Barbell exercise

Push Press (Barbell) form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The barbell push press is an overhead press initiated with a shallow dip and drive of the legs, letting the deltoids and triceps finish the lockout with loads well beyond strict-press capacity. Lifters and athletes use it to overload the shoulders for strength, develop explosive leg-to-arm power transfer, and build the aggressive lockout used in the jerk and other overhead lifts.

Push Press (Barbell) illustration

How to do Push Press (Barbell)

  1. 1Take the bar from a rack across your front shoulders with a shoulder-width grip, elbows slightly in front of the bar and feet hip-width apart.
  2. 2Take a deep breath and brace your core hard, keeping your torso vertical.
  3. 3Dip by bending your knees a few inches, keeping your heels down and chest tall.
  4. 4Drive explosively through your legs and, as the bar leaves your shoulders, press it overhead to a full lockout with your head moving slightly through your arms.
  5. 5Do not let the dip drift forward onto your toes; lower the bar under control back to your shoulders, exhale, and reset your brace before each rep.

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Track Push Press (Barbell) in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.