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Overhead press calculator

Enter a recent strict overhead press set and how many more reps you could have done. The calculator estimates your OHP one-rep max with the same formula the RIRLift app uses, then gives your rep maxes and the loads for triples, fives, eights and tens. It works the same for the military press and the barbell shoulder press.

Unit
Reps in reserve

How many more you could have done. 0 means none.

Example result

Estimated overhead press 1RM

60kg

Brzycki, for comparison

60kg

50 kg × 5 with 2 in reserve counts as 7 reps to failure.

Your rep maxes
  • 57.5 kg2RM
  • 57.5 kg3RM
  • 52.5 kg5RM
  • 47.5 kg8RM
  • 45 kg10RM
Working loads from your estimated max, rounded to 2.5 kg
GoalSets × repsRIRLoad
Heavy triple3 × 3252.5 kg
Strength fives4 × 5250 kg
Muscle-building eights3 × 8245 kg
Higher-rep tens3 × 10145 kg
Build an overhead press session from this set

Overhead press examples

Four pressers at four stages. The overhead press moves the least weight of the big barbell lifts, so how you add weight matters as much as the max.

  • Example 1

    A beginner's set of 5

    Two months in, 95 lb for 5 strict reps with 2 left.

    Weight lifted
    95 lb
    Reps completed
    5
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated overhead press 1RM114 lb

    Run the strength fives from the table. When all four sets feel like 3 in reserve, add 5 lb; when 5 lb starts costing reps, switch to 2.5 lb jumps.

    Build an overhead press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Sixes with a light bar

    A woman pressing 30 kg for 6, about 2 short of failure.

    Weight lifted
    30 kg
    Reps completed
    6
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated overhead press 1RM37 kg

    A 2.5 kg jump is over 8% of this bar. Add a rep per set before adding weight, and use 1 kg change plates if the gym has them.

    Build an overhead press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    Strict, not push press

    A lifter who push presses 70 kg for triples, but whose strict set was 55 kg for 4 with 1 left.

    Weight lifted
    55 kg
    Reps completed
    4
    Reps in reserve
    1
    • Estimated overhead press 1RM62.5 kg

    Only the strict set goes in. Leg drive moves the bar past the hardest part of the press, so a push press set would give a max you can't press strict. Keep the push press as its own number.

    Build an overhead press session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    An experienced presser's triple

    A lifter with years of training who pressed 185 lb for 3 with 1 left.

    Weight lifted
    185 lb
    Reps completed
    3
    Reps in reserve
    1
    • Estimated overhead press 1RM204 lb

    A low-rep set at RIR 1 sits close to a true max, so the estimate is only a little above the bar. Set the block's loads from it and add 2.5 lb at a time, rather than chasing a new max every week.

    Build an overhead press session from this set Open with these numbers

Overhead, military or shoulder press: which set to enter

OHP, overhead press, military press, strict press and barbell shoulder press all name the same lift: a bar pressed from your upper chest to locked arms overhead, without using your legs. Any of them works here.

A few close relatives are different lifts with their own max. Keep their sets out of this calculator, or give each one its own number.

  • Push press. A dip and drive with the legs starts the bar moving, so you press more than you can strict.
  • Seated press. Sitting takes your legs and hips out of the brace. Many lifters press a different weight seated than standing.
  • Dumbbell shoulder press. Two separate weights, logged per hand, with a different path. The dumbbell bench press calculator shows how per-hand estimates work.
  • Leaning back. A press finished with a big lean turns into an incline press. If your reps end that way, enter a lighter set where your torso stayed upright.

Overhead press technique

The lift this calculator is for

Barbell Overhead Press

Shoulders

A lean-back, a little knee dip or a lockout you don't finish all add weight to a set without adding pressing strength. Enter sets where your torso stayed still and every rep locked out.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at collarbone height and grip it just outside your shoulders, wrists stacked over your elbows.
  2. Unrack it onto your upper chest, take one step back and set your feet about hip width apart.
  3. Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs so your ribs stay down, and take a big breath.
  4. Press straight up, pulling your chin back so the bar clears your face.
  5. Once the bar passes your forehead, push your head through until the bar sits over the middle of your foot with your arms locked.
  6. Lower it along the same line to your upper chest and re-brace before the next rep.

Cues

  • Glutes tight, ribs down
  • Chin back, bar straight up
  • Head through at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish reps, which turns the lift into an incline press: lower the weight until your torso stays upright for the whole set.
  • Dipping your knees to start the bar: that's a push press, and it inflates a strict max.
  • Stopping short of lockout: finish every rep with the bar over your mid-foot and your arms straight, or it doesn't count.

Swap for: Seated Barbell Overhead Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Landmine Press

Full overhead press guide

Make it fit you

  • Buy or borrow small plates

    On a 50 kg press, a 2.5 kg jump is 5%. With 0.5 kg or 1 kg change plates, round the working loads down to the nearest 1 kg or 2.5 lb and keep adding weight in smaller steps.

  • Test with 3 to 8 reps

    Strict sets in that range give the most accurate estimate. If the last reps of a long set end in a lean-back, they inflate the number; enter a shorter set instead.

  • Match the session order

    If you bench first, your triceps and front delts arrive tired. Enter a set from the same place in the session where you'll use the loads.

  • Plan small, steady steps

    The progressive overload calculator lays out how small jumps spread across a block, so the press keeps moving.

  • Re-check from your best set

    Run the calculator from your best working set every few weeks instead of testing a true single. The plate calculator shows what to load for each working weight.

Questions

Is the military press the same as the overhead press?

Yes. Military press, shoulder press, strict press and OHP all mean pressing a barbell from your upper chest to overhead without using your legs. Enter any of them here.

Can I use this calculator for the push press?

Yes, but keep it separate. The push press uses leg drive, so it gives a higher number than your strict press. Don't plan strict sets from a push press max.

Does this work for a dumbbell shoulder press?

The math is the same if you enter the weight of one dumbbell, but the result is a per-hand dumbbell max, not a barbell one. Keep the two numbers apart.

How accurate is an overhead press max calculator?

From a strict set of 3 to 8 reps, close enough to plan from. It drifts past about 10 reps to failure, which is why the calculator stops showing rep maxes there.

Why is my overhead press so much lower than my bench?

Overhead, your shoulders and triceps do the pressing without the chest's help, and you have to stand braced under the bar. Most lifters press well under their bench; track the two side by side and watch both climb.

Sources

Keep your press moving

Log load, reps and RIR on every overhead press set and RIRLift keeps your estimated OHP max current, then sets the next load from the plates you actually have.

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