Barbell Strict Press - For When Your Suitcase Just Won't Fit

Travelling with your partner can be exciting, but when their luggage is too heavy for the flight, it’s easy to get frustrated. Instead of complaining, remember that everyone packs differently to feel comfortable. Offering to help manage the weight shows support and keeps the trip enjoyable. Plus, you’re more than strong and athletic enough to handle lifting the heavy suitcase into the overhead locker with ease, impressing not only your partner but also the cabin crew and fellow passengers.

But seriously — the barbell strict press (also called the overhead press or OHP) is the hardest of the big four lifts to progress, and the one where you'll be moving the least weight. Don't let that discourage you — a strong press is one of the most impressive markers of real upper body strength.

Start with just the barbell (20kg/45lb) and focus on a strict lockout overhead with no leg drive. Use three sets of 5 reps and add weight each session. Progress will be slower than your other lifts — adding 1kg/2.5lb per session is realistic.

As a general guideline, a beginner should be able to strict press around 0.5 times their body weight. An intermediate milestone is 0.75 times your body weight. Pressing your own body weight overhead is an advanced achievement that most recreational lifters never reach.

Logged-in users can look below for their Strict Press history chart, which is visually mapped against both bodyweight multiples and the strength level standards for their bodyweight, age, and sex.