefits of the overhead press you can expect by including it in your workouts.

Increases Upper Body Strength

The deltoid muscle, making up the bulk of the shoulder, is divided into three parts — anterior, medial, and posterior. In layman’s terms, the front, side, and back respectively. 

The overhead press targets all parts of the deltoid, along with many other upper-body muscles. The triceps, traps (upper back),  and pecs (chest) are all secondary muscles worked in the overhead press. 

Implementing the overhead press can increase muscle mass in all of these highly visible, upper-body muscles. Whether you train for aesthetics or functional strength, the overhead press can result in a muscular physique and improved strength. 

Supports Shoulder Health

The deltoid is a key player in the stabilization of the shoulder complex. It assists the body in many major movements of the upper body. Any time we lift overhead or push an object, we’re engaging the shoulder muscles.

According to population surveys, shoulder pain affects 18%–26% of adults, making it one of the most common pain syndromes. The shoulder joint is a complex set of bones, muscles, and ligaments that are required to perform many tasks. 

Strength training with exercises such as the overhead press can increase the range of motion and strengthen stabilizer muscles. Having a good range of motion and strength in the supporting muscles plays a key role in shoulder health.

Strong, mobile shoulders can assist in everyday activities like playing a sport, gardening, or opening a jar. The glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) is the most mobile joint in the body, making its health a priority for functional movement.

Enhances Performance In Other Lifts

A strong set of shoulders can help with any activity that requires pushing, lifting, or holding.

Pull-ups, push-ups, chest presses, dips, planks, and many other exercises rely on the shoulders for strength and stability. Increasing shoulder strength can give you greater efficacy, power, and overall strength in your other lifts.

Even lower body exercises like weighted squats and lunges rely on the shoulders to hold the weight. Shoulders contribute to secondary activities like gripping or keeping good posture, all of which are required for most exercises.

While the overhead press mainly targets the deltoids, having strong shoulders can translate into overall stronger lifts. This is because of the many functions and contributions of the shoulders in lifting, pushing, and gripping.

Teaches Core Activation

The body’s core consists of several muscle groups that work together to stabilize the spine and the pelvis. These muscles also support posture and initiate limb (leg and arm) movement by using force transfer. 

Upper limb exercises, like the overhead press, require activation of the core to execute the movement. Because the body’s arms are reliant on the core muscles for movement and support, the overhead press teaches core activation.

Studies have shown that minimal core engagement during exercises can increase the risk of injury. Core stability training can be effective in preventing injuries and performance enhancement.   

Assists With Daily Activities

Shoulders contribute much of the workload for our normal daily activities. Simple tasks like changing a lightbulb or chopping up veggies require work from our shoulders. 

As we age, our mobility and strength decrease. This can make tasks that were once easy, more difficult to perform. Yes, exercise inevitably may become harder but more importantly, keeping up with life duties is difficult without shoulder strength.

Pushing a lawn mower, household chores, and even driving a car require mobile, able shoulders. The overhead press helps with both mobility and strength, which can equate to completing daily tasks with ease.

Improves Posture

Seemingly nuanced things like smartphones and desk sitting all day have changed the spinal posture of individuals over time. By strengthening the muscles that hold the shoulder blade in place, some of the negative effects on posture can be reversed. 

Many muscles of the scapula (shoulder blade) are targeted by the overhead press such as the traps, rhomboids, deltoids, and triceps. Implementing the exercise into your upper-body workouts can strengthen the muscles that hold the scapula in place. 

Strengthening the muscles that retract (pull back) the shoulder blades can prevent a rounded upper back and encourage proper spinal alignment. 

This is especially important as we age due to conditions like osteoporosis (bones becoming more fragile) and degenerative disc disease (discs losing their height). These conditions can gradually increase the spine’s curvature. 

Age-related hyperkyphosis (an exaggerated curve in the thoracic spine) can also lead to muscle weaknesses. This is why it’s crucial to strengthen upper-body and back muscles to improve posture. 

Increases Mobility

Mobility in the shoulders is necessary for many upper and lower body exercises. Limited mobility can make it difficult to reach, lift, or rotate the arm.

The overhead press requires a full range of motion in the shoulder joint and mimics real-life scenarios like reaching overhead. 

Certain exercises, like the overhead press, can reduce pain and improve mobility and function in the shoulder. Restricted shoulder mobility can create issues like decreased muscle activation, added stress on the neck and back, and poor posture.

During the overhead press, the shoulder joint goes through its full range of overhead motion and engages the rotator cuff muscles. This contributes to improving shoulder mobility and reduces joint stiffness by keeping the joint and its surrounding muscles active.

Tips To Maximize Shoulder Press Benefits 

Choose The Appropriate Variation

Shoulder press benefits hold true with all variations. The variation you choose to implement should reflect your training goals and abilities. Factors like grip width, equipment, and execution will change the targeted muscles and their activation rates.

Use Proper Form

Keeping your core engaged with a neutral spine will reduce the load in the lower back. Choose the right foot positioning for your needs — shoulder-width, split stance, or seated. 

Control the descent, inhaling as you lower the bar and exhaling as you press it overhead. By using proper form in the overhead press, you can maximize results and prevent injury.

Be Mindful Of Elbow Position And Bar Path

To reduce strain on the shoulders, elbows should be under the wrists, and avoid flaring the elbows. Press the weight straight up over the head and avoid pressing it too far forward or backward. A proper bar path will reduce strain on the shoulders and back, and effectively target the right muscles.

Adjust Weights And Reps

Adjust your weight and reps according to your personal fitness goals. If strength training, aim for 4–6 reps of heavier weights. For hypertrophy, aim for 8–12 reps of moderate weight. 

Aligning your weight and reps, in addition to using progressive overload, will help maximize your results. Progressive overload is a principle used to promote muscular growth and strength by gradually increasing weight, reps, or sets.

Variations And Modifications

Behind-The-Neck Press

Performing a behind-the-neck press switches the muscle focus to the medial and posterior deltoid. This is different than the front overhead press which targets the pectoralis major (large chest muscle).

This exercise requires good shoulder mobility and flexibility. If you have limited mobility, flexibility, or an upper-body injury, this exercise might not be the right variation to try.

Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

The dumbbell seated shoulder press is effective for building muscle mass in the shoulders while minimizing lower body involvement. By being seated, the lower body isn’t utilized in the same way as standing.

Performing the exercise while seated may help with balance, reduce low back pain, or assist advanced lifters focusing on isolation.

Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Press

This exercise is similar to the dumbbell seated shoulder press but is performed with one arm instead of two. The dumbbell single-arm overhead press is for unilateral (one side) strength development or to address muscle imbalances.

Smith Machine Seated Overhead Press

The Smith machine has a fixed bar path which can provide additional stability. This can help maintain proper form and focus on muscle activation without worrying about balancing a barbell.

The Smith machine seated overhead press may be helpful for beginners due to the guided movement of the Smith machine. The Smith machine also guarantees consistent execution and an added layer of safety with a safety catch.

Smith Machine Standing Overhead Press

All of the benefits of using the Smith machine in the seated press apply to the Smith machine standing overhead press. By standing, the exercise requires more balance and stabilization. Because the lower body muscles are recruited, there are more working muscles than the seated press.

Barbell Military Press

The barbell military press, named for its association with military training, is a highly effective exercise for building shoulder strength. The exercise is commonly implemented to improve functional overhead strength.

It is similar in execution to the dumbbell overhead press but is performed with a barbell and in a narrower stance.

Conclusion

Having strong shoulders provides plenty of benefits that go beyond aesthetics. Because the overhead press targets muscles that hold the scapula, posture can be corrected or improved. 

Activities of daily living can be influenced — positively or negatively — by the strength and mobility of our shoulders. The overhead press contributes to building strength and mobility of the shoulders.

The overhead press is a powerful compound exercise that should be implemented for upper body strength, posture, and mobility.

Frequently Asked Questions