We often hear about the importance of cardiovascular exercise for overall health, but what about strength training? Lifting weights has many benefits for our bodies, including increased bone density, muscle mass, and metabolism. It can also help to reduce body fat and improve blood sugar levels.
The difference between a push press and overhead press is that the push press involves a dip and drive phase to generate momentum, while the overhead press is a strict pressing movement. Additionally, the push press focuses on the speed of movement, allowing for heavier weights to be lifted. Meanwhile, an overhead press works all muscle groups while improving coordination.
So, if you’re looking to get healthier in 2023, don’t forget to add some weightlifting to your routine! Here, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of weightlifting and compare the push press to the overhead press extensively.
Contents
What Are the Benefits of Weightlifting?
1. It can help improve your mood and mental state.
Regular resistance training has been linked to several mental benefits, including improved cognitive function, decreased stress and depression symptoms, and even improved self-confidence. According to scientific studies, lifting weights stimulates the release of endorphins, chemicals produced naturally in the body that make us feel excited and relaxed. In turn, this can then positively impact our mood.
Beyond its effects on mood, lifting weights has also been seen to improve sleep quality and provide physical health benefits such as increased muscle mass, strength, and improved body composition. So next time you’re looking for ways to deal with stress or feeling down, consider hitting the weight room. You may be surprised at how powerful it can be for your emotional well-being!
2. Lifting weights can also help you sleep better at night.
Lifting weights can be beneficial in ways beyond increasing strength and building muscle. It helps to relieve stress and tension in the body, which may make it easier to relax and get a better night’s sleep. It could be useful for anyone who suffers from insomnia or other sleep-related issues.
Additionally, by helping to release endorphins, weightlifting also enhances positive feelings of well-being. That’s probably the reason why it’s often recommended to exercise to fight stress.
3. If you’re looking to lose weight, lifting weights is a great way to burn calories.
Lifting weights can be an effective way to reach virtually any weight or health goal. It’s known that strength training helps to build muscle mass, and the more muscle mass a person has, the more calories their body will naturally burn.
The beauty of weightlifting lies in its versatility. In addition to building muscle, you can adjust your routine based on how much time you have and how intensely you want to work out. When paired with a balanced diet, lifting weights can also lead to improved cardiac health.
Two Types of Press: Push Press and Overhead Press
The shoulder press, also known as the overhead press, is a weight-lifting move that works the deltoids and triceps. The push press is a variation of the shoulder press that uses momentum to help lift the weight. So, which one is better? The answer may surprise you.
Press exercises are a great way to build muscle, increase coordination, and strengthen the core. The push press and the overhead press are two variations of this popular workout move that have different advantages.
The push press focuses on explosiveness and speed of movement, allowing for heavier weights to be lifted than other exercises. It’s best used for high-intensity workouts such as CrossFit routines.
Meanwhile, the overhead press is an excellent full-body exercise that works for all muscle groups while improving the coordination and stability of the core. This exercise requires slow, steady force production, which allows muscles to build strength more substantially than explosive movements.
With ongoing practice, many fitness enthusiasts even challenge themselves by performing the overhead press in unconventional positions, such as standing on one leg or with a cross-leg bridge.
How to Execute a Perfect Push Press
Executing the perfect push press requires a somewhat complex combination of mechanics.
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, shoulder blades retracted, and chest elevated. This gives you a strong leg drive and shoulder stability.
- Hinge forward at the hips to get an appropriate weight in your heels.
- Drive up explosively using your legs while keeping your arms locked during the extension.
- Once you reach full extension, bring your head through quickly to complete the movement as one unified motion.
While these principles are fundamental, they must be practiced regularly to achieve peak performance during a push press.
How to Execute a Perfect Overhead Press
To make sure that the form is correct, follow these steps:
- Stand in an upright position with your feet in a shoulder-width stance.
- Inhale as you bring the dumbbells up both sides of your body, ensuring that your elbows remain bent at 90 degrees and close to the body as you raise them with control.
- When they reach shoulder height, pause and slowly lower them down again. As this requires quite a bit of core strength, be sure to keep abdominal muscles engaged throughout the entire exercise.
With good form and regular practice, it won’t be long before you’re doing an impeccable overhead press!
Push Press vs Overhead Press
Both the push press and overhead press are full-body exercises that involve shoulder and core stability as well as strength. The primary difference between the two exercises is when your arms enter the movement. In a push press, you utilize a small dip and drive of the legs to help move the weight up; this movement is done before your arms come into play.
In an overhead press, however, the arms are primarily responsible for moving the weight up and extending them directly above your head. Additionally, the range of motion in an overhead press is greater than in a push press; with an overhead press, you must lock out completely to fully engage all muscle groups properly. As such, an overhead press puts more work onto your upper body frame and requires greater consistency for proper form maintenance.
Both exercises can be effective when done correctly. However, if core strength or shoulder mobility is limited, a push press should be considered instead of an overhead press to avoid potential injury.
1. The overhead press can be performed with dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells.
This move targets the muscles of the upper body, including the shoulders, triceps, and chest muscles. It also works core muscles and stabilizes muscles in the lower body while engaging postural muscles at the same time.
Despite these great benefits, one of the best bonuses of doing an overhead press is that it can be done with dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells, making it a nearly universal exercise choice. While each variation focuses on different body parts by shifting slight adjustments in form or grip width, all are effective options when trying to maximize muscle growth and strength.
2. The push press can be used to increase your power and strength, as well as improve your coordination and balance.
The push press is an effective tool for increasing one’s power and strength, going far beyond the regular military-style press exercise. It helps to improve coordination and balance by having the participant move from a downward position to a full extension of the arms.
As such, the push press works with multiple muscle groups at once – requiring them to engage with each other. This ranges from the torso and legs to the shoulders and triceps. Moreover, it also stimulates stretch reflexes which help you make powerful explosive motions, making it ideal for sports where quick bursts of energy are necessary. Incorporating the push press into your workout routine can be highly beneficial.
Which Type of Press is Better for You?
When it comes to bodybuilding, there are many different types of presses to incorporate into your routine, including the push press and the overhead press. The main difference between them lies in how much body involvement is necessary for successful execution. The push press takes more body movement alongside a fast leg drive, while the overhead press depends mostly on deltoid strength, as almost all body movement is eliminated. Depending on your bodybuilding goals, one might be better than the other.
If you want to focus on providing a balance between upper body muscles and building overall body strength, then both presses should be used in tandem.
However, if you’re looking to increase arm power, the push press provides slightly more benefit than its counterpart. This is due to the greater recruitment of muscle fibers within the body. Ultimately, by analyzing your bodybuilding goals and performance in each type of lift, you can better decide which one is best for you.
Both the push press and the overhead press are excellent exercises for building strength and muscle. The main difference between the two is that the push press involves a dip and drive phase to generate momentum, while the overhead press is a strict pressing movement. If you want to focus on developing explosive power, the push press is a great choice. However, if your goal is to build stricter pressing strength, then the overhead press is your best bet.
Whichever type of press you choose, make sure you execute it with perfect form to get the most out of it.