The Standing Shoulder Press

The standing shoulder press is a fantastic free-weight compound exercise. It’s a great movement if you’re looking to develop overhead pressing strength, size in the shoulders and core stability.

Although it primarily works the deltoids, your whole body is involved in stabilising the lift. As such, it’s an excellent choice for athletes training for strength sports like football, rugby, javelin and shot-putt.

Which Muscles does it work?

Most of the work is done by the anterior deltoids – the front of the shoulders – and the triceps.

However, the whole body must work in unison to stay balanced and stabilise the lift – your lower and upper back, abdominal core, hamstrings, glutes and calves are all involved. That’s why its such a great exercise for functional, whole-body strength.

Technique – initial position

Stand with feet apart, slightly more than shoulder width. Get the barbell up to neck height and resting on your front shoulders by whatever your chosen method (see below).

Hold the barbell overhand, resting at your collarbone. Arch your back slightly and rest the bar on the front of your shoulders. Hands should be holding the barbell 4-6 inches outside your shoulders on each side.

Getting the bar up

To learn the form, start with a very light weight. An unloaded barbell is a good idea.

Depending on your current level of shoulder strength, you may want to consider starting the shoulder press from a racked position. If you’re new to weight lifting, you’ll probably be able to get a decent workout from a barbell light enough to just lift up from the floor.

Eventually however, as your shoulder strength increases, you’ll find it difficult to pull a heavy barbell up to your neck without swinging it.

This is where injuries occur, and you should consider starting your standing shoulder presses from a squat or power rack.

Another method is to simply clean the barbell up from the floor. This is only an option if you have already learned the clean, however!

You can really damage yourself if you’re doing the clean incorrectly – I’m talking shoulder impingement, bicep tears, and lower back issues than could plague your for years.

Either start from a rack, or check out the Olympic lifting articles and get a coach to check your form if you're interested in learning how to clean.

The Press

Once you’re in position with the barbell resting on your shoulders, it’s time to get ready to press.

Raise your chin and look upwards. Rotate your elbows back and down, so they are directly under the bar. The bar should come off your shoulders, and be resting in your hands at about neck height.

Arch your back, and tense your entire body in preparation for the lift. Press the bar upward, smoothly and under control. Lock your arms out at the top.

Lower the bar back down until it touches the top of your chest / collar bone, directly under your neck. Your back should be arched enough so it doesn’t catch your chin on the way down. That’s one rep!

During your sets, remember to breathe. Exhale as you press, inhale as you lower the bar. Take an extra breath or two between reps if needed.

Form and Weight Progression

It’s very important to maintain great form throughout the movement. When you first start the standing shoulder press, weight progression should be slow as you learn to balance the lift with your whole body.

Never add more weight than you can handle, and make sure that there is plenty of space around you in the gym or at home where you lift – especially in front of you. That way there is plenty of room to drop the barbell if you find yourself losing balance.

How to Incorporate the Standing Shoulder Press in your Training

If you’re doing a regular split, it’s best to do standing shoulder presses at the start of shoulders day. It’s important that you do standing shoulder presses before anything that will tax your legs and torso – squats, deadlifts, olympic lifts, etc – you need these muscles fresh to maintain stability in the overhead press.

If you’re training for mass, you’ll likely want to keep your reps in the 8-10 range. To gear your gains more towards strength, lower the reps and increase the weight. For obvious reasons, stay well away from muscular failure with this exercise!



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