Shoulder (Military) Press
The shoulder press, also called the military press, is an overhead pressing exercise performed with a barbell, dumbbells, or a machine. It builds the deltoids and triceps and sits in the NSW guide's upper body exercise list as the main overhead pushing movement.
How to Perform It
Stand or sit with the bar or dumbbells at shoulder height, hands just outside shoulder width and forearms vertical. Brace the trunk, then press straight overhead until the arms are locked out with the weight stacked over the shoulders and hips. Lower under control back to the shoulders. If standing, keep the glutes tight and the ribs down so the lower back does not arch to help the lift. The guide's prescription is a single set of 8 to 12 reps with a weight that cannot be lifted more than 8 to 12 times with maximal effort and proper technique. Because it is an overhead lift, choose a load that keeps every rep clean.
Why It Matters for BUD/S
Overhead strength is worked constantly in BUD/S. Log PT, boat carries on the head, and the endless overhead presses with the boat all load the shoulders in the same position the military press trains. Strong deltoids also protect the shoulder joint through the high volume of push-ups and swimming that the program demands. The guide asks that upper body sessions alternate pushing and pulling exercises across the major muscle groups. The shoulder press is the vertical push that balances the vertical pull of the lat pulldown, and together they give the shoulder girdle strength in both directions.
Where It Sits in the 26-Week Plan
The military press belongs to the Upper/Core session scheduled on Monday and Friday every week for all 26 weeks. The guide keeps the format constant: 8 to 12 exercises per session, one working set each, quick transitions between stations to keep intensity high and produce some cardio-respiratory adaptation. Progression comes from adding weight once 12 clean reps are possible, not from adding sets. The guide warns to avoid exercises that require high skill without a qualified coach, so candidates new to barbell pressing can use dumbbells or a machine press until the movement is stable.
Press with the head moving slightly back so the bar travels in a straight line, then bring the head through at lockout. Never let the lower back do the work.
Related Terms
Upper body strength training in the NSW preparation program targets the major pulling and pushing muscle groups through compound barbell and dumbbell exercises. These sessions complement the calisthenics work (push-ups, pull-ups) by building the raw strength that supports higher-rep endurance performance.
Push-ups are a foundational upper-body calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). In BUD/S preparation, push-up training follows a progressive volume approach where daily targets scale based on the candidate's most recent PST max.
The deltoid lateral raise is an isolation exercise in which you lift dumbbells out to the sides until the arms are parallel to the ground. The NSW guide lists it in the upper body exercises and adds a specific instruction: raise the arms parallel to the ground but no higher.
The upright row is a vertical pulling exercise in which you pull a barbell or dumbbells up the front of the body toward the chin, leading with the elbows. It trains the upper trapezius, deltoids, and biceps and appears in the NSW guide's upper body exercise list.
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