How to Do a Military Press: Proper Form, Tips & Variations

1. Set the barbell to roughly shoulder height before adding the required weight.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and position your hands at or roughly shoulder-width on the bar with a pronated grip.
3. Step under the barbell and unrack it while maintaining a neutral spine. Have the barbell rest on your upper chest.
4. Move backward, inhale, brace, tuck the chin, and press the bar above to lock out.
5. Exhale as the bar reaches lockout and carefully reverse the movement while lowering the barbell back to your chest (the starting position).
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

• At the peak, reach tall, and don't worry about keeping your shoulders pressed down and back.
• At the top of the action, allow your elbows to turn and point outward, then tuck them close to the ribs at the bottom.
• Fight to keep the bar from rolling by sliding the wrists into extension and contemplating "rolling the knuckles toward the ceiling."
• Maintain the movement's momentum and avoid adding extra leg force by extending and flexing the knees.
• As you press, squeeze the glutes and stabilize your abs. When pressing, you should not lean back too far.
• As though you were attempting to look out a window from the top, your ears ought to be parallel to your biceps.
• Try a broader grip or vertical pressing if your shoulders are uncomfortable during the activity.
• You can utilize a staggered stance to keep your lower back from arching too far, but if you still can't control your anterior core, try a half-kneeling regression.
• Strengthening the rotator cuff and adjacent muscles regularly helps you protect against potential strain.

"Grip the barbell with both hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, allowing you to lock both arms out easily. You'll lose drive if you go any further."

- Mike Causer, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

From my practical coaching experience, I can affirm that the military press, or overhead press, is not just about upper body strength; it significantly engages the following muscles:

• Shoulders: Elevating your upper arms exercises your deltoid muscles on the front, side, and rear of your shoulders, building them equally with large weights for broader shoulders, as per research from the Sensors journal [1].
• Arms: Extending your elbows engages the triceps more than the biceps, as they have a greater muscle mass, leading to bigger arms [2]. Your forearms are also utilized for holding the bar.
• Rotator Cuff: This involves the teres minor, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles, protecting your shoulder blades and stabilizing the shoulders, as described in various studies [3].
• Traps: Shrugging at the peak of each rep, as advised by fitness experts, develops the trapezius muscle groups on your neck's sides, forming ski-slope traps.
• Abs: The core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back, support your body, as corroborated by the Journal of Physical Therapy Science [4].
• Legs: Although they don't move like in squats, legs still perform isometric work to maintain balance.

Variations of the military press to engage deltoids differently:

Seated Overhead Press

The seated barbell shoulder press is an overhead press variant that effectively increases upper-body strength and muscle without straining the lower back.

Sitting allows you to utilize heavier weights to focus on muscle building, increasing strength since your body is stabilized and more supported.

To perform the seated military press:

1. Adjust the bar to roughly shoulder height while standing, then load the required weight onto the bar.
2. Place a bench in an upright position beneath the bar.
3. Sit on the bench press seat and use a pronated grip to unrack the bar.
4. Inhale, brace, tuck the chin, and drop the bar to your upper chest.
5. Exhale and return the barbell to the lockout position, then repeat.