Seated Barbell Overhead Press

Muscles worked by the Seated Barbell Overhead Press

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior Deltoid

Secondary

Side DeltsLateral DeltoidTrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

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

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Seated Barbell Overhead Press

1. Set an upright bench inside a rack with the pins at about shoulder height when seated.
2. Sit with your back flat against the pad and unrack the barbell at the front of the shoulders.
3. Press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended, tucking the head through at the top.
4. Lower the bar back to the collarbones under control.
5. Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions.

Form tips

• Keep the ribs down and glutes tight; do not lean back into a bench press.
• Drive the bar straight up, not forward.

At a glance

Seated Barbell 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
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Machine Shoulder Press

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": "seated-barbell-overhead-press",
  "name_en": "Seated Barbell Overhead Press",
  "name_de": "Sitzende Langhantel-Schulterdrücken",
  "name_es": "Press de Barra sobre la Cabeza Sentado",
  "description_en": "A strict seated overhead press with a barbell, removing hip drive and isolating the deltoids and triceps.",
  "description_de": "Ein striktes sitzendes Überkopfdrücken mit der Langhantel, das den Beineinsatz eliminiert und Deltoideus und Trizeps isoliert.",
  "description_es": "Un press de barra sobre la cabeza estricto en posición sentada, que elimina el impulso de caderas y aísla los deltoides y los tríceps.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "lateral_deltoid",
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "strength",
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "push_day",
    "requires_bench"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set an upright bench inside a rack with the pins at about shoulder height when seated.",
    "Sit with your back flat against the pad and unrack the barbell at the front of the shoulders.",
    "Press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended, tucking the head through at the top.",
    "Lower the bar back to the collarbones under control.",
    "Repeat for the recommended number of repetitions."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle eine aufrechte Bank im Rack ein, Sicherheitsstifte im Sitzen auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Setze dich mit flachem Rücken ans Polster und hebe die Stange auf die vorderen Schultern.",
    "Drücke die Stange overhead bis zur vollständigen Armstreckung und führe den Kopf oben durch.",
    "Senke die Stange kontrolliert zurück auf die Schlüsselbeine.",
    "Wiederhole für die empfohlene Wiederholungszahl."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ajusta un banco vertical dentro del rack con los pines a la altura aproximada de los hombros cuando estés sentado.",
    "Siéntate con la espalda plana contra el pad y desrackea la barra en la parte frontal de los hombros.",
    "Empuja la barra sobre la cabeza hasta extender completamente los brazos, pasando la cabeza por delante en la parte superior.",
    "Baja la barra de vuelta a las clavículas con control.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones recomendado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the ribs down and glutes tight; do not lean back into a bench press.",
    "Drive the bar straight up, not forward."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Rippen unten und das Gesäß angespannt – nicht nach hinten lehnen wie beim Bankdrücken.",
    "Drücke die Stange gerade nach oben, nicht nach vorne."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén las costillas abajo y los glúteos apretados; no te inclines hacia atrás como en un press de banca.",
    "Empuja la barra recto hacia arriba, no hacia adelante."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/seated-barbell-overhead-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/seated-barbell-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 === "seated-barbell-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.