Shoulder exercises

Barbell Bradford Press

Also known as: Développé Bradford à la barre · Πιέσεις Bradford με μπάρα · Bradford/Rocky Presses · rocky press

Primary
Shoulders
Equipment
Barbell
Level
Beginner
Type
Compound
Force
Push
Suggested rest
1.5 min

How to do the Barbell Bradford Press

  1. Sit on a Military Press Bench with a bar at shoulder level with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Tip: Your grip should be wider than shoulder width and it should create a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm as the barbell goes down. This is your starting position.

  2. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms.

  3. Now lower the bar down to the back of the head slowly as you inhale.

  4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.

  5. Lower the bar down to the starting position slowly as you inhale. This is one repetition.

  6. Alternate in this manner until you complete the recommended amount of repetitions.

Sets and reps

GoalSetsRepsRest
Muscle growth3–48–121.5 min
Muscular endurance2–315–201 min

When you hit the top of the rep range on every set, add 2.5 kg (5 lb) next session and work back up.

Starting points from training research. Stop each set 1–3 reps short of failure.

Muscles worked

Primary

Shoulders

Secondary

Triceps

Three heads, three jobs: the front delts press, the side delts raise your arms out and give width, the rear delts pull back. Train all three.

Train smarter

More shoulders

See all 113 →

Barbell shoulder exercises