When it comes to testing and developing upper body strength and size, most lifters turn to the bench press. The bench press is one of the most popular gym exercises around and is also part of the sport of powerlifting. If you get a couple of gym-goers together in the same room, invariably, they’ll talk about how much weight they can bench.

However, there is another exercise that could be even better for building strength and size in your upper body – the overhead press.

In the bench press, your body is supported by the bench so that your chest, shoulders, and arms do all the work. In contrast, the overhead press, especially when done while standing, involves a whole lot more muscle mass. It would be fair to call the standing overhead press a whole-body exercise.

The overhead press is also more functional than the bench press. That is to say, it replicates every day or sporting activities. For example, lifting a heavy object above your head to place on a shelf. In contrast, the bench press is considered much less functional. After all, how often do you lie on your back to lift something heavy?

That doesn’t mean the bench press is a “bad” exercise. It’s actually an excellent workout for your chest. However, adding overhead presses to your workouts will improve how your upper body looks and performs.

Overhead press anatomy

The main muscles involved in overhead presses are:

• The deltoids – the three main shoulder muscles consisting of the anterior or front deltoid, medial or side deltoid, and posterior or rear deltoid. These muscles flex, abduct and extend your shoulder joint.
• Trapezius – the kite-shaped muscle of your upper back, responsible for elevation, depression, and retraction of the shoulder girdle.
• Triceps brachii – the three-headed muscle on the back of your upper arm. This is your main elbow extender.
• Core – the collective name for the muscles of the midsection, including rectus abdominus, obliques, and transverse abdominus. These muscles work together to stabilize your spine.
• Erector spinae – the muscles of the lower back, responsible for extending your spine and also keeping it stable.
• Glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings – the muscles of the hips, front of the thigh, and back of the thigh respectively. These muscles work isometrically or statically in the overhead press to provide you with a stable platform from which to press.

How to do overhead presses

To perform the overhead press…

1. Place a barbell in a squat rack, so it’s level with your upper chest.
2. Hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
3. Stand close to the bar, so it rests across the front of your shoulders. Your elbows should be directly below your hands.
4. Unrack the bar and take a small step back.
5. Brace your core tightly and lift your chest.
6. Press the bar straight overhead to full lockout.
7. Lower the bar back to your shoulders and repeat as necessary.

How to increase your overhead pressing strength

While you could keep plugging away at the overhead press in the hope that you’ll get stronger and bigger in the process, studies suggest that the best way to make progress is through exercise variety (1). In other words, you need to mix things up to maximize your progress.

Here are four exercises that will help increase your overhead pressing strength. Use them to add variety to your workouts. You should too notice too that, as you get stronger, your upper body gets bigger too.

You should also find that as your overhead pressing strength increases, so too does your bench press strength. There is a strong link between overhead pressing performance and bench press performance.

1. Z Press

The Z press is a super-strict overhead press that forces you to use your core more than you would in regular overhead presses. It also stops you using your legs, which means it really emphasizes your delts, traps, and triceps.