How Often Should I Overhead Press for Strength Reddit

The OHP Answer Reddit Gets Wrong: Press Twice a Week

To answer the question of how often should I overhead press for strength reddit users ask, you need to press twice a week. Not once. Not three times. Twice. This isn't just a random number; it's the solution to the plateau you're likely stuck on. You're probably grinding away at the same 95, 115, or maybe 135 pounds for months, and it’s not moving. You see your bench press and deadlift inching up, but the overhead press (OHP) feels like hitting a brick wall. The reason is that the advice that works for other lifts fails for the OHP. A single heavy session per week isn't enough stimulus. The primary movers in the OHP-your deltoids and triceps-are smaller muscle groups than your pecs or lats. They recover faster and can handle more frequent training. More importantly, they *require* more frequency to master the motor pattern and drive strength adaptations. Pressing once a week is just enough to remind your body how to do the lift, but it’s not enough to command it to get stronger. By splitting your OHP work into two distinct days-one focused on heavy, low-rep strength and another on lighter, higher-rep volume-you provide the perfect signal for growth without burning out your shoulders. This is the method that consistently breaks OHP plateaus.

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Why Your 1x-a-Week OHP Is Making You Weaker

You feel like you're working hard, but the numbers don't lie. Training a lift just once a week, especially a stubborn one like the OHP, often puts you below the Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) required for growth. MEV is the least amount of work you need to do to actually make progress. Anything less, and you're just maintaining-or even regressing as your frustration grows. Let's look at the math. Say you're stuck at a 135-pound press for 5 reps. Your current program probably has you doing this once a week. Here's what that looks like: Single Weekly Session: 135 lbs x 3 sets x 5 reps = 2,025 pounds of total weekly volume. Now, let's compare that to the two-a-week system. Heavy/Light Weekly Split: * Day 1 (Heavy): 135 lbs x 3 sets x 5 reps = 2,025 pounds * Day 2 (Volume): 105 lbs (about 75% of heavy day) x 4 sets x 8 reps = 3,360 pounds Total Weekly Volume: 2,025 + 3,360 = 5,385 pounds. That’s more than double the training volume. It's a growth signal your body cannot ignore. The single session is a whisper; the double session is a command. This isn't about “overtraining”; it's about providing the necessary stimulus. The lighter day isn't just fluff-it builds muscle mass in the shoulders and triceps, refines your technique, and increases your work capacity, all of which directly feed into a stronger heavy day. You see the math. More work drives more results. It's simple. But here's the real question: what was your exact OHP volume four weeks ago? Not a guess. The actual number. If you can't answer that in five seconds, you're not programming your strength; you're just lifting and hoping.

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The 8-Week Protocol to Add 10 Pounds to Your Press

This isn't theory. This is an actionable 8-week plan. If you follow it, your press will go up. It's designed to systematically build your strength and break through the wall you're facing. Forget what you were doing before. Start here.

Step 1: Find Your True 5-Rep Max (5RM)

First, we need an honest baseline. Your 'true' 5RM is the heaviest weight you can press for five reps with good form, where the fifth rep is a serious grind but not a complete breakdown of technique. Go to the gym, warm up thoroughly, and work your way up in sets of 5. For a 150 lb lifter, it might look like this: 45x10 (warm-up), 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, then 125x5. If 125x5 was very hard but clean, that's your 5RM. If it was easy, rest 3-4 minutes and try 130x5. Be honest with yourself. Using an ego-driven, inflated number will derail the entire program.

Step 2: Structure Your Two Press Days

Your training week will now have two dedicated press days, separated by at least 48 hours. A Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday split works perfectly.

• Day 1: Heavy Strength Day
• Main Lift: Barbell Overhead Press, 3 sets of 5 reps @ 90% of your 5RM. If your 5RM is 135 lbs, your working weight is ~120 lbs.
• Primary Accessory: Close-Grip Bench Press, 3 sets of 6-8 reps. This builds powerful triceps for lockout.
• Day 2: Volume & Technique Day
• Main Lift: Barbell Overhead Press, 4 sets of 8-10 reps @ 70% of your 5RM. If your 5RM is 135 lbs, your working weight is ~95 lbs. Focus on moving the bar as fast as possible on the way up.
• Secondary Accessories: Seated Dumbbell Press (3 sets of 10-12 reps) and Tricep Pushdowns (3 sets of 12-15 reps). These build the muscle that will support future strength gains.

Step 3: The Progression Model That Actually Works

This is where most people fail. They try to add weight too soon. We will use a more intelligent approach called double progression.

• Weeks 1-4: Accumulate Reps. Do not add weight to the bar. For your heavy day, your goal is to add one rep to one set each week. It looks like this:
• Week 1: 5, 5, 5
• Week 2: 5, 5, 6
• Week 3: 5, 6, 6
• Week 4: 6, 6, 6

On your volume day, work from 4x8 up to 4x10 in the same manner. Once you can do all sets for the top end of the rep range (e.g., 3x6 on heavy day, 4x10 on volume day), you have earned the right to add weight.

• Week 5: Deload. You must give your body a chance to recover and adapt. Cut everything in half. Do one OHP workout this week: 2 sets of 5 reps at 70% of your current working weight. That's it. Go home.
• Weeks 6-8: Realize Strength. Add 5 pounds to your heavy day lift and 5 pounds to your volume day lift. Restart the rep progression from Week 1. So if you were using 120 lbs, you now use 125 lbs and aim for 3 sets of 5. It will feel manageable because you spent a month getting stronger.

Step 4: The "Stuck Rep" Rule

If you get stuck and cannot add a rep for two consecutive weeks, do not keep grinding and failing. This kills progress. Instead, drop the weight on that lift by 10% and work your way back up using the same rep progression model. This strategic retreat allows for continued long-term progress.

Your OHP in 60 Days: What to Realistically Expect

Progress on the overhead press is a game of patience. It's not like the deadlift where you can add 10 pounds every other week. Setting realistic expectations is the key to not quitting.

• Week 1-2: This will feel like a lot of pressing volume compared to what you were doing. You might feel some shoulder soreness. The weight on your volume day will feel deceptively light. Do not add weight. Your job is to execute the plan perfectly and master the technique. Trust the process.
• Month 1 (Weeks 1-4): You will not have added any weight to the bar, but you will be stronger. Being able to press 120 lbs for 3 sets of 6 (totaling 18 reps) is a significant strength increase from pressing it for 3 sets of 5 (totaling 15 reps). This is what progress looks like in the trenches. You are building a foundation.
• Month 2 (Weeks 5-8): After your deload week, you will feel surprisingly powerful. That new, heavier weight of 125 lbs should feel very manageable for your starting 3x5. By the end of this 8-week cycle, you will have successfully added 5-10 pounds to your working OHP weights. For an intermediate lifter, adding 20-30 pounds to your OHP in a year is phenomenal progress. Stop comparing it to your bench press and start respecting the grind.

Frequently Asked Questions

OHP Frequency for Beginners

If you are a true beginner who has been lifting for less than six months, you can press up to three times a week as part of a full-body program. Focus on learning the form with just the 45 lb bar. You can add 2.5 or 5 pounds each session until this linear progress stalls, then switch to the intermediate plan in this article.

Standing vs. Seated Overhead Press

Prioritize the standing barbell press for pure strength. It is the true test. It forces you to brace your core, glutes, and back, turning the lift into a full-body movement. This has the greatest carryover to overall strength. Use the seated dumbbell press as an accessory exercise to build shoulder muscle, not as your primary strength movement.

Key Accessories for a Stronger Press

Your OHP is only as strong as its supporting muscles. Focus on building your triceps and upper back. The most effective accessories are close-grip bench press, weighted dips, pull-ups (or lat pulldowns), and heavy barbell rows. A strong back creates a stable 'shelf' to press from, and strong triceps provide lockout power.

Why the OHP Stalls So Easily

The overhead press uses the smallest muscles of any major compound lift. A 5-pound jump on a 135-pound OHP is a 3.7% increase in weight. The same 5-pound jump on a 315-pound deadlift is only a 1.6% increase. This is why micro-loading with 1.25-pound plates is essential for long-term OHP progress once you're past the beginner stage.

Overhead Press vs. Bench Press Frequency

You can and should press overhead more frequently than you bench press. A max-effort bench session is significantly more taxing on your joints, connective tissues, and central nervous system. The absolute load is much higher. The OHP allows for more frequent practice without the same systemic fatigue, which is why a 2x per week frequency works so well.