Seated barbell overhead press

Barbell, bench with back pad

Also called seated barbell press, seated military press

Seated barbell overhead press, start positionSeated barbell overhead press, end position
Images: Free Exercise DB (public domain)
Shorts Google
Find alternatives

Sit on a bench with an upright back pad and hold a barbell at shoulder height. Press it straight overhead, then lower it back to the upper chest.

  1. Back pad upright, core braced
  2. Press straight over the head
  3. Lower to the upper chest

Movement

Pattern
Vertical push
Type
Compound, several joints move
Sides
Both sides together
Equipment
Barbell, Bench

Muscles worked

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Upper body

Ratings

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.