# Band Overhead Press: how to do it

- Main muscles: front delts
- Also works: triceps
- Equipment: band
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/band_overhead_press/e39523611c/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Stand on the band, feet shoulder-width, one end in each hand.
2. Bring your hands to shoulder height, palms forward, elbows under wrists.
3. Press straight up until your arms are beside your ears.
4. Hold briefly, then lower slowly back to shoulder height.

## Cues

- Ribs down, glutes tight
- Wrists stacked over elbows
- Slow on the way down

## Common mistakes

- Arching the back to finish; brace your abs and squeeze your glutes.
- Shrugging at the top; keep shoulders away from your ears.
- Letting the band yank you down; control the lowering.

## Starting position

Standing, feet shoulder-width apart and parallel, knees straight but soft (about 175°). Each hand holds one side of the band. The band strands run from the feet up the outside of the legs and behind the upper arms, so they do not cross the face at any point. The band is already slightly stretched at the start. Pronated grip (palms forward), wrists straight. Torso upright, abs braced, ribs down, head neutral.

## The movement

Hands press straight up and slightly in; lower straight down and slightly out to the same start. The elbows keep their 30°-forward angle. The band lengthens as the hands rise, so the top is the hardest point; the lowering is slow against the band's pull. Legs, hips and torso do not move; no knee dip, no back arch.

## End position

(turnaround point): arms extended overhead, elbows 170–180° without a snap. Upper arms beside the ears, hands over the shoulder joints and slightly closer together than at the start (about shoulder width). Hold briefly at the top.

## Tempo

Press 1.5 s, hold 0.5 s at the top, lower 2 s.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stance width | shoulder width | hip to shoulder width |  |
| Band anchor | under mid-foot, both feet | equal length each side |  |
| Shoulder elevation at start | 90° | 80–90° |  |
| Elbow flexion at start | 90° | 80–100° |  |
| Elbows forward of frontal plane | 30° | 20–40° |  |
| Elbow at top | 175° | 170–180° |  |
| Hand spacing at top | shoulder width | 1.0–1.3× shoulder width |  |
| Low-back arch added at top | 0° | 0–5° |  |

## Sources

1. [[ColumbiaDoctors (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) health library: Shoulder press](](https://www.columbiadoctors.org/health-library/multimedia/shoulder-press/)
2. [[The Prehab Guys: Overhead Press – Band](](https://library.theprehabguys.com/vimeo-video/overhead-press-band/)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/band-overhead-press