Dive deeper into the benefits of overhead presses. Why are they so important to perform? Vertical overhead presses. 

Overhead presses are crucial for development in multiple aspects. You may think that building shoulders is one of the only reasons why… But that is just surface level! Let’s dive deeper into the benefits of performing the overhead/vertical press motion. 

1. One of the obvious ones… Upper body strength & performance development. Shoulders primarily, and triceps/upper chest can be involved depending on the specific joint angles & alignment while performing this exercise. If you are seated @ 90 degrees, this will concentrate on the shoulders. Going into larger angle increases will begin to recruit other musculature.
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3. Core stabilization: In order to properly execute an overhead press, the core needs to stabilize to maintain balance & support. Without your core, standing & pressing weight over your head would not be possible. 
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5. Postural alignment & kinetic chain alignment: This begins with your base and your core. If you are standing, it is extremely important that you build a good base. Ass you work up from the feet, your knees are directly under your hip joints. In order to create 180 degrees within the spine & neutralize the pelvis & hip complex +low back (LPHC), the core needs to be engaged properly. Overheads will help develop better alignment habits while pressing, which can lead to refinements in posture and corrections with anterior pelvic tilting. Strengthen your core and joints @ these specific joint angles!
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7. Develop better biomechanics & functional movement. Overheads are a challenging movement, but using them will lead to extreme benefits all around. Get comfortable with overhead lifts & allow your body to develop better movement patterns. Strengthening the core, shoulders, & upper back will improve posture, help correct imbalances, and reduce the risk of injury. 
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9. Boost athletic & resistance training performance. Coordination is triggered when engaging in this movement, boosting fiber recruitment along multiple muscle groups. The is leads too increasing in overall performance development, allowing your muscles & joints to work better together. 

There are different modalities to use & different ways to perform overhead presses that correlate to the persons goals. But, I am going to dive into why it is great for either fat loss or hypertrophy focused clients.

1. Increased hormonal response: The shoulders hold a large number of androgens, boosting the stimulative release of anabolic hormones like HGH & testosterone. This can lead to muscle growth, along with boosts in metabolism which will improve fat burn. 
2. As talked about above, functional strength. 
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4. Increased caloric burn: High intensity, increased use of more musculature in the body(especially standing overhead presses), which will increase your internal temperature & boost the attack on fat. I do recommend seated overheads for those trying to emphasize hypertrophy concentration.
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6. Ability to promote mechanical tension, the prime diver of hypertrophy. Overhead presses can be a dominant movement for strength, but when utilized properly & with the right modalities, they can be integrated to ensure hypertrophy is the prime focus. For example, the smith machine is a great way to integrate a 90 degree seated overhead press to ensure we are focused on concentrated tension. The smith allows for training closer to failure safely by integrating heavier loads without compensatory techniques or increased risk of injury.

What are the best ways to do this for fat loss emphasis?

• Free weight (barbell, dumbbell)
• Higher rep, low weight
• Heavy weight, lower rep
• Progressive overload
• Adjusted tempos
• Decreased rest times 
• Standing 

What are the best ways to do this for hypertrophy?

• Selectorized machinery or smith machines
• Mechanical tension 
• Time under tension (used primarily as a gauge for good mechanics).
• Training near failure 
• Lower set lower rep ranges (dependent on person & program goals)
• High intensity (heavy loads)
• Progressive overload
• Integration of isoholds & static holds (dependent on person, not an important factor or prime focal point for hypertrophy)
• Increased rest times
• Seated 

Peer review articles & supporting evidence:

The Effect of the Weight and Type of Equipment on Shoulder and Back Muscle Activity in Surface Electromyography during the Overhead Press—Preliminary Report

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9781216/?utm_

Front vs Back and Barbell vs Machine Overhead Press: An Electromyographic Analysis and Implications For Resistance Training

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9354811/?utm_

Changes in shoulder function and muscle strength following rehabilitation exercise program in male patients with forward shoulder posture undergoing rotator cuff repair

https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-024-07905-0?utm_

The acute hormonal response to free weight and machine weight resistance exercise https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24276305/

ACUTE HORMONAL RESPONSES TO SUBMAXIMAL AND MAXIMAL HEAVY RESISTANCE AND EXPLOSIVE EXERCISES IN MEN AND WOMEN

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2005/08000/acute_hormonal_responses_to_submaximal_and_maximal.14.aspx?utm