Overhead Press Elbow Pain (Root Cause & How To Fix)

You've come to the right place if you struggle with pain in the elbow while exercising, especially during or after overhead press (aka OHP). For years, I struggled with elbow problems during OHP exercises: barbell shoulder/overhead press, machine shoulder press, military press, clean and press, push press, and Arnold press. I fixed my elbow pain. I will show you how to do the same. Let's begin!

Elbow pain during the overhead press can occur for several reasons, including restricted triceps and forearm muscles, inadequate warm-up of the triceps and forearm muscles before exercising, lifting weights that are too heavy (e.g., heavy overhead press), poor form or lifting technique during the overhead press, and a sudden increase in training volume (i.e., performing an excessive amount of overhead press during a workout). Any of these factors, individually or in combination, can cause your elbow to hurt during the overhead press. However, for most weight lifters, the primary cause is restricted (shortened, tight and tense) triceps and forearm muscles.

To cure or prevent elbow pain during overhead press, it is crucial to prioritize proper form, gradually increase weights, and, most importantly, maintain pliable triceps and forearm muscles through self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises. These exercises can instantly relieve the restrictions in the muscles and minimize the risk of injury, overuse, and inflammation.

"Push-exercises" such as overhead press can trigger or aggravate elbow pain because the exercise involves the triceps tendon and elbow tendons. The repetitive use of the elbow during overhead press can strain and inflame the triceps tendon and elbow tendons. When the elbow tendons become inflamed, it causes acute elbow pain after the workout - this is what causes your elbow to hurt after doing overhead press or shoulder press.

Acute elbow pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after working out. In this case, it includes:

• Burning pain at the tip of the elbow and around the elbow joint after overhead press (OHP)
• A sensation of heat, swelling, or redness around the elbow after OHP
• Sore elbows after an OHP workout
• Elbow pain when bending and straightening arm after OHP
• Sharp or severe elbow pain during or after OHP

A side-by-side comparison photo of the forearm extensors and triceps muscle. Left photo: Illustration of the forearm extensor muscle group and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the shoulder joint, scapula, arm bone, and triceps brachii muscle and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause outer and posterior elbow pain during OHP. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm extensors and triceps muscle tend to occur. Trigger points, also known as muscle knots, are small, hyperirritable spots within a muscle. They cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

If you experience inner, outer, or posterior elbow pain while doing overhead press, the cause is usually a combination of the following factors: 1) restricted triceps and forearm muscles, and 2) an inflamed triceps tendon and elbow tendon. During overhead press, the forearm flexors, forearm extensors, and triceps muscles extend and contract, which can pull and put tension on the inner and outer elbow tendon as well as the triceps tendon.

The forearm flexor muscles can overstretch and irritate the tendon on the inside part of the elbow, causing inner elbow pain (also known as golfer's elbow). The forearm extensor muscles can overstretch and strain the tendon on the outside part of the elbow, causing outer elbow pain (also known as tennis elbow). Finally, the triceps muscle can overstretch and inflame the tendon at the back of the elbow, causing posterior elbow pain (triceps tendonitis or lifter's elbow).

Inner, outer, and posterior elbow pain can be chronic (develop over time) or acute (occur suddenly from overloading the elbow). Acute pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after exercise. In this case, experiencing inner, outer, or posterior elbow pain while doing overhead press is a sign of acute elbow pain.

Check out this video of Nurudeen performing clean and press exercise in the gym (2016). The clean and press is a compound movement, which is a full-body exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, including your legs, core, shoulders, and arms, all in one fluid motion. It is a combination of a deadlift, power clean, and overhead press. However, the overhead press motion during the clean and press, which is a "push-movement," can strain and inflame the elbow and triceps tendon, leading to inner, outer, or posterior elbow pain.

The muscle conditions that lead to elbow pain are gradual and cumulative. Through repetitive use and over time, the forearm muscles and triceps muscle become restricted (i.e. shortened and inelastic). This process of muscle restriction can take months or years to develop.

When the triceps and forearm muscles become chronically restricted (lasting over three months), a routine activity at home or work (carrying a bag of groceries, holding or gripping something tightly), or at the gym (e.g. a routine overhead press workout) can suddenly trigger elbow pain.

Unfortunately, most people do not realize their forearm or triceps are restricted until a routine activity unexpectedly triggers elbow pain.

When you perform an exercise involving the arm, such as a shoulder press or overhead press, the triceps and forearm muscles contract. Over time, as you exercise, the forearm flexor, forearm extensor, and triceps muscles become tighter and shorter.

Shortened triceps and forearm muscles can pull and put tension on the elbow and triceps tendon, decreasing the tendons' elasticity. As a result, the tendons become overloaded and inflamed, causing elbow pain during overhead press and other shoulder press exercises.

The pain usually occurs on the inside part of the elbow (golfer's elbow) or at the back of the elbow (triceps tendonitis), but it can also be felt on the outside part of the elbow (tennis elbow). The elbow tendons that cause elbow pain during overhead press include the medial elbow tendon (inner elbow tendon) and triceps brachii tendon (posterior elbow tendon).

For a detailed article on the root causes of elbow pain from lifting weights, including the types of elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, triceps tendonitis), elbow bursitis, chronic vs. acute elbow pain, and the fastest way to cure elbow pain, check out this helpful guide and video.

Important: Apart from musculoskeletal injuries (muscle and tendon-related pain), other medical conditions can contribute to elbow pain during overhead press. These include nerve entrapment and compression, bone fractures and dislocations, and arthritis, which causes joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness. If your condition is medically related, it's important to consult your healthcare provider to ensure there are no structural issues with your elbow.

A side-by-side comparison photo of the forearm extensors and flexor muscles. Left photo: Illustration of the forearm extensor muscle group and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the forearm flexor muscles and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause outer and inner elbow pain during overhead press. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm muscles tend to occur. Trigger points cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

When performed with good technique, the overhead press (and other variations of shoulder press, such as cable, dumbbell, and machine presses) is not bad for the elbows. However, performing the overhead press without proper warm-up, lifting too much weight, or suddenly increasing training volume can overload the elbow and triceps tendons, leading to elbow tendonitis and pain.

Overhead press does not cause elbow pain when performed with proper technique. However, it can trigger or aggravate elbow tendonitis, elbow pain, and forearm pain.

Push-exercises like the overhead press engage the forearm muscles, triceps muscle, elbow tendons, and triceps tendon. During the overhead press, the forearm and triceps muscles can become overloaded. This can lead to overstretched, strained, and inflamed elbow tendons, resulting in acute sharp pain or worsening chronic dull pain.

Overhead press does not cause elbow damage when performed with proper technique. However, for individuals experiencing elbow tendonitis, overhead press can trigger acute elbow pain or worsen chronic elbow pain, leading to elbow tendinosis.

Tendinosis is the degeneration of tendon collagen due to repetitive stress and chronic injury. It can cause a loss of strength in the tendon and may even lead to tendon tear or rupture. Thus, performing overhead press with elbow tendonitis or triceps tendonitis (i.e., inflammatory tendon pain) can result in elbow tendinosis (i.e., degeneration of the elbow tendon) and potentially cause damage to the elbows.

Performing overhead press with proper technique is safe and will not cause injury to the elbow. However, inadequate warm-up and stretching of the triceps, forearm muscles, elbow tendons, and triceps tendon, lifting weights that are too heavy, bad lifting form, sudden increase in training volume, and doing overhead press while experiencing ongoing elbow or triceps tendonitis can cause elbow pain and injury.

It depends on the severity of the pain. If the pain is mild, most people can use sports tape, kinesiology tape, elbow sleeves, elbow braces, elbow straps, or other temporary solutions to reduce elbow pain during overhead press. However, if the pain is chronic, severe, or causes sharp pain during overhead press, it's best to treat the underlying cause before resuming weight training.

All three exercises can trigger or aggravate elbow pain, but a dumbbell seated shoulder press is better for avoiding elbow pain. Here's why:

A dumbbell seated shoulder press isolates each arm, so less weight is needed. Barbell overhead press and machine shoulder press are more effective for building larger deltoids, which require more weight.

People typically lift heavier weights during barbell and machine exercises than during dumbbell exercises. Therefore, if you experience elbow pain during overhead press, dumbbell shoulder press is less likely to trigger or aggravate elbow pain. You can also try alternative shoulder exercises instead of the overhead press (see below).

Unlike the shoulder and overhead press which put excessive tension on the triceps and inner elbow tendon, the following exercises minimize tension on the triceps and elbow tendon, and as a result, cause less pain on the elbow joint. Here are 12 alternatives to overhead press that you can try:

1. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

2. Dumbbell Front Raises

3. Dumbbell Shrugs

4. Farmer's Walk

5. Cable Rope Face Pull

6. Barbell Front Raises

7. Plate Front Raise

8. Cable Upright Row

9. Machine Deltoid Raise

10. Dumbbell Reverse Fly

11. Cable Lateral Raise

12. Cable Front Raise

Click here to read the instructions for each exercises.

It's possible to relieve elbow pain from the overhead press by releasing the forearm flexor and extensor muscles, and the triceps muscle/tendon. You can accomplish this by using a myofascial release massage ball. Once the restricted muscles in the forearm and triceps are released, it can alleviate the tension on the elbow tendons, which allows the tendons to heal.

Using a combination of post-workout treatments such as RICE therapy (to relieve burning pain), magnesium supplementation (to reduce inflammation), and self-myofascial release (to relieve sharp, shooting, and dull pain), it's possible to treat and heal elbow pain from the overhead press in 7-10 days. To accomplish this, it will require performing self-myofascial release (SMR) on the triceps and forearm muscles at least 2-3 times a day.

Keep in mind that simply resting the elbow (i.e. taking a break from physical training) might temporarily provide relief, but it will not fix the root cause of the injury (e.g. restricted triceps and forearm muscles that overload the elbow tendons and cause elbow pain during overhead press).

As explained above, when performed with proper technique, the overhead press is a safe exercise that will not cause injury or elbow pain. However, if the elbow is injured with forearm pain, golfer's elbow (inner elbow pain), or triceps tendonitis (pain at the back or elbow), then performing overhead press will cause some degree of elbow pain.

With that understanding, here are five tips on how to perform OHP without elbow pain:

1. Stretch the forearm and triceps muscles before working out.
2. Perform the overhead press with cables or dumbbells instead of barbells or machines.
3. Perform two warm-up sets with lighter weights before increasing the weight.
4. Use lifting straps to help reduce forearm muscle tension from gripping the weights.
5. Use elbow sleeves or wraps to compress the elbow and triceps tendon.

To stop elbow pain during the overhead press, you have two approaches: short-term pain relief remedies for temporary relief and addressing the root cause of the pain to prevent its recurrence.

Short-term pain relief remedies include joint supplements and vitamins, anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs), physical therapy, stretching, ice and rest therapy, elbow braces, elbow straps, kinesiology tape, and topical anti-inflammatory solutions (oils and creams).

To permanently cure elbow pain and prevent it from affecting your workouts, it's essential to address the root causes, which include chronic inflammation, magnesium deficiency, and muscle restriction. The TitaniumPhysique Program can help you achieve this goal.

The exercises below can help you relieve acute or chronic elbow pain from OHP, including tennis elbow (outer pain), golfer's elbow (inner pain), or triceps tendonitis (posterior pain). You will need a peanut ball and a lacrosse ball, found on Amazon or your local sporting goods store.

If your elbow pain is acute (causing burning pain after working out), you can apply cold therapy on the elbow when you are not using the massage ball. Suppose your elbow pain is chronic (causing dull or achy pain during/after working out). In that case, you can add magnesium as a supplement to heal and decalcify the elbow tendons.

Important: Restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years, so using the correct treatment techniques for lasting results is necessary.

For a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Take advantage of our special promotion and get it at 50% off for a limited time.

Here is how to quickly relieve elbow pain:

To fix tennis elbow, use a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles (click the link to see photo). Lean against a wall and place the peanut ball on the forearm extensor muscles. Roll out (massage) the muscles with the peanut ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm extensor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix tennis elbow using a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles

To fix golfer's elbow, use a peanut or lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles (click the link to see photo). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your forearm flexor muscles on top of it. Roll out (massage) the muscle with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm flexor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix golfer's elbow using a lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles.

To fix triceps tendonitis, use a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscle and tendon (see photo below). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your triceps muscle on top of it. Roll out (massage) the triceps muscle and tendon with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Start near your armpit and work down to the triceps tendon, just above the elbow joint. Stretch the triceps muscle. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix triceps tendonitis using a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscles.

Important: part of avoiding chronic elbow pain is preventing acute elbow pain. If you begin to feel elbow pain during the overhead press, reduce the weights. If the pain persists, stop the exercise and train another body part that does not involve your arm and elbow. Pushing through a workout with elbow pain will intensify the degree of post-workout acute inflammation, worsen the pain symptoms, and prolong the recovery of the elbow.

To avoid and prevent elbow pain from overhead press, follow these steps:

1. Stretch the forearms and triceps before doing OHP.
2. Start your workout by warming the elbow tendons (e.g., resistance band pull-apart).
3. If performing heavy-OHP or shoulder press, incrementally add weights to avoid sudden overload of the forearm muscles, triceps tendon, and elbow tendons.
4. Learn and always use proper OHP lifting techniques. To learn the proper overhead press technique, check out this video.
5. Incrementally increase training volume (i.e. be mindful about doing an excessive amount of OHP sets).
6. Supplement with magnesium to counteract inflammation and decalcify the elbow tendons and joints. Magnesium also relaxes muscles to reduce pain.

7. Incorporate self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises into your recovery routine. Perform SMR on the forearm extensors, forearm flexors, and triceps muscle/tendon at least twice a week to keep the forearms and triceps pliable.

Important - keep in mind that restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years. It is necessary to use the correct treatment techniques to get lasting results.

If you want a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to permanently cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Take advantage of our special promotion and get it at 50% off for a limited time.

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Written by: Nurudeen Tijani

Nurudeen (aka TJ) is passionate about helping people build the body they desire through weight training. He is a physique and fitness trainer, nutritionist, yoga instructor, vegan natural bodybuilder, National Physique Committee (NPC) competitor, and founder at TitaniumPhysique. Nurudeen is a member of the International Association Study of Pain (IASP) and the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA).

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