Bodyweight Overhead Press

Muscles worked by the Bodyweight Overhead Press

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Secondary

SerratusSerratus AnteriorTrapsTrapezius

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, tricep, triceps.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Bodyweight Overhead Press

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands in loose fists at shoulder height, palms facing forward and elbows under the wrists.
2. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your ribs stay down.
3. Press both arms straight up until the elbows are fully extended and the upper arms are beside your ears.
4. Lower your hands back to shoulder height under control.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Finish with your hands directly over your shoulders, not in front of your face.
• Do not lean back or arch your lower back to get the arms higher.
• Once the pattern feels smooth, hold light dumbbells or a band to add load.

At a glance

Bodyweight Overhead Press in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Behind the Neck Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Dumbbell Curl and Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Kettlebell Bottoms-Up Hold

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "bodyweight-overhead-press",
  "name_en": "Bodyweight Overhead Press",
  "name_de": "Bodyweight Overhead Press",
  "name_es": "Press por Encima de la Cabeza con Peso Corporal",
  "description_en": "An unloaded standing overhead press: the arms press up from the shoulders until they are straight overhead, rehearsing the pressing pattern for the shoulders and triceps without any equipment.",
  "description_de": "Ein Überkopfdrücken im Stand ohne Gewicht: Die Arme drücken von den Schultern nach oben, bis sie über dem Kopf gestreckt sind – so übst du das Druckmuster für Schultern und Trizeps ganz ohne Equipment.",
  "description_es": "Un press por encima de la cabeza de pie y sin carga: los brazos empujan desde los hombros hasta quedar estirados sobre la cabeza, practicando el patrón de empuje de hombros y tríceps sin ningún material.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "serratus_anterior",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands in loose fists at shoulder height, palms facing forward and elbows under the wrists.",
    "Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your ribs stay down.",
    "Press both arms straight up until the elbows are fully extended and the upper arms are beside your ears.",
    "Lower your hands back to shoulder height under control.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle dich aufrecht hin, Füße hüftbreit, die Hände locker zu Fäusten geballt auf Schulterhöhe, Handflächen nach vorn, Ellbogen unter den Handgelenken.",
    "Spanne den Rumpf an und drücke die Gesäßmuskeln zusammen, damit die Rippen unten bleiben.",
    "Drücke beide Arme gerade nach oben, bis die Ellbogen vollständig gestreckt sind und die Oberarme neben den Ohren liegen.",
    "Senke die Hände kontrolliert zurück auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Wiederhole die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie con los pies a la anchura de las caderas y las manos en puños relajados a la altura de los hombros, palmas hacia delante y codos bajo las muñecas.",
    "Activa el core y aprieta los glúteos para que las costillas no se abran.",
    "Empuja ambos brazos hacia arriba hasta extender del todo los codos, con los brazos junto a las orejas.",
    "Baja las manos con control hasta la altura de los hombros.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Finish with your hands directly over your shoulders, not in front of your face.",
    "Do not lean back or arch your lower back to get the arms higher.",
    "Once the pattern feels smooth, hold light dumbbells or a band to add load."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Beende die Bewegung mit den Händen direkt über den Schultern, nicht vor dem Gesicht.",
    "Lehne dich nicht zurück und mache kein Hohlkreuz, um die Arme höher zu bringen.",
    "Sobald das Bewegungsmuster sitzt, nimm leichte Kurzhanteln oder ein Band als Widerstand dazu."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Termina con las manos justo encima de los hombros, no delante de la cara.",
    "No te inclines hacia atrás ni arquees la zona lumbar para subir más los brazos.",
    "Cuando domines el patrón, sujeta mancuernas ligeras o una banda para añadir carga."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/bodyweight-overhead-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/bodyweight-overhead-press-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "bodyweight-overhead-press");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.