Z Press
Seated floor overhead press with no support. Extreme core demands. It works mainly the front deltoid, with help from the lateral deltoid, triceps, trapezius and abs.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 0.8× bodyweight (65 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 0.55× (32.5 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Z Press
- Sit on the floor with the legs straight out in front of you and hold the bar at shoulder height with an overhand grip.
- Sit tall with the core braced and the chest up; there is no back support, so the torso does the stabilising.
- Press the bar straight up to locked arms over your head and push the head forward through the arms at the top.
- Lower with control back to the shoulders. If you fall backwards, the weight is too heavy; the lift is honest by design.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Front deltoid | Deltoideus anterior |
| Secondary | Lateral deltoid | Deltoideus medialis |
| Secondary | Triceps | Triceps brachii |
| Secondary | Trapezius | Trapezius |
| Secondary | Abs | Rectus abdominis |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Overhead strength with the whole body braced
- Round, full front delts
- Honest measure of upper-body strength
Strength standards for Z Press
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 0.55× | 0.4× | 45 kg | 25 kg |
| Gold | 0.8× | 0.55× | 65 kg | 32.5 kg |
| Platinum | 1.05× | 0.75× | 85 kg | 45 kg |
| Diamond | 1.35× | 0.95× | 107.5 kg | 57.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 1.7× | 1.15× | 135 kg | 70 kg |
| Painite | 2× | 1.4× | 160 kg | 85 kg |
| Antimatter | 2.7× | 1.9× | 215 kg | 115 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Z Press, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Z Press work?
It works mainly the front deltoid, with help from the lateral deltoid, triceps, trapezius and abs.
How do you do Z Press?
Sit on the floor with the legs straight out in front of you and hold the bar at shoulder height with an overhand grip. Sit tall with the core braced and the chest up; there is no back support, so the torso does the stabilising. Press the bar straight up to locked arms over your head and push the head forward through the arms at the top. Lower with control back to the shoulders. If you fall backwards, the weight is too heavy; the lift is honest by design.
What is a good Z Press for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 0.8× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 0.55× for women, Diamond at 1.35× and 0.95×. For an 80 kg man that is a 65 kg and a 107.5 kg one-rep max.
Try it free
Free on Google Play and the App Store. The whole log is free; PRO is optional.