How we overhead press with our overhead athletes

We can sit here and debate if overhead athletes should or should not overhead press and trust me over the last 10 years I have. What I have come up with is a detailed progression and regression program for overhead pressing that I will use with overhead athletes. 

Now if upon screening an athlete has an injury history, range of motion issue(s), or muscular imbalance that makes me questions if I should overhead press, then by all means we do not overhead press. 

I like the progression and regression system I have come up with because it never really allows the athlete to become so strong in the overhead press that I become worried about stressing the shoulder joint or creating the hypertrophy in the deltoid that causes superior glenohumeral migration. Rather pay attention to the body positioning we use to place the body in a position that will challenge it to learn the correct core stabilization necessary to perform the movement. 

I will keep the word count down and give you all what you want our progression and regression for overhead pressing. We start at number one and work our way down to number nine over the course of our program. As I mentioned before some guys may not do all variations and some may it all depends on how they individually screen out. 

1. Groove Press Hold

2. Kneeling & Half Kneeling Groove Press

3. Kneeling Landmine Press

4. Half Kneeling Landmine Press

5. Standing Landmine Press

6. Kneeling Overhead Press

7. Half Kneeling Overhead Press

8. Single Leg Supported Overhead Press

9. Single Leg Overhead Press

Other variations we will use:

• Split Stance Landmine Press

• Split Stance Full ROM Landmine Press

By: Kevin Hollabaugh, MHA, CSCS, USAW, FMSC, CSAC