Movement of the month: the overhead press

Lifting something onto a high shelf, putting a bag in an overhead locker, holding a child up: the overhead press is that movement, standing, with a bar. You press from the shoulders to straight arms overhead while the rest of the body holds still.

What it trains

• →The shoulders (deltoids) and the triceps, which push the bar up.
• →The upper back, which stabilises the shoulder blades overhead.
• →The trunk and glutes, which stop the body leaning back under the weight.

Why it comes up in the research

Full-body resistance programmes in weight-loss trials include a vertical or horizontal press for the upper body. The standing overhead press asks the trunk to work as well as the arms, which makes it a good all-round upper-body movement. The evidence supports the category of progressive resistance training rather than any single lift, and the lean-mass evidence is the same as for the rest of the series.

Where to start

• →With a coach, if you can. Shoulder history matters more here than in any other lift in the series.
• →With dumbbells, seated. A seated dumbbell press takes the balance and lower back out of it while you learn the path.
• →With a straight path. Move your head back slightly to let the bar pass your face, then bring it "through the window" so the bar finishes over the middle of the foot.
• →Without leaning back. Squeeze the glutes and keep the ribs down. If you have to lean back to finish, the weight is too heavy.

Safety and sense

Stop if you feel a pinch or sharp pain in the shoulder, or pain that travels down an arm. People with a shoulder injury, rotator-cuff problems or high blood pressure should check with a physiotherapist or doctor before pressing overhead.

What this feature isn't

It isn't a plan. We don't give loads, sets or repetitions. Next in the series: the bench press.