Smart Workout Diary

Barbell Push Press

The barbell push press is an overhead barbell lift that uses a shallow leg drive to help press the bar from the shoulders to locked-out arms. It primarily trains the shoulders and also challenges the triceps, quadriceps, glutes, and full-body power transfer. It supports upper-body strength, overhead pressing power, and athletic coordination.

Demonstration

Barbell Push Press — demonstration 1
Barbell Push Press — demonstration 2

Instructions

  1. Set the bar in a rack at upper-chest height. Grip it just outside shoulder width, step under it, and rest it across the front of your shoulders with elbows slightly forward.
  2. Stand tall with feet about hip width apart, brace your abdomen, and keep your chest lifted and wrists stacked under the bar.
  3. Dip straight down by bending the knees and hips a few inches while keeping your heels down and torso upright.
  4. Drive through the floor explosively, then use the momentum to press the bar overhead as it passes your face.
  5. Finish under control with arms locked overhead, the bar over the middle of your feet, and ribs kept down. Lower the bar carefully back to the shoulders and reset before the next repetition.
Muscle Group
Delts
Other Muscle Groups
Triceps, Quads, Glutes
Type
Strength
Mechanics
Compound
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Intermediate

Technique tips

  1. Keep the dip vertical. Letting the knees travel forward is fine, but do not turn the dip into a forward lean.
  2. Use leg drive once. Avoid a second knee bend under the bar; that changes the movement into a jerk.
  3. Brace before each repetition. Keep the ribs from flaring and finish with the head neutral between the arms.
  4. Control the load. Use a weight you can lower safely to the shoulders without losing the rack position.
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