Barbell Push Press
The push press drives a barbell from your shoulders to arms' length overhead using a short, explosive dip and drive of the legs, with the arms finishing the lockout. It lets you put more weight overhead than a strict press and trains the shoulders, triceps and legs together for overhead strength and power.
Also called: Push Press, BB Push Press, Overhead Push Press, Power Press · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set the bar in a rack at about upper-chest height. Take a grip just outside shoulder width, step under and hold the bar on the front of your shoulders with your elbows slightly in front of the bar.
- Lift the bar out and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take a big breath, brace your trunk and squeeze your glutes.
- Dip by bending your knees a short way, keeping your torso vertical and your weight across your whole foot.
- Without pausing at the bottom, drive up explosively through your legs so the bar leaves your shoulders, moving your head back slightly out of its path.
- As your legs straighten, press the bar the rest of the way to locked-out arms, finishing with the bar over the middle of your feet and your head through.
- Bring the bar back to your shoulders under control, bending your knees slightly to absorb it, and re-brace before the next rep.
- Dip straight down, drive straight up
- Legs first, arms finish
- Big brace, rigid trunk
- Head through at lockout
- Bar over the middle of your feet
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Prime mover | D |
| Triceps brachii | Prime mover | D |
| Quadriceps | Secondary | D |
| Trapezius: upper | Secondary | D |
| Gluteus maximus | Secondary | D |
| Lateral deltoid: lateral | Secondary | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | D |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Dipping forward onto the toes
Fix: Keep your weight across your whole foot and dip straight down.
Pressing before the legs finish
Fix: Let your legs launch the bar, then press as it leaves your shoulders.
Slow or deep dip
Fix: Make the dip short and fast, changing direction the moment you reach the bottom.
Leaning back at lockout
Fix: Keep your ribs down and push your head through to finish over mid-foot.
Soft trunk in the dip
Fix: Take a big breath and brace hard before every dip.
What the research says
Power · first choiceStrength · first choiceSport performance · first choiceFat loss & conditioning · first choiceMuscle growthGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Power — A review of overhead weightlifting lifts reports push-press peak power similar to a jump squat, with higher average power.
- Overload — The leg drive lets lifters handle more weight overhead than a strict press, and research comparing loads finds maximal strength favours heavier loads (about 8 reps or fewer per set).
- Sets and reps — A common approach for strength and power is 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps with full rest. No study has compared set schemes for the push press.
- Learning order — The same review sets out a skill order of strict press, push press, push jerk, then split jerk.
- Placement — Research on exercise order finds the exercise done first in a session benefits most, so the push press is commonly placed early, before accessory pressing.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the barbell push press in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.