The standing military press (also called overhead press) is one of the best functional barbell exercises anyone can perform for building muscle size, strength, and endurance/conditioning. It primarily works the upper body pushing muscles: shoulders, triceps, chest, and even grip (once you go heavy). The lift is a full body movement that activates all muscles of the body if you do it right. Be able to press at least your body weight or 50 lbs more than body weight and you’ll definitely sport big boulder shoulders with enough strength to lift a Jeep several times over… 
photo credit: wsilver
Proper exercise form is crucial for obvious reasons so let’s break down the performance of the lift into simple steps:
1. Practice with an empty bar first so you’ll easily understand the mechanics and be able to execute the lift properly. You may use either a 45lbs Olympic or a regular 25lbs barbell. Stand erect in front of the empty bar (use good posture and keep body straight with shoulders pulled back, avoid slouching). Arch your lower back slightly but keep your body in a natural position using good posture. Make sure you stand straight to prevent slouching. Position your feet 3 to 6 inches apart pointing slightly outwards.
2. Grab the bar using a shoulder width length grip. Your hands should be 18 to 24 inches apart. Wrap your fingers around the bar completely keeping it tight. Make sure your thumbs are wrapped all around the bar ( closed grip ) rather than keeping it next to your index finger ( open grip ). Keep your head and eyes straight looking forward and fixed at a certain point ahead of you.
3. Let’s get into starting position. Unrack the bar and take a small step back. As you’re holding the bar make sure the upper arms are tucked in parallel to the torso and perpendicular to the ground forming a 90 degrees or near-90 degrees angle. The wrists should be straight or slightly bent backwards. This is the starting position.
4. Clench/contract your glutes and buttocks by squeezing them together. Contract your quads as well. You want the entire body to remain tight and stable.
5. Grip the bar tighter and push it up over your head until the arms are locked in a straight position. The elbows should be locked with arms extended here. Do not overarch your torso or lean too far backwards. Remember to keep the head straight with eyes either looking forward or slightly up at a fixed point. Take a quick breath. This is the concentric phase and it should take 1 to 2 seconds to complete.
6. With the bar up, it's time to get back into starting position. Lower the bar slowly taking about 3 to 4 seconds. The bar will be lowered all the way down to starting position. This is the eccentric phase. Your body should remain tight throughout the entire time. This completes one full repetition.
Video Demo of Standing Military Press
Notes:
- As a general rule the time it takes to complete eccentric phase of the lift (lowering phase) should always be slower than the concentric phase (lifting phase). However, keep the exercise controlled and stable at all times throughout the execution. Don't let the weight/bar control you. You're controlling the weight.
- You don’t necessarily have to consciously count the number of seconds it takes you to lift the bar up and down. Just make sure you keep the movement smooth and controlled on both phases.
- If your grip is weak you can use chalk for a more secure hold on the bar.
- Practice with an empty bar first (use either olympic 45 lbs barbell or the 1" standard barbell). Get the hang/mechanics of the lift. Learn the proper form before you attempt to load additional weight.
- The military press can also be done seated with the back leaned against a 90 degrees incline/vertical bench (back support). Here's a video of the seated version below,
- Another video demonstrating the seated variation with the bar lowered and pressed behind the neck,
Variations of the standing military press:
- dumbbell shoulder press (seated or standing)
The dumbbell shoulder press is performed the same way as the military press, but using a pair of dumbbells instead. Keep the same body alignment and positioning as the barbell military press and lower the dumbbells to slightly below ear level for a full range of motion. Do them alternating each side like a seesaw, one side at a time (you may find you're able to use heavier dumbbells this way), or use both sides with dumbbells. Take your pick.
- seesaw dumbbell shoulder press
Take a pair of dumbbells and alternate pressing each dumbbell one side at a time. Press the right side up with the dumbbell, then lower and press the left side up.
- single arm dumbbell shoulder press
You can generally go heavier doing shoulder presses with one arm at a time.
- seated or standing behind-the-neck press
Like the second video above, you can also perform the military or shoulder press behind the neck, where you lower the bar behind your head and press up again. This version places more emphasis on the rear delts (shoulders). If you have any rotator cuff problems, I recommend skipping this version.
- standing barbell push press
The push press is an explosive version of the military press. To do this movement correctly, get into the military press starting position, slightly dip the knees, explode the hips up on your toes, while lifting the bar, then return to starting position (lower the bar in controlled fashion). This movement is great for athletes in strength and combat-related sports. Like the barbell press, the push press can also be done using dumbbells.
- arnold press
The arnold press places greater emphasis on the triceps during the eccentric phase of the movement. It's really a variation of the dumbbell shoulder press where the dumbbells are turned "in" towards you. Your palms are facing you rather than facing away. As you press the dumbbells up, you turn the palms up away from you until arms are locked overhead.
Experiment with each of the variations and monitor your strength and size results.
Train Hard. Train Safely. Train Smart.
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