Is the Overhead Press Worth It? Rebuilding the Most Skipped Lift

Barbell Logic

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Health, Diet, Fitness, Weightlifting, Barbelltraining, Strengthtraining

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is the overhead press worth it for most lifters? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson take a hard look at the most skipped lift in strength training: the overhead press.

They break down why it’s often abandoned, what makes it frustrating, and how to rebuild your pressing with smarter technique, variations, and programming for long-term strength and longevity. Whether you’re dealing with shoulder pain, struggling with progress, or questioning if it’s even worth your time, this episode gives you a clear, no-nonsense answer.

✅ What You’ll Learn

Why the overhead press gets skipped—and whether that’s a mistake
How to modify the press to fit your body and goals
Variations like landmine and dumbbell presses that reduce pain and boost results
How to think of the press as a movement skill, not just a lift
Strategies for programming vertical pressing into a long-term training plan
When to rotate, reduce, or temporarily remove the press

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Is the overhead press worth it?
02:10 – Why lifters skip the press
05:45 – Making pressing work for your body
08:25 – Smarter variations: landmine, dumbbell, incline
12:40 – The press as a skill-based lift
15:10 – Programming adjustments for recovery and sustainability
18:00 – Giving the press a second chance

🏷 Hashtags

#overheadpress #rethinkingthebiglifts #beastoverburden #barbelllogic #shouldertraining #smartlifting #deadliftalternatives #strengthafter40 #fitnesspodcast #strengthtraining #trainforlife #presswithoutpain #dumbbellpress #landminepress #liftinglongevity #trainingsustainably #liftingafterinjury #functionalstrength #liftingsmarter #barbellpress

PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, coaches. Are you still chasing clients every month?
0:03.7	We're flipping the script at the Business of Coaching Workshop.
0:07.3	We'll help you learn how to keep clients longer, set premium pricing,
0:11.6	boost your dollars per hour, and let referrals, not marketing machines, make you more money.
0:16.5	Register for free at turnkey.coach slash B-O-C.
0:21.3	That's turnkey.coach slash BOC. That's turnkey.comach slash BOC.
0:26.0	We'll help you build a coaching business that lasts.
0:35.4	You're listening to Beast Overburden, powered by Barbell Logic.
0:39.6	We're Nikki and Andrew, your personal, professional coaches.
0:42.8	We help you take control of your fitness through hard but doable training and nutrition practices that fit your busy life.
0:50.4	Build a stronger, healthier version of yourself with lifelong habits.
0:58.4	Welcome back to Beast Over Burden, powered by Barbell Logic, and welcome back to the Lyft series.
1:05.4	I'm your host, Nikki Sims. With me is your other host, Andrew Jackson.
1:10.2	Howdy?
1:11.5	Howdy.
1:16.0	So we've covered the squat, we've covered the deadlift, we've covered the bench press.
1:22.7	Now it's the red-headed stepchild lift of all the barbells.
1:24.4	The grand finale, apparently.
1:25.4	The overhead press.
1:26.2	Grand finale.
1:28.4	We saved the best for last. Yes.
1:36.3	You like the press. I've gone through phases of liking the press. I'm kind of in a get-it-done phase right now. I'm not really interested in. I mean, I have massive respect for the press.
	...

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