The one Olympic motion (properly, ex-Olympic motion) that nearly everybody has accomplished is the overhead press. Sadly, it isn’t accomplished sufficient as a result of it’s notoriously troublesome, and nobody likes coaching what they are not good at. Whereas it’s laborious, the issue is that you simply won’t be utilizing the fitting reps for this motion.
This text will let you know what number of reps try to be utilizing in your overhead press to get probably the most out of this beast of a motion. So, what number of reps must you use for the overhead press? Let’s discover out.
The Overhead Press
Simply to make clear, this text will primarily talk about the barbell overhead press however may also contact on different variations, such because the dumbbell press.
With that mentioned, the overhead press is your major vertical urgent motion. It includes taking a loaded barbell out of the rack and urgent it over your head, which you lock out on the high. As such, it is answerable for growing the energy of your shoulders and triceps whereas serving to enhance your pushing energy.
As talked about within the intro, the overhead press is notoriously troublesome to progress in. Additionally, out of your major actions, it is going to be the smallest. This makes the overhead press terribly humbling and truly leads many individuals to skip it! Hopefully, you may discover some rep schemes on the finish of this text that can assist you cope with this, as overhead urgent energy could be very spectacular when you get it.
Muscle Skilled With The Overhead Press
We’ll go over the muscle tissues labored with the overhead press actual fast.
Deltoids
The deltoids are the primary muscle tissues in your shoulders and are made up of three teams of fibers referred to as heads:
- Anterior (entrance)
- Medial (aspect)
- Posterior (rear)
All three heads are concerned within the overhead press and are the first movers. Nonetheless, the anterior head is probably the most lively, whereas the medial and posterior deltoids primarily stabilize the motion and cut back undesirable movement.
Triceps Brachii
The triceps are the three-headed muscle positioned on the again of your arms. They’re answerable for extending your elbows. The triceps are important in all urgent actions, together with the overhead press, as they turn into the first movers on the finish of the motion throughout the lockout. As a result of their smaller measurement, they could fatigue earlier than the deltoids do.
Trapezius & Higher Again
The trapezius, or traps, consists of three fibers:
The traps, located throughout your higher again, type a big diamond form. All three teams contribute to navy presses, with the higher and center fibers significantly lively as they stabilize your shoulder blades. That is very true in direction of the highest of the motion.
Associated: 11 Best Trapezius Exercises
Core & Decrease Physique
Whereas the overhead press is an upper-body motion, it additionally requires activation out of your core and decrease physique for stabilization.
The core encompasses the muscle tissues of your midsection, together with the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. Appearing like a weightlifting belt, your core stabilizes your backbone throughout navy presses, offering an efficient exercise in your midsection when you prepare your delts.
Your decrease physique, particularly your posterior, works to maintain your hips prolonged. For this reason chances are you’ll hear some individuals say, “Squeeze your glutes” throughout the train.
Why Do You Carry out The Overhead Press?
The overhead press has fairly a number of major outcomes. A few of these embody:
- Growing pushing energy of the deltoids and triceps
- Enhance the soundness and performance of your shoulder
- Improve the energy and stability of your higher again
- Enhance core energy
That mentioned, the first goal is to extend energy, add muscle to the deltoids, and enhance overhead energy and stability. Enhancing your overhead urgent energy will enhance not solely your total urgent energy but in addition your total higher physique energy.
How Many Reps Ought to You Use For Overhead Press?
So, let’s get to it…what number of reps must you use for the overhead press?
As all the time, the next data relies on our data of energy and conditioning and expertise with the overhead press, each personally and with purchasers.
How Many Reps For Overhead Press For Muscle Progress?
Overhead urgent could be a nice train for constructing muscle in your shoulders and higher again. To maximise muscle mass, persist with 8 reps when performing the barbell overhead press. We discover that this vary works very well and produces glorious outcomes.
One factor to think about if you wish to maximize muscle progress is performing the overhead press with dumbbells. Dumbbells require greater ranges of stabilization within the delts and contain a larger range of motion, which theoretically would end in extra muscle mass.
Whether or not you employ the barbell or dumbbell, you’ll be able to play with any reps between 6 and 10. The one time we’ll go greater than 10 reps is normally on a burnout set, which is completed till failure.
How Many Reps For Overhead Press For Energy?
Now, let’s speak about performing decrease reps with the next load. Whereas you are able to do this and may in some unspecified time in the future, you could first construct up a powerful basis of energy and type.
The overhead press has many transferring elements, together with the ever-so-complex shoulder advanced. For those who’ve ever overhead-pressed any quantity of weight, you in all probability know that it is rather difficult. Not solely should you push that load overhead, however you could additionally stabilize the burden and preserve it from falling again, ahead, or to the aspect.
These actions can produce excessive quantities of stress on the shoulder, which may end up in harm. To forestall this, you could construct energy and excellent your type to mitigate and stop these actions.
Whereas this joint can positively produce a number of energy and deal with excessive quantities of stress, the issue is that many individuals do not prepare this motion considerably, particularly with heavier masses. We’ll go over construct this energy under.
With that mentioned, as an instance you’ve got already constructed up energy. For these lifters, use wherever from 1-6 reps. We’ll say that heavy singles and doubles are in all probability one of many hardest lifts you are able to do.
How Many Reps On Overhead Press Ought to I Use?
We need to lay out some attainable rep schemes for various lifters. These are simply pointers that you may apply to your coaching.
The Overhead Press For Novices
Let’s first begin with rookies. However even right here, we have to outline what we imply.
Newbie Overhead Press
By “rookies,” we’re speaking about somebody with restricted to zero gymnasium expertise. For these lifters, we might begin mild within the 10-rep vary. The aim right here can be to work on type and construct some energy. It is necessary to understand that while you start.
Keep right here for 4-6 weeks, then transfer the load up and change the reps to eight. The size of time you spend at 10 reps depends upon you and the way you’re feeling concerning the motion. At 8 reps, you may do the identical and keep for one more 4-6 weeks.
These 8-12 weeks would offer you a dramatic improve in energy and type enchancment. From right here, you may then transfer as much as the 6 rep vary. The 6 rep vary works properly for newbie/novice lifters because it’s low sufficient for the lifter to regulate fairly simply but heavy sufficient to construct energy. Oh, and supplies quantity for muscle mass.
Novice Overhead Press
Alternatively, we’ve a “Novice,” or somebody who has been coaching for a number of months however has by no means adopted any reputable kind of progressive coaching. To be clear, this may embody somebody who has been coaching for years but has all the time winged it within the gymnasium.
Assuming they carried out some kind of overhead urgent, this group might begin with the basic 3 x 6 rep scheme. Once more, this can be a good weight to begin with when urgent your overhead.
The Overhead Press For Intermediate And Superior
After you may have spent high quality time on the overhead press, you’ll be able to transfer on to decrease reps and better masses. This will embody all the things from a 5 x 5 to heavy singles. We have now used all of those and have seen constructive development outcomes.
Finest Rep Schemes For The Overhead Press
So now, let us take a look at some particular rep schemes that work properly for the overhead press. To be clear, these aren’t the one rep schemes that work; they’re simply ones we’ve discovered to work properly.
3 x 6 (Constructing A Basis)
3 units x 6 reps works properly for newer lifters attempting to construct their basis. It is very simple but very efficient. It makes use of easy linear development, so begin mild after which add not more than 5 lbs every week.
We have now discovered that 6 reps are likely to work higher with the overhead than one thing like 3 x 5 or 5 x 5, particularly with newer lifters.
Publish Activation Potential (PAP)
Publish-activation potential refers to utilizing a heavier load for a single rep adopted by reps with a lighter weight. The heavier weight ought to theoretically activate extra muscle fibers, thus making the lighter weight really feel lighter and permitting extra quantity.
You should use this for any motion, however we’ve discovered it really works very well with the overhead press. There are a lot of methods you are able to do this, however here is a scheme you should utilize. Be aware that your single shouldn’t be above 90%. It ought to be heavy however straightforward to do with one rep.
- 1 Rep @85%
- Relaxation:30-1:00
- Carry out reps of 70% till RPE8-9
5/3/1/10 (Construct Energy)
5/3/1/10 is a 4-week block that works on constructing pure energy. The rep schemes embody:
- 5X5 @80%
- 3X3 @90%
- Ramp as much as a heavy single of 95% or RPE9
- 3X10 @50%
Heavy Singles: 5X1, 6X1 (Construct Energy)
We have now discovered that heavy singles work properly with the overhead press, particularly when lifting heavy. We will not give a precise reply as to why that is, however one attainable purpose may very well be that doing heavy multiples might be difficult at first as a result of mechanics.
Subsequently, you probably have discovered that placing up huge numbers has been difficult, attempt working as much as 90-92% after which repeating singles with 3:00 relaxation.
Cluster Units
Cluster sets appear to work properly with overhead urgent. Once more, we expect this can be as a result of problem of performing a number of heavy reps, not less than at first. A cluster set is principally breaking down the whole variety of reps on 1 set with “mini breaks.” There are a lot of methods to run this, however here is what it might appear like.
Use 85percent1RM and carry out doubles. Relaxation 20s and repeat 3 occasions.
EMOM
EMOMs are one other rep scheme we’ve discovered significantly useful with the overhead press. Once more, we’ll do that with comparatively heavy weight and carry out 5 units. For instance, take 90% and carry out doubles for five units.
These could be a bit unpredictable, so you’ll be able to alter as you go.
Get Your Press Numbers Up!
For those who’re pissed off together with your urgent numbers, attempt a few of these rep schemes to see in the event you can increase them. It could possibly appear daunting, however belief us, sooner or later, you are going to “get it” and begin seeing your numbers rise. When you begin urgent body weight overhead presses for reps, individuals will discover, and so will your shoulders!
Extra Sources On Rep Schemes:
