If you want to maximize both strength and hypertrophy in your shoulders, you must maximize
mechanical tension (weight). No other movement allows you to do that more effectively than the
standing overhead press (OHP). Also commonly referred to as the Military press or strict press,
the OHP is the gold standard of overhead strength and a classic barbell lift. If you want to start
pressing heavier weight overhead RIGHT NOW, try these 3 tips:
1) Wear a belt- If you want to lift as much weight as possible on the OHP (or any major
barbell lift), you must maximize full body tension and a lifting belt allows you to do just
that. By maximizing full body tension and bracing effectively, you’re able to recruit more
motor units and incorporate more muscle into the lift, thus allowing you to lift more
weight.
2) Maximize Tension in your Upper back and Lats-If you haven’t realized by now, a
strong upper back is key to pressing big weights. Your upper back musculature serves
as a launch pad, and the larger and more stable the launch pad, the more weight you
can press. So before you unrack the bar, squeeze your shoulder blades together and get
as much tension through the traps, rear delts, rhomboids, and upper lats as possible.
This simple cue can help you immediately create a more stable launch pad to press
from.
3) Lean Back as you Press-Arguably the most simple and important tip to immediately
increase your OHP. Your body naturally figures out how to lift the most weight possible,
and leaning back (arching your back) allows you to incorporate more of your upper back
and upper chest into the lift. People may say this is bad for your back, but as long as
you’re wearing a belt and effectively bracing while maintaining full body tension, I find
leaning back while pressing to be a perfectly safe and natural movement pattern. Again,
you must keep in mind the objective is to lift as much weight as possible overhead, not
to look pretty while doing it.
By incorporating these 3 tips and training the OHP consistently, the technique will become
second nature. Before you know it, you’ll be pressing weights overhead you may never have
thought possible.