Why can I bench so much more than I overhead press?

The bench press uses your pecs — one of the largest upper body muscles — as the primary mover. The overhead press relies on your deltoids, which are significantly smaller. The bench also has a shorter range of motion and benefits from leg drive and arch. A 60-70% OHP-to-bench ratio is normal and expected.

Will a stronger bench press increase my overhead press?

To some degree, yes. Both lifts train the triceps and anterior deltoids. But the transfer isn't direct — strong pecs don't help you press overhead. The best way to increase your OHP is to press overhead more and address the specific weak points in that lift.

Can I replace overhead press with incline bench?

Incline bench works some of the same muscles but doesn't train true overhead pressing mechanics, shoulder stability, or standing core bracing. If you have no shoulder issues preventing overhead work, keep the OHP in your program. It trains something no bench variation can replicate.

Should I do overhead press or bench press first in a workout?

On 5x5, you never do both in the same workout — bench is on Workout A and OHP is on Workout B. If you're writing your own program, generally do the one you want to prioritize first when you're freshest.

Is overhead press harder on the shoulders than bench press?

Not necessarily. The OHP puts the shoulder in a natural overhead position and doesn't involve the impingement-prone positions that a poorly executed bench press creates. Many lifters with bench press shoulder pain can overhead press pain-free. If anything, the OHP builds shoulder stability that protects you during benching.

Overhead press vs bench press: differences explained

The bench press and overhead press are the two main barbell pressing movements. One pushes the bar away from your chest while lying down. The other pushes it straight overhead while standing up.

Both build upper body strength. Both hit the shoulders and triceps. Both are part of the five core 5x5 lifts. But they’re not interchangeable, and neither one makes the other optional. Understanding how they differ helps you get the most from both.

Here’s the full comparison.

Muscles worked: where they overlap and differ

The bench press and overhead press share some muscles but emphasize different ones.

Bench press primary muscles

Pectoralis major (chest): The main mover. Your pecs do the heavy lifting, especially off the chest.
Anterior deltoids (front shoulders): Assist the pecs, especially in the bottom half of the press.
Triceps: Take over in the top half of the press, locking out the elbows.

Overhead press primary muscles

Anterior and medial deltoids (front and side shoulders): The primary movers. Your delts do the work that pecs do in the bench.
Triceps: Same role as bench — lock out the elbows at the top.
Upper trapezius: Stabilizes and assists at lockout as you shrug the bar into position overhead.
Serratus anterior: Rotates the scapulae upward to allow full overhead range of motion.

The key difference

The bench press is a chest exercise with shoulder and tricep assistance. The overhead press is a shoulder exercise with tricep assistance and almost no chest involvement.

Your pecs are large muscles capable of producing a lot of force. Your deltoids are smaller. This single fact explains almost everything about how these lifts compare — from the weights you’ll use to when you’ll stall.

Core and stability

Here’s where the overhead press has an advantage most people overlook. When you press a barbell overhead while standing, your entire core — abs, obliques, spinal erectors, glutes — must brace hard to keep you from folding over. The OHP is as much a core exercise as it is a shoulder exercise.

The bench press, by contrast, is performed lying on a stable surface. Your core works to maintain your arch and position, but the demands are far less.

Weight differences: what’s normal

New lifters are often surprised at how much less they can overhead press compared to bench press. This is completely normal.

Typical ratios

Most trained lifters overhead press 60-70% of their bench press. Some common examples:

Bench 60 kg → OHP ~40 kg
Bench 80 kg → OHP ~50-55 kg
Bench 100 kg → OHP ~65-70 kg

If your ratio is lower than 60%, your overhead pressing strength is lagging relative to your bench. If it’s higher than 70%, you either have unusually strong shoulders or your bench technique needs work.

Why the gap exists

Three reasons:

Muscle size. Pecs are bigger than delts. Bigger muscles produce more force.
Range of motion. The bench press has a shorter bar path, especially with an arch. Less distance means less total work per rep.
Mechanical advantage. Lying down eliminates the need to stabilize against gravity through your entire body. All your force goes into the bar.

Don’t try to close this gap by avoiding bench press or artificially limiting your bench weight. The ratio is natural. Both lifts should progress on their own timeline.

Progression: why OHP stalls first

On 5x5, you add 2.5 kg to every lift after each successful session. Both bench and OHP follow the same rule. But the OHP almost always stalls first.

The math of small muscles

Adding 2.5 kg to a 40 kg overhead press is a 6.25% increase. Adding 2.5 kg to a 60 kg bench press is a 4.2% increase. The same absolute weight jump is a larger percentage of your OHP, making each increment relatively harder.

On top of that, the deltoids and upper traps are smaller muscles with less capacity for strength gains compared to the pecs. They reach their untrained potential faster.

What to do when OHP stalls

The 5x5 protocol handles this: if you fail to complete 5x5 at a weight three sessions in a row, you deload by 10% and work back up. This works for OHP just as it works for other lifts.

Beyond that:

Microload. If your gym has 1.25 kg plates (or you buy fractional plates), you can add 1.25 kg per session instead of 2.5 kg. This extends linear progression significantly.
Press more frequently. Adding a light pressing day or pressing variations as accessories helps. Check the accessories guide for how to add volume without overtraining.
Get your technique right. Many OHP stalls are form problems — bar drifting forward, no leg drive, loose core. The overhead press guide covers the details.

Why 5x5 includes both lifts

Some programs pick one pressing movement and stick with it. 5x5 uses both, alternating between them across workout days. This isn’t arbitrary.

Complete upper body development

The bench press builds the chest. The OHP builds the shoulders. If you only bench, your chest dominates and your shoulders lag. If you only press overhead, your chest stays underdeveloped. Neither alone covers the full range of upper body pressing muscles.

Structural balance

Bench pressing builds the front of your body. Combined with the overhead press — which demands scapular mobility, overhead stability, and upper back engagement — you get more balanced shoulder health. Lifters who only bench are more prone to the rounded-shoulder posture that comes from chest dominance without corresponding overhead work.

Transfer between lifts

While the bench and OHP are different movements, they share the triceps and anterior delts. Strengthening these muscles with one lift carries over, at least partially, to the other.

A stronger bench press gives you stronger triceps, which helps your OHP lockout. A stronger OHP gives you more resilient shoulders, which helps your bench press stability and reduces injury risk.

The transfer isn’t equal — bench-to-OHP transfer is mostly through tricep strength, while OHP-to-bench transfer is mostly through shoulder stability. But it flows in both directions.

Frequency without overuse

By alternating A and B workouts, you bench roughly 1.5 times per week and overhead press roughly 1.5 times per week. This gives each movement enough frequency to drive progress without the repetitive stress that comes from doing the same pressing movement every session.

If you benched three times per week with no overhead work, your shoulders would take a beating. The alternation provides built-in variety.

Common misconceptions

”Bench press is better because you can lift more weight”

More weight doesn’t mean more effective. The bench press lets you lift more because bigger muscles are involved and you’re in a mechanically advantaged position. The overhead press challenges smaller muscles through a longer range of motion while standing. Both provide a training stimulus appropriate to the muscles they target.

By this logic, leg press would be “better” than squats because you can load more weight. Nobody serious believes that.

”Overhead press is dangerous for your shoulders”

Pressing overhead is one of the most natural movements the human shoulder performs. Humans have been putting things over their heads for millions of years. The shoulder joint is designed for overhead work.

What’s dangerous is pressing overhead with poor mobility, bad form, or too much weight. But that applies to every lift. A properly executed overhead press is no riskier than a bench press — and some physiotherapists argue it’s healthier for the shoulder because it trains full range of motion and overhead stability.

If you have existing shoulder impingement, overhead pressing may aggravate it. In that case, work with a physiotherapist to address the mobility issue. Don’t just delete the movement.

”You only need one pressing movement”

You can get by with one, but you won’t develop as completely. Bench-only lifters tend to have dominant pecs with lagging shoulders. OHP-only lifters tend to have strong shoulders but underdeveloped chests. Both movements together give you balanced pressing strength.

”A strong bench means a strong OHP”

There’s some transfer, but it’s limited. Many lifters bench 100+ kg and struggle to overhead press 60 kg because they’ve never trained the movement. The pecs — your strongest pressing muscle — contribute almost nothing to the overhead press. You have to train the OHP specifically to get strong at it.

When to prioritize one over the other

On standard 5x5, you don’t prioritize — both lifts get equal attention through the A/B alternation. But there are situations where you might temporarily emphasize one.

Prioritize bench press if

You’re preparing for a powerlifting meet (bench is a competition lift, OHP is not)
Your bench is significantly weaker than expected relative to your other lifts
You have overhead mobility limitations that need rehab before pressing overhead safely

Prioritize overhead press if

Your OHP-to-bench ratio is below 55% (shoulders are lagging)
You have bench press shoulder pain and need to reduce horizontal pressing volume while maintaining pressing strength
You play an overhead sport (volleyball, swimming, throwing sports) where shoulder strength and stability are performance factors
You want to improve your general upper body strength and stability — the OHP has more carryover to real-world tasks than the bench

How to prioritize within 5x5

The simplest approach: do the priority lift first in your workout when you’re freshest, and add an extra light set or two. Don’t drop the other lift — just give the priority one slightly more attention for a training block (4-8 weeks), then return to balanced programming.

The bottom line

The bench press and overhead press are not competing lifts. They’re complementary. One builds your chest and the front of your shoulders. The other builds the top and sides of your shoulders, your upper traps, and your overhead stability. Together, they cover the full spectrum of upper body pressing strength.

On 5x5, you bench on Workout A and press overhead on Workout B. This alternation gives both lifts equal priority and ensures balanced development. Don’t skip either one, don’t try to replace one with the other, and don’t worry that your OHP numbers are lower than your bench. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

For proper form cues on both pressing movements and all five lifts, check the complete exercise guide.

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