How to Perform Overhead Band Presses
The overhead band press is a great exercise for athletes who are looking to increase their upper body strength and stability. This full-body move engages major muscle groups, including the chest, shoulders and core muscles, while also helping to improve balance and coordination. It’s a versatile exercise that can be used in any sport or activity – from baseball to basketball – as well as everyday life activities like carrying groceries or lifting furniture. But what makes it so beneficial? Let’s take a look!
Performing The Overhead Band Press
- Gently engage your abdominal muscles in order to pull your ribs downwards. Imagine that you are using the strength of your core to control the space between the lowermost part of your ribs and the anterior face of your pelvis, making sure not to let them become further apart as you perform the exercise.
- With intent, press the band overhead, ensuring that only your arm performs the motion. Remember to keep your shoulder in a downwardly drawn position away from your skull to avoid allowing any form of shrugging.
- Consciously monitor the shape of your lower back and be aware not to arch it or spread out your ribs; also countering any force that attempts to pull you to the side.
This exercise can be summed up in three succinct bullet points:
• Engage abs to pull ribs downward
• Press overhead while moving only the arm and maintaining the shoulder pulled down
• Avoid arching your lower back or flaring out ribs and counter any forces pulling you to the side.
Benefits
The overhead band press is an excellent way to build strength in the arms, shoulders and chest without putting too much strain on your joints or ligaments. By using resistance bands instead of free weights, you can still get all the benefits of weight training but with less risk of injury due to incorrect form or overexertion. Additionally, because you are engaging multiple muscle groups at once through dynamic movements, this exercise helps develop functional strength which will help you perform better in sports and other physical activities throughout your day-to-day life.
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily works the pectoralis major (chest) muscles along with deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of arm), and core muscles. By strengthening these muscle groups with the overhead band press, you’ll increase your upper body stability and power output when throwing or swinging a bat or club in sports such as baseball, tennis, golf, and basketball.
Modifications
For those who want to add an extra challenge to their workout routine, the overhead band press can also be performed with additional equipment like kettlebells or medicine balls. This will further increase the complexity of the exercise, as well as build more strength and stability throughout the entire body.
When performing the overhead band press, proper technique is key to getting the most out of your workout. Be sure to keep your back straight and engage your core as you press the bands up. Also, make sure to keep your wrists straight and slightly in front of your shoulders while doing the exercise. With all of this in mind, you are now ready to get started with adding an effective upper body workout into your routine!
Overall, the overhead band press is a great exercise for athletes and those who want to increase their upper body strength, stability and power output. By engaging multiple muscle groups at once with this dynamic move, you’ll be able to build functional strength that can be used in sports or everyday activities. Additionally, the overhead band press can also be modified by adding additional equipment like kettlebells or medicine balls. So get out there, stretch, and start building your upper body strength with the overhead band press!