Barbell seated shoulder press

Muscles worked: Upper arms
Upper arms
🔧 Barbell, Incline Bench, Squat Rack ↕ Push 🏋️ kg × reps Difficulty:

Muscle outlines from Body Muscles by Ivan Vulović, Apache 2.0 — regrouped and recoloured for Muscle Train.

How to perform

Sit against the pad, feet flat. Unrack the bar to upper chest level. Inhale, brace core, and press the bar overhead, extending arms nearly straight. Briefly shrug shoulders at the top. Exhale and lower the bar controlled to the starting position. Re-rack after reps.

Muscles Worked

Long HeadLateral HeadMedial Head
Secondary: Upper Traps, Upper Chest, Transverse Abdominis

Tips

To protect your shoulders, keep your elbows slightly forward throughout the movement, creating a more natural path for the bar. Actively drive through your heels into the floor to engage your legs and provide a stable base for the lift. Focus on pushing the bar in a straight line directly overhead, avoiding excessive arching or tilting. As the bar passes your head, gently tuck your chin to maintain a neutral neck position and prevent strain. Maintain consistent contact between your upper back and the pad to provide support and stability throughout the exercise. Briefly shrug your shoulders at the top of the movement to further stabilize the bar and engage your upper back muscles.

Similar exercises

Barbell shoulder press Shoulders · 🔧 Barbell 5/10 Dumbbell seated shoulder press Shoulders · 🔧 Dumbbells 3/10 Kettlebell shoulder press Upper arms · 🔧 Kettlebell 3/10 Ez bar shoulder press Upper arms · 🔧 EZ Bar 4/10 Dumbbell alternate shoulder press Upper arms · 🔧 Dumbbells 3/10 Barbell seated overhead press Shoulders · 🔧 Barbell 4/10 Resistance band shoulder press Upper arms · 🔧 Resistance band 1/10 Kettlebell seated press Upper arms, Back · 🔧 Kettlebell, Flat Bench 3/10
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