Exercise guide · Shoulders & Traps

Barbell Push Press

The Push Press (Barbell) is an overhead press initiated by a short, coordinated leg drive. Unlike a strict overhead press, the knees and hips deliberately help accelerate the bar before the arms finish overhead.

Targets: Front delts
Equipment: Barbell
Type: Compound

Step by step

How to do the Barbell Push Press

Take the bar from a rack in a front-rack position with feet about shoulder-width apart, elbows slightly in front of the bar, and hands just outside the shoulders.
Brace your trunk and make a short, vertical dip by bending the knees and hips slightly while keeping your heels down and torso upright.
Drive forcefully through the floor, extend the legs, and transfer that momentum into the bar as it leaves the shoulders.
Press the bar to a stable overhead position with the head moving through and the ribs controlled rather than leaning backward.
Lower the bar under control to the shoulders, absorb it with a small knee bend if needed, then reset before the next repetition.

Form cues

Dip straight down
Drive with the legs
Finish with the arms
Stack the bar overhead

Common mistakes

Keeping the legs locked and accidentally performing a strict press
Turning the dip into a forward-leaning squat
Pressing before the leg drive reaches the bar
Overextending the lower back to finish overhead

Muscles worked

Primary

Front delts

Secondary

Side delts and Triceps

Safety: Use a rack, collars, and a clear overhead area. Learn the timing with a light bar and lower it under control; stop if the movement causes sharp shoulder, back, wrist, or knee pain.

Alternatives

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