Overhead Press Day; Essentials Only Warm-up (Part 2)

 

Last week we introduced a new series for the blog where we talk about “essentials only warm-ups”.

Today we’re diving into Part 2 & talking specifically about an essentials only warm-up I would program for an overhead press (OHP) day.

Just to recap, an “essentials only warm-up” means we’re cutting out the fluff and hitting these 3 things:

  • Full-body movement

  • Mobility work / movement prep

  • Warm-up sets

 
 

Full-body movement

I always keep this simple.

Pick one: walking, slow jogging, easy cycling, jumping rope, rowing, or another piece of cardio equipment.

Go at a low intensity for 5-10 minutes. Maybe incrementally add in incline/resistance to spice it up a little but this should not feel like a true workout. It’s just the bridge from our usually sedentary day into more intense & intentional movement to follow.

If you don’t have access to cardio equipment in any format & getting outside is out of the question, get creative! Do some laps around your house/the gym. Find a set of stairs and walk up and down a few levels. Do some jumping jacks. Dance around. Just get moving.

 
 

Mobility work / Movement prep

This can be one and the same, you don't necessarily need separate mobility exercises & movement prep exercises. Hence me grouping them in one section.

For overhead pressing we’ll want to make sure we hit a couple of things:

  • Thoracic spine (“T-spine”)

  • Core stability

  • Shoulder mobility

Thoracic Spine prep:
I’ve always been a big fan of an open book for this.

The reasoning: It’s a gentle way to open the T-spine, which is notoriously a “problem area” for individuals who work desk jobs/more sedentary jobs for the majority of their days. I like to program this as the first piece after full-body movement because we can use this time to open the spine & focus on how you’re feeling before getting into anything more strenuous.

Honorable mentions: Quadruped open book & thread the needle, T-spine cat-cows

Core stability
My first choice is typically an anti-extension deadbug.

The reasoning: I would specifically go with an anti-extension deadbug vs. a traditional deadbug because we want to work on core strength / stability while we simultaneously work against spinal (specifically lower back) extension.

If we have weak core engagement or lack core stability, it’s common to see an arch occur in the lower back as we press weight overhead. In an anti-extension deadbug, we’re directly preparing our core to avoid doing this by holding a band/cable tight in our hands as we perform leg extensions in the deadbug [see clip below].

Honorable mentions for core stability: Birddog, Bear crawl

Shoulder mobility:
My go-to here is a dumbbell pullover.

The reasoning: This combines everything we’ve touched on already; T-spine mobility & core stability. Plus, it adds in an actual overhead motion to bring it full circle.

Moving through this exercise slowly & even adding a pause at the end of your range of motion (ROM) can help improve shoulder mobility as a whole. And when it comes to the OHP, we need ample shoulder mobility to get the weight up and drive the head through to complete reps with solid form. We want that bar to be able to stay tight to your body (“skin your nose”) as you press it up and pull it back down. Without a good range of shoulder mobility, this can be problematic and leave you with half-assed reps.

Honorable mentions for shoulder mobility: Banded wall arm slides, Prone lift-offs

 
 

Warm-up sets

This is pretty straight forward: Before you get into moderate-heavy loads for your overhead press, start with something that feels light. This might be just the barbell or even using dumbbells or bands prior to using the bar.

You could do anywhere from 1-3 warm-up sets.

There are a few things to note on this front:

  • You should be incrementally building/increasing load going from your warm-up sets into your working sets.

  • You should be taking adequate rest between each set to make sure we’re not accumulating a lot of fatigue before you get to your working weights (60+ seconds).

  • There’s no hard & fast rules about warm-up sets. Just start with a light weight, knock out some reps, rest, increase weight & continue on with that pattern.

As an example:

If your working weight ranges from 70-80# for OHP, you may use just the bar for 8-10 reps in your first warm-up set. The next warm-up set may be at 55# for 6-8 reps. Your final warm-up set may be 65# for 6-8 reps.

All of those sets should leave you feeling pretty good, not tired or struggling to get the next rep or feeling exhausted after you complete a set.

Special note: Be very mindful not to overdo this (number of sets, reps or load used). Think of how much area our shoulder muscles take up on our body… not a lot compared to other muscle groups, right? So we can build fatigue much faster than other compound lifts! Take it slow & steady and give yourself ample rest.

 
 

put it together;
ohp essentials-only warm-up

  • 5-10 mins full-body movement of your choice

  • 2-3 rounds (rest as needed or ~30s between exercises & rounds):

    • open book; 5 each side

    • anti-extension deadbug, 5 leg ext. each side

    • dumbbell pullover, 5 with 3s bottom pause

  • 1-3 warm-up sets @ RPE 5, 6, 7

 

And there you have it!

A full warm-up for your OHP day that checks the necessities & gets you ready to go.

Drop your questions in the comments & let me know what you want to see next:
A squat or deadlift essentials-only warm-up?

 
 

Hey, I’m Kirsi!

Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women build strength & move better with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.

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