All training resources
Exercise guide
Seated Barbell Overhead Press
A strict seated overhead press with a barbell, removing hip drive and isolating the deltoids and triceps.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- anterior deltoid · lateral deltoid · trapezius · triceps brachii
- Goals
- strength · hypertrophy
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Set an upright bench inside a rack with the pins at about shoulder height when seated.
- Sit with your back flat against the pad and unrack the barbell at the front of the shoulders.
- Press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended, tucking the head through at the top.
- Lower the bar back to the collarbones under control.
- Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep the ribs down and glutes tight; do not lean back into a bench press.
- Drive the bar straight up, not forward.