Barbell Shoulder Exercises
The barbell overhead press is the foundation here and one of the few genuinely heavy shoulder exercises available. Pressing a bar from the front rack to lockout loads the front and side delts through a full range while the whole body braces underneath it, which is why it builds shoulders that hold up under load rather than just look trained.
Above the strict press sit the explosive variations of push jerk, split jerk, clean and snatch, which let you get more weight overhead by driving with the legs. They train the shoulders to accept and stabilise loads heavier than you can press strictly. The landmine press is the opposite end of the same page: one end of the bar fixed to the floor puts the press on an arc between vertical and horizontal, which is a far friendlier position for a shoulder that does not like pressing straight up.
Beginner1
Intermediate8
Advanced4
Other equipment for Shoulders
Frequently asked questions
Standing or seated barbell overhead press?
Standing trains more of the body and carries over better to anything athletic, but the load is limited by how much your torso can brace. Seated with a back support lets the shoulders take more weight. Both build delts; pick based on whether you want the core involved.
Is the behind-the-neck press safe?
It requires shoulder mobility most lifters do not have, and forces maximum external rotation under load. If your overhead mobility is genuinely good it is a legitimate variation for the side delts. If it is not, a front press gives the same stimulus without the risk.
Why is my overhead press so much weaker than my bench?
Because it should be. The bench press uses the whole chest and both triceps with the torso supported; the overhead press uses smaller muscles while you hold yourself upright. A press around sixty per cent of your bench is normal.