The military press is a variation of the overhead press weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

 exercise using very strict form.

The military press

Press (overhead)

The press, overhead press or shoulder press is a weight training exercise in which a weight is pressed from the shoulders until it is locked out overhead. The lift is performed standing.-Movement:...

 targets the deltoid muscle

Deltoid muscle

In human anatomy, the deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Anatomically, it appears to be made up of three distinct sets of fibers though electromyography suggests that it consists of at least seven groups that can be independently coordinated by the central...

s in the shoulders as well as the triceps. Additionally, it works the core and legs, which the lifter uses to help stabilize the weight.

The lift begins with the lifter standing with the heels touching and the barbell on the anterior deltoids. The lifter then raises the barbell overhead by pressing the palms of his hands against the underside of the barbell.

In professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

, the Gorilla press slam is sometimes referred to as the military press slam. It involves lifting an opponent clear overhead and then dropping or tossing them, or modifying the move into something else.

Biomechanics

The deltoid muscle

Deltoid muscle

In human anatomy, the deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Anatomically, it appears to be made up of three distinct sets of fibers though electromyography suggests that it consists of at least seven groups that can be independently coordinated by the central...

 has a dynamic activation to about 90–120 degrees of abduction. After that it has an almost static function the rest of the lift. The rest of the movement is mainly due to contraction of Trapezius muscle

Trapezius muscle

In human anatomy, the trapezius is a large superficial muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula...

 pars acendens, Serratus anterior muscle

Serratus anterior muscle

The serratus anterior is a muscle that originates on the surface of the upper eight or nine ribs at the side of the chest and inserts along the entire anterior length of the medial border of the scapula.-Origin:...

 and trapezius pars decendens. They work together to tilt the Scapula

Scapula

In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....

 to a position that make the glenoid cavity point superiorly enabling the last degrees of abduction of the shoulder.
Other contributing muscles include the Supraspinatus muscle

Supraspinatus muscle

The supraspinatus is a relatively small muscle of the upper arm that runs from the supraspinatous fossa superior of the scapula to the greater tubercle of the humerus. It is one of the four rotator cuff muscles and also abducts the arm at the shoulder...

 and biceps brachii muscle

Biceps brachii muscle

In human anatomy, the biceps brachii, or simply biceps in common parlance, is, as the name implies, a two-headed muscle located on the upper arm. Both heads arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle belly which is attached to the upper forearm...

 caput longum. The rotator cuff

Rotator cuff

In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...

 is also active to pull the caput humeri into the glenoid cavity

Glenoid cavity

The glenoid cavity is a shallow pyriform, articular surface, which is located on the lateral angle of the scapula. It is directed laterally and forward and articulates with the head of the humerus; it is broader below than above and its vertical diameter is the longest.This cavity forms the...

 and counteract the superior forces of caput humeri created by the deltoid. The triceps contribute to the extension of the elbow, and counter act the force from biceps caput longum.

Further reading

• Mark Rippetoe
  Mark Rippetoe
  Mark Rippetoe is a national-level, American strength training coach and author. He is one of the few strength athletics authorities to publish both peer-reviewed articles as well as books for the lay population...
  
  with Lon Kilgore, Starting Strength, The Aasgaard Company Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-9768-0540-5.
• A.I. Kampanji, "The physiology of the joints, Volume 1: The upper limb