Overhead Press: Tips Tricks and Mindset
- Jake Hicks
- Aug 10
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 11
I can speak for me, the overhead press was frowned upon for a long time as I was coming up in the gym and as an athlete. It was bad for me, and dangerous especially for me being a baseball player. That's what I was told anyways. But as I began my career as a strength coach, I really started to question literally everything and the overhead press is one of them. I learned the overhead press is a massive tool and it's a massive mistake to avoid it. Here's my breakdown.
If you'd prefer to watch my video breakdown (12 minutes and 16 seconds) on YouTube instead of reading this article, CLICK HERE.
Allow me to walk you through why the overhead press deserves more credit, how it builds shoulder strength/stability, and exactly how I coach my "Big 3" primary strict-press variations: the standing overhead press, the seated (supported) overhead press, and the seated unsupported overhead press. Below I lay out the reasoning, setup cues, and programming advice so you can use these presses to strengthen shoulders through full range of motion without fear.
Why the overhead press is misunderstood — and why you should do it
Overhead pressing often gets labeled “dangerous,” but that’s misleading. Any exercise can be risky with poor technique or an inappropriate load. The right approach is to use proper reps, sets, loads, and—most importantly—technique.
My logic
"If I can pull from an overhead position, I should be able to press from the overhead position."
Pressing overhead forces rapid and comprehensive shoulder stabilization. You’ll feel your mid-traps, paraspinals, and the whole posterior chain working to keep the joint stable. I firmly believe training strength through full range of motion across planes—flat, incline, and overhead—builds the healthiest shoulders. Don’t ditch any pressing variation; especially not the overhead pressing.
The three core strict-press variations I use
Standing overhead press: My top pick and the best measure of overhead pressing strength.
Seated supported overhead press: Uses a vertical bench to connect your upper back to a surface while keeping the same thoracic extension cues as benching.
Seated unsupported overhead press: Using a bench without a back or back support. This is one of the most effective for building stability and posterior chain engagement.
Standing overhead press — the "King"
The standing strict overhead press is, in my opinion, the best measure of overhead pressing ability. Your feet are on the ground and you’re connected; the whole body must work as a unit. Even though the unsupported seated press can be harder due to instability, the standing press is the most impressive and functional test of strength IMO.
Key setup and execution cues
Feet position: Keep your feet close. A closer stance allows better hip flexion and a stronger foundation IMO. Many lifters perform better and feel more stable with a narrower stance. Decide for yourself but many don't even try the feet close option, so at least explore for yourself.
Thoracic extension: Maintain a consistent, slight extension in the upper back—same idea as your bench press setup. The biggest issue with overhead press is the center of mass. The extension allows you to keep the bar in the center of your body vs trying to stand perfectly straight, the bar and weight will be way out front which is a bad position to be IMO.
Grip placement: Use the same grip you use for bench and incline presses. Start under the bar, hands slightly turned toward each other (not palms fully straight) think Bull Dog Grip, so the bar rests over the bridge of your hand.
Bar path and starting position: Take a small step back—don’t wander around wasting energy and losing tightness from taking too many steps. Lift the bar off, before you press load the bar down to your collarbone and get a firm scapular set (slight squeeze of shoulder blades. This to me is like pulling the string back on a bow. Now it's ready to GO.
Keep it strict: This is not a push press. For strength work, don’t use leg drive. If you want power training, use push presses separately. When strict pressing max or heavier loads you might get leg soreness. You will feel them flex, ESPECIALLY a max rep. Whether it's a 1 rep max or the last rep on a max set of 10, that effort involuntarily will make your whole body contract, in a good way. But that's not the same as bending the knees and using the legs, just to be clear.
Face position: You don’t need to push your face forward under the bar. If the bar is centered, keep it there; pushing your face can be useful in a grinder rep but isn’t necessary for clean, repeatable reps. This is my opinion. If you have the slight thoracic extension, pushing the face forward doesn't help as much. Sometimes it might be needed but for me it's not an every rep thing.
Here is a visual for the grip I mentioned and some thoughts around how you should grab the bar. This can be used on bench and overhead press. You may find turning the hands inward can help with a stronger press.
Seated supported overhead press — Overhead Bench Press
The seated press with back support uses the same setup philosophy as a bench press, just rotated vertical. You should be thinking about “connecting to the ground” and creating tension from the feet through the hips into the upper back.
Setup cues
Bench angle: One click back from 90°—about 80–85°. This gives facial clearance as the bar passes and prevents you from needing to shove your face into the bar path. I do use a vertical bench for DB pressing, but that's because the DB's are able to go on the sides of your face. The barbell can't do that, so that's my compromise.
Upper back contact: Only your upper back should contact the bench to create a small, natural thoracic extension that makes a solid platform.
Feet and leg tension: Tuck your feet and create leg tension to connect yourself to the floor, similar to how you’d set up for a heavy bench press. A mistake would be just loosely having your feet out in front of you. If you're using a military press in a commercial gym, I strongly advise you to NOT using the little step to put your feet on.
Bar path and resting point: Lower the bar to a comfortable resting spot just below the collarbone/upperchest area and let it sit briefly to check your set up and position. This ensures correct starting position and center-of-mass alignment.
When the bar sits in the right place and your upper back extension is set, the press becomes far more repeatable and efficient.
Seated unsupported overhead press — the instability builder
This variation uses a bench with no back support and is one of the most underutilized presses I do. It’s harder than the supported seated press and forces massive stabilization through the spine, mid-traps, and paraspinals—similar to a Z-press, but more transferable to both seated and standing pressing IMO.
Why it helps
It forces you to stabilize your pelvis and thoracic spine without the bench back doing the work.
You'll feel your paraspinals and mid-traps fire hard—be prepared to be sore if you’ve never done it.
It trains posture, pelvic tilt control, and the ability to maintain thoracic extension under load.
How I set it up
Start by sitting directly under the bar. I check position by pulling yourself up, then sitting back down to ensure you're starting right under the bar.
Press the bar, then allow a slight forward drift and a forward tilt of the pelvis as you establish the same thoracic extension you’d use in the supported seat.
Expect increased recruitment of spinal erectors and traps. Start light and use higher reps to learn the pattern—don’t jump into heavy, low-rep sets.
Programming and progressions — how to introduce these safely
When adding any new exercise variation, follow a conservative introduction:
Start with lighter weights and more repetitions per set to build motor patterning and tissue resilience.
Gradually shift to heavier, lower-rep strength blocks once technique and stability are solid.
Include multiplanar pressing (flat, incline, overhead) and single-arm/dumbbell work to ensure balanced shoulder development and stability. I like to do them all, all the time.
Final thoughts
Overhead pressing is a vital, underappreciated tool for building shoulder health and overall upper-body strength. Use strict standing presses as your benchmark, leverage seated supported presses to refine position and load, and add seated unsupported work to challenge stability and posterior chain engagement.
Remember: prioritize technique, progress gradually, and train strength through full ranges of motion across planes. If you keep those principles, overhead pressing will make your shoulders stronger—not more fragile.
I use overhead pressing on all of my programs. Some programs use more aggressive pressing methods and some use more remedial variations. Example, I use bands on some of my Super Sets program, and on some of my fitness and wellness programs we using DB overhead pressing from a 1/2 kneeling or even tall kneeling position. You'll even see machine overhead pressing on some of my programs. Regardless, I think the overhead press should be as utilized as any of the other planes of pressing. You just need the right technique and the right loads. AS YOU WOULD NEED IN ANY OTHER LIFT. Shop my programs, or if you're interested in a custom program fill out my questionnaire or schedule a call!
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