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Thread: Seated Overhead Press

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
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    Default Seated Overhead Press

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    Hello Mark,

    I am trying to construct a home gym, but have encountered an issue with the ceiling height. I am simply too tall and have too long of arms to be able to lock out an overhead press in my basement. The bar at lockout would be above the bottom of the joists, so a camber bar wouldn't work either. I was able to find some other threads on this forum about this topic, but I was unable to find what your response was. Is seated overhead press an acceptable alternative? Is kneeling an acceptable alternative? If neither of these would be effective, I will just continue to go to the gym I already go to and save the home gym building for when I have a basement or garage with sufficient height. Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
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    What's "acceptable" in an acceptable replacement? I've worked with seated overhead presses before for the same reason. There are definitely things you miss out on doing them seated as opposed to standing. I've never tried them kneeling. But seated pressing is far superior to no pressing. I do feel like I got a better sense of a good bar path doing them seated, but that may have just happened coincidentally while I was doing them.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
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    249

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    Immediately thought of upright kneeling. Won't work if you're pressing Chase weights but feels more useful than seated. Probably less safe if it gets heavy. I'm planning on moving because I'm currently pressing in between the joists and hitting the floor.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    106

    Default

    Go outside.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ericw View Post
    Go outside.
    This is the answer. I was in the same position as the OP until I moved up to the garage with its 12' ceilings. Get a pair of squat stands, if necessary, and head out to the back patio, back yard, driveway, etc. The standing overhead press is in the program for a good reason. Seated presses are not an acceptable substitute, in my opinion.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
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    That makes sense. I will look into this option. I appreciate all of the responses; this seems like a very common problem, since there's not a lot of ceilings in basements with sufficient clearance for overhead presses. Taking it outside will probably be a little annoying, but I think it's worth it to not have to keep my current gym membership and deal with all of the annoyances that occur there.

  7. #7
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    Jul 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grover45 View Post
    Taking it outside will probably be a little annoying, but I think it's worth it to not have to keep my current gym membership and deal with all of the annoyances that occur there.
    One day having to deal with a mask-tattler incident and I'm already feeling the same.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
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    135

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    Quote Originally Posted by Grover45 View Post
    That makes sense. I will look into this option. I appreciate all of the responses; this seems like a very common problem, since there's not a lot of ceilings in basements with sufficient clearance for overhead presses. Taking it outside will probably be a little annoying, but I think it's worth it to not have to keep my current gym membership and deal with all of the annoyances that occur there.
    I do a seated press. You will progress to more complicated programming more quickly, as even laying back is tricky. I've found that the steps Nick lays out elsewhere apply equally well to the seated press as the press.

    Another outdoor option is power cleaning the bar before pressing. I've considered buying a rack to keep outside as my sons get older. I have 5 kids, and my wife and I train already. 7 people training on a single rack will be quite a feat of scheduling if I'm to keep my day job :-).

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