Overhead Press Test
You can use the overhead press test to quickly and easily measure the strength of the shoulder muscles. You can use either a gym machine or free weights if you have someone spotting for your form.
What's The Point?
Upper body strength is a key component in many sports, and the overhead press test is a good way to measure it.
While the most common measure of upper body strength, the bench press test, focuses more on the pectorals, this test will assess the strength in the shoulders, critical in sports as diverse as rugby and basketball.
What Do You Need?
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Universal overhead press station (or similar)
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A range of free weights
- An assistant/spotter
How Do You Perform The Test?
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Warm-up thoroughly
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Begin by lifting a weight that you believe is close to your maximum typically around 33% of male body weight, 25% of female body weight.
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Each time you perform a successful lift, rest for 3-5 minutes
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Increase the weight by 2 to 5 kg for the next lift.
- Continue until the maximum lift is achieved
What Results You'll See
Regularly performing this test will allow you to measure the development of your strength, and thus the effectiveness of your strength training.
What's Being Measured Again?
This is a good measure of upper body strength, in particular that of the shoulders.
