Tall-Kneeling Barbell Overhead Press

Also known as: Tall-Kneeling BB Overhead Press, Tall-Kneeling Barbell Shoulder Press, Tall-Kneeling Barbell Military Press, Tall Kneeling Barbell Press, Tall-Kneeling Barbell OHP, Tall-Kneeling BB Shoulder Press, Tall-Kneeling BB OHP

Body region

Muscles

Main

Deltoid

Helps

Holds

Equipment

Technique

Set the barbell in a rack at about upper-chest height and kneel in front of it on a mat, thighs vertical and hips fully extended.
Unrack the bar with an overhand grip just outside shoulder width and rest it on your front shoulders.
Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so your torso is tall and ribs stay down.
Press the bar straight up, moving your head slightly back and then through once the bar passes your forehead.
Lock out with the bar over your knees and hips, then lower it under control to the shoulders.

Cues

Squeeze the glutes the whole set to stop the lower back from arching.
Push the bar up and slightly back over the ears.
Keep the ribs pulled down toward the hips.
Set the safety pins just below the bar height; if a rep fails, lower the bar to the pins or tip it forward and away from your knees.

Common mistakes

Leaning back and turning the press into an incline press.
Letting the hips drift behind the knees.
Using a load that forces a big lower-back arch.
Setting the rack pins so low that you lose control when re-racking.