How Often Should I Overhead Press for Strength Reddit

The OHP Frequency That Actually Works (It's Not Once a Week)

To answer 'how often should I overhead press for strength reddit,' the optimal frequency is twice per week, aiming for a total of 16-24 hard sets for your shoulders across all pressing movements. If you've been stuck at the same weight for months, pressing once a week is likely the reason. It's just not enough stimulus to force adaptation for such a demanding lift. On the other hand, pressing three or more times a week often leads to shoulder impingement and burnout, not strength. The overhead press isn't like a bicep curl; it's a full-body movement that heavily taxes your shoulder joints, triceps, and central nervous system. Hitting it hard once, then giving it just enough time to recover before hitting it again from a different angle (heavy vs. volume), is the key. For most people, this looks like a heavy day on Monday and a lighter, volume-focused day on Thursday. This schedule provides double the practice and double the growth signals compared to a single weekly session, without the recovery debt that kills your progress.

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The Math Behind Your Stalled Overhead Press

Your overhead press isn't getting stronger because it's not getting enough quality work. Strength is a skill, and you don't get better at a skill by practicing it for 30 minutes once every seven days. The reason you're searching for advice on Reddit is that the common approaches are failing you. Let's break down the math. Let's say your goal is to build strength, which requires a certain amount of weekly 'volume'-a simple way to think of your total workload.

Here’s why other frequencies fail:

• Once a Week: You go to the gym, do 4 sets of 5 on your OHP. That’s 4 total work sets for the entire week. You might feel sore, but it's not enough of a signal to your body to prioritize getting stronger at this specific, complex movement. By the time you do it again seven days later, your body has forgotten the stimulus. You're essentially starting over every week.
• Three Times a Week: This seems better on paper. You do 3 sets on Monday, 3 on Wednesday, and 3 on Friday. That's 9 total sets. The problem is the shoulder joint. It's the most mobile and unstable joint in the body. Pounding it with heavy overhead loads three times in five days doesn't give the delicate rotator cuff tendons and ligaments time to recover. You're not building strength; you're accumulating fatigue and inflammation that will eventually force you to stop pressing altogether.
• The Mofilo Way (Twice a Week): You do 4 heavy sets on Monday and 4 lighter sets on Thursday. That’s 8 total work sets. This approach gives you double the practice of the once-a-week method but builds in 72 hours of recovery between sessions. The heavy day provides the raw strength stimulus. The volume day drives muscle growth (hypertrophy) and refines your technique without beating up your joints. This combination is what breaks plateaus.

You see the logic now: twice a week provides double the stimulus of once a week, without the recovery cost of three times. But knowing this and actually programming it are different things. Look back at your last 4 weeks of training. Can you tell me, with certainty, if your total OHP volume went up or down? If you can't, you're not training for strength, you're just guessing.

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

This isn't about just 'trying harder.' This is a structured plan. Follow it for 8 weeks, and your press will go up. A 10-pound increase on your OHP is a massive achievement, and this is how you earn it.

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

Before you start, you need an honest baseline. Your 5RM is the heaviest weight you can press for 5 reps with perfect form, where the 6th rep is impossible. Don't guess. Go to the gym and find it.

Here's how:

1. Warm up with the empty 45 lb bar for 2 sets of 10.
2. Add weight and do a set of 5. If it's easy, rest 2-3 minutes.
3. Add 5-10 lbs and do another set of 5.
4. Repeat until you hit a weight that is a real struggle to complete for 5 reps. The last weight you successfully lifted for 5 clean reps is your 5RM. For example, if you complete 95 lbs for 5 reps but fail at 100 lbs, your 5RM is 95 lbs. Write this number down.

Step 2: Structure Your Two Press Days

Your week will have one heavy day and one volume day, separated by at least two full days of rest (e.g., Monday and Thursday).

• Day 1: Heavy Strength Day
• Goal: Move heavy weight with perfect form.
• Workout: Work up to 4 sets of 5 reps (4x5) at 85% of your 5RM.
• Example: If your 5RM is 100 lbs, you will work up to doing your main sets with 85 lbs.
• Day 2: Volume & Technique Day
• Goal: Accumulate volume, build muscle, and practice perfect form.
• Workout: 4 sets of 8-10 reps (4x8-10) at 65-70% of your 5RM.
• Example: If your 5RM is 100 lbs, you will use 65-70 lbs for these sets. The weight should feel manageable. Focus on an explosive but controlled movement on every single rep.

Step 3: The Smart Way to Add Weight (Microloading)

The biggest mistake lifters make on the OHP is trying to add 5 lbs at a time. That's a 10% jump if you're pressing 50 lbs, or a 5% jump at 100 lbs. It's too much. You need to buy a pair of 1.25 lb plates. They are the single best investment for breaking an OHP plateau.

• Progression Rule: Every week on your Heavy Day, try to add just 2.5 lbs total (one 1.25 lb plate per side) to the bar. If you successfully complete all your sets and reps, that new weight becomes your baseline for the next week. If you fail, you use the same weight next week and try again. Do not get greedy.

Step 4: Add These 3 Plateau-Busting Accessories

Your OHP is only as strong as its weakest link. Add these three exercises to your weekly routine to build the supporting muscles.

1. Close-Grip Bench Press: Do this after your heavy OHP. 3 sets of 6-8 reps. This directly builds the tricep strength needed for a powerful lockout.
2. Seated Dumbbell Press: Do this on your volume day or another upper body day. 3 sets of 10-12 reps. This builds shoulder muscle and stability without the systemic fatigue of the standing barbell press.
3. Barbell Rows: A strong back creates a strong shelf to press from. 4 sets of 8-10 reps on your back day. Pull heavy and with intention.

Your First 4 Weeks Will Feel Slow. That's the Point.

Progress on the overhead press is measured in months, not days. You have to abandon the mindset of hitting a new personal record every single week. Here’s a realistic timeline of what to expect when you follow the two-day-a-week protocol.

Weeks 1-2: The Foundation Phase

This will feel surprisingly easy, and you might even question if it's working. The weight on your volume day will feel light. This is intentional. The goal here is not to max out; it's to accumulate quality reps and let your joints and nervous system adapt to the new frequency. Do not add extra weight or sets. Your only job is to hit the prescribed reps and sets perfectly.

Weeks 3-4: The First Test

Around week 3, you should be able to add 2.5 lbs to your heavy day lift. It might feel like a grind, but you should be able to complete your 4 sets of 5. Your volume day will start to feel more challenging. This is the first sign that the program is working. You are building a real base of strength.

Weeks 5-8: Compounding Progress

This is where the magic happens. If you've been patient, you'll likely be able to add another 2.5 lbs, maybe even 5 lbs total from your starting weight. The weights that felt heavy in week 1 now feel like warm-ups. By the end of 8 weeks, a 5-10 lb increase on your 5-rep max is a realistic and significant victory.

Warning Signs It's Not Working:

• Sharp Pain: If you feel a sharp, pinching pain in the front of your shoulder, stop. This is not muscle soreness. Check your form, especially for excessive arching in your back or flaring your elbows out too wide.
• Stalling for 3+ Weeks: If you cannot add 2.5 lbs to your heavy day for three consecutive weeks, it's time for a deload. Take one week and cut your weights and sets in half. Then, come back and restart the cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

OHP Frequency for Beginners

If you are brand new to lifting, start with overhead pressing just once per week. Use an empty barbell or light dumbbells. Your goal for the first 4-6 weeks is not strength, but technique. Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps, focusing on learning the movement pattern. Once your form is consistent, you can move to the twice-a-week protocol.

Standing vs. Seated Overhead Press

For building maximum strength, the standing barbell overhead press is superior. It's a full-body lift that teaches you to brace your core and transfer force from the ground through the bar. The seated press isolates the shoulders more, making it a great accessory exercise for building muscle, but it limits your potential for absolute strength.

Dumbbell vs. Barbell for Strength

The barbell allows for the most weight to be lifted, making it the primary tool for developing top-end strength. However, dumbbells are essential for identifying and fixing strength imbalances between your left and right side. A good program uses both: the barbell for your main heavy work and dumbbells for your secondary volume work.

What to Do After the 8-Week Cycle

After completing the 8-week protocol, take a deload week. Cut your volume and intensity by 50% for all lifts. This allows your body to fully recover and realize the strength gains you've built. After the deload, re-test your 5-rep max. You can then begin a new 8-week cycle using your new, higher 5RM as the baseline.

The Role of the Push Press

The push press, which uses a slight leg dip to drive the weight up, is a different exercise than the strict press. While it allows you to handle heavier weights and can be a good tool for psychological confidence, it does not build strict pressing strength directly. Use it sparingly, perhaps for one top set after your main work, but do not substitute it for your strict press sets.