Why You May Struggle Pressing Overhead, And Alternative Options
- Joshua McDool
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
Overhead pressing looks simple; pick the weight up, press it above your head.
But for a lot of people it feels awkward, weak, or uncomfortable - so you’re not alone if you have a similar experience.
Most Common Reasons Why
1️⃣ Limited Shoulder Mobility
If you can’t comfortably raise your arms fully overhead without arching your lower back, mobility is likely the issue. Which could be due to tight/ overly active lats, chest or front deltoids (shoulders).
One, or multiple of these can restrict clean overhead pressing. And when mobility is limited, your body compensates... usually by overextending (arching) the lower back. That not only limits strength but increases injury risk.
2️⃣ Poor Thoracic (Upper Back) Extension
Your upper back needs to extend (lean backwards) slightly to allow safe overhead positioning.
If you’re rounded through the upper spine (common with desk work), pressing overhead becomes harder and less stable.The weight often drifts forward, making the lift feel heavier than it should.
3️⃣ Weak Core Stability
"You can't fire a canon from a canoe."
If your core isn’t braced adequately, you're like to overarch at the lower back as explained above. This can 'leak force' and cause you to feel unstable.
Strong abdominal bracing creates a solid base to press from, and allows you to express power!
4️⃣ Lack of Upper Back Strength
Strong shoulders need a strong upper back.
If your traps, rear deltoids (shoulders) and rhomboids… aren't strong enough, your shoulder joint won’t feel stable overhead.
This often shows up as shaking, wobbling, or pressing unevenly.
5️⃣ Weak Triceps
The triceps finish the lockout at the top of the press.
If you’re strong off the shoulders but stall halfway up, your triceps may be the limiting factor and require more targeted training.
6️⃣ Pressing Too Heavy, Too Soon
A common mistake by many inexperienced gym-goers is loading the bar before owning the movement.
If technique isn’t solid at lighter weights, adding load only magnifies inefficiencies and gives a high probability for injury.
Sometimes the fix isn’t “try harder.” It’s regress, refine and rebuild stronger!
7️⃣ Shoulder Discomfort or Previous Injury
Past injuries can limit range of motion and create compensations from other muscle groups/ joints if not rehabbed correctly.
Most people don't continue rehabbing injuries themselves once they have completed their course with physios, nor do they know how to progressively reverse the injury back to normal function.
This may also affect confidence to start (or restart) shoulder pressing, which is why having an experienced coach to guide you through the process is gold.
And finally, Pain during pressing is not something to push through blindly. It’s a signal to assess movement quality and programming.
Try These Alternative Exercises
The aim of this article is not to offer fixes for the individual points above, as that would require specific programming depending on the case.
However if you are still wanting to include shoulder pressing movements within your sessions, give these exercises a try and see which ones work for you...
The landmine attachment is a god send for people with certain shoulder issues that want to continue pressing.
It requires less mobility at the shoulder joint and is easier to brace the core throughout. Plus you can load it pretty heavy and build muscle over time!
The single arm variation is a great progression, and particularly good if you have one shoulder that requires more specific attention to the other.
There's a reason this is a popular choice in professional sports, as the injury risk is low compared to the high return on gains.
Ps, you don't need the specific attachment that the barbell slots into, to do this exercise...
You can simply push the end of a barbell into the corner of a rack or wall and use that as the pivot point! Just make sure the gym owners are happy for you to do that 😅
Although this is still a vertical press, you can adjust the angle of the bench if you do struggle with mobility overhead.
The reason I love this variation is because the neutral position (palms facing in, elbows angled forwards) feels so much smoother, as you aren't rotated all the way back with the elbows and pushing to the end range of the shoulder joint.
I recently suffered with a shoulder impingement, which took a good few months to rehab and clear with smart programming and sports therapy (shoutout Goose Clinic).
The neutral press was a variation that I slowly worked in and allowed me to train the movement as I got on top of the niggle.
The Takeaway
Overhead pressing is a brilliant movement for building strong, resilient shoulders, but it demands mobility, stability, and control.
If you’re struggling, it’s rarely about “not trying hard enough.” It’s usually about addressing the weak link in the chain.
Identify the problem, work to fix it, and you'll feel much more confident in pressing with time!
For more information on our programs and how they could specifically help you, get in touch to learn more!
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