Exercise library / Shoulders

Seated Barbell Military Press

Main muscles
Shoulders
Also works
Triceps
Equipment
Barbell
Level
Intermediate
Type
Compound · Push

How to do it

  1. Sit on a Military Press Bench with a bar behind your head and either have a spotter give you the bar (better on the rotator cuff this way) or pick it up yourself carefully with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Tip: Your grip should be wider than shoulder width and it should create a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm as the barbell goes down.
  2. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip length, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms. Hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. This is your starting position.
  3. Lower the bar down to the collarbone slowly as you inhale.
  4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Quick answers

What muscles does the Seated Barbell Military Press work?
Mainly the shoulders, with help from the triceps.
What equipment do I need?
Barbell.
Is it good for beginners?
It is rated intermediate level.
How do I track progress on it?
Log each set and beat the weight or reps from last time. Liftrung shows your last set beside the next one and estimates your one-rep max from your sets.

More shoulders exercises

Exercise descriptions: free-exercise-db, public domain.