Stronglifts 5×5 is the simplest, most effective workout to get stronger, build muscle and burn fat. Thousands of people have used the StrongLifts 5×5 workout to change their bodies and lives. The program is easy to follow and only takes three workouts a week of about 45 minutes.

Stronglifts 5×5 uses five free weight compound exercises: the , , , and . You do three of these exercises each workout, three times a week, for about 45 minutes per workout. You every workout, three times a week.

5×5 stands for . These are the sets and reps you do on every exercise except . because doing more would beat you up. Plus, three times a week will get you stronger at since it works similar muscles.

Unlike most bodybuilding routines, your goal on StrongLifts 5×5 isn’t to reach failure, get “pumped” or be sore. Your goal is to add weight. Here’s how: start light, focus on proper form and add 2.5kg/5lb each workout for as long as you can. This is the simplest way to get results fast.

Introduction

Summary of Stronglifts 5×5

StrongLifts 5×5 consists of two full body-workouts:

• Workout A: , ,
• Workout B: , , ,

You train three times a week, alternating workout A and B, and resting at least one day between two workouts. You never train two days in a row because your body needs days off to get stronger.

Most guys train Monday, Wednesday, Friday. But you can lift Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. As long as you train three times a week, and take at least one day off between two workouts for your body to recover, you’ll get stronger.

The first time you do StrongLifts 5×5 you start with workout A. Two days later you do workout B. So first week is A/B/A, second week B/A/B, third week A/B/A, and so on. Like this…

StrongLifts 5x5 Week 1 Monday Wednesday Friday StrongLifts 5x5 Week 2 Monday Wednesday Friday

Week three of StrongLifts 5×5 is like week one, week four like week two, week five like week one, etc. If it doesn’t make sense, download the to get a 12 week overview. If you’d like me to email you a copy of these StrongLifts 5×5 spreadsheets for free, click the link below

. This excludes your . , after you’ve up, and applies to only ( 3x/week will get you stronger for because it works similar muscles. No need for more sets).

Your goal isn’t to get pumped or sore (although that’s possible once the weights get heavy). Your goal is to increase the weight each workout. If you get five reps on each set, add 2.5kg/5lb next time you do that exercise (so 1.25kg/2.5lb on each side of the bar). If you get on , add 5kg/10lb next time.

Don’t start too heavy or you’ll get sore legs and feel like skipping workouts in week one. Start light to let your body get used to three times a week. Remember you’re adding 2.5kg/5lb per workout or 30kg/60lb per month on . The weight will increase fast. No need to start too heavy.

If you’ve done free weight exercises like , and before, with proper form, start with 50% of your five rep max. If you’ve never used free weights, haven’t lifted in years, or you have no idea what a five rep max means, start with these weights:

• , , : 20kg/45lb. That’s the empty .
• : 40kg/95lb. The empty bar with a plate of 10kg/25lb on each side.
• : 30kg/65lb. The empty bar with 5kg/10lb on each side.

You start heavier on and because you can’t do these exercises with proper form holding an empty bar in the air. Each rep must start with the weight on the floor.

Here’s how your first two weeks of StrongLifts 5×5 will look like if you start with these weights.

StrongLifts 5x5 Week 1 Monday Wednesday Friday 20kg 22.5kg 25kg 20kg 20kg 22.5kg 30kg 40kg 32.5kg StrongLifts 5x5 Week 2 Monday Wednesday Friday 27.5kg 30kg 32.5kg 22.5kg 25kg 25kg 45kg 35kg 50kg

All weights include because you lift it. So 5×5 27.5kg is 3.75kg on each side of the Olympic bar. It also means five sets of five reps using 27.5kg on all five sets. If you get five reps on each set, add 2.5kg on your next time. That’s a plate of 1.25kg on each side of the bar.

On  increase the weight by 5kg/10lb per workout – that’s 2.5kg/5lb on each side of the bar. The  uses more muscles than other exercises, you’ll have an easier time progressing on it. So use bigger increments, then once you reach 100kg/220lb, switch back to the regular 2.5kg/5lb per workout.

If these weights feel or look “easy”, remember you’re adding 2.5kg/5lb each workout. That means you’ll 50kg/110lb in four weeks, 80kg/175lb in eight weeks and 100kg/220lb in 12 weeks – for 5×5! That’s more than what most guys in your gym. Think long-term and you’ll get stronger.

Now you’ll add weight each workout longer than you think. But not forever. After a while you’ll struggle to get five reps. Eventually . Just try again next workout. If that doesn’t work, there’s more ways to break through plateaus. But right now what matters is that you !

Videos of Stronglifts 5×5

I wanted to show you Stronglifts 5×5 is so simple and easy, anybody can do this. So I created two videos in which I’m doing the full StrongLifts 5×5 workouts A and B.

In these videos you’ll see me lifting the weights you’ll be lifting in weeks 8/9. I’m also answering common questions about Stronglifts 5×5 . Notice I complete each workout in less than 30 minutes.

Note: if you’d like to see me lift heavier, here’s a .

 

History of StrongLifts 5×5

Stronglifts 5×5 is based on the 5×5 routine of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mentor, Reg Park.

Reg Park was the first guy to write about 5×5 in 1960. Many people have written about the 5×5 routine during the last 60 years, before I was even born. So I didn’t invent this :)

I stumbled on the 5×5 routine in 2003. I was doing bodybuilding split routines at that time and got fed up training up to six times a week, spending two hours in the gym, hitting failure on each set, waking up sore every day, etc. Unfortunately I didn’t know any other way to train…

During Summer 2003 I went on holiday to Turkey with two friends. Some guys who didn’t look like they lifted weights challenged us to armwrestling. I lost against all of them (again!).

This made me realize I was strong in the gym, but not outside. It was all “fake” gym strength. Puffy, bogus muscles. Lots of show, but zero “go”. So back in Belgium I googled “how to get stronger”. And that’s when I discovered that to gain strength, you have to…

• Use free weights, not machines.
• Do compound exercises, not isolation.
• Add weight, not train for pump and soreness

It made sense. So I searched for a routine that had all these ingredients to get stronger. And that’s when I found a guy on a forum raving about an oldschool routine. It was called “5×5″…

I was skeptical. 5×5 looked too simple – three exercises, three times a week, 45 minutes per workout. There was no isolation, no high reps, no machines, no failure training, no “pump”, nothing. And yet this guy claimed I’d get stronger by training LESS and doing LESS? It seemed too good to be true…

But I gave it a try and it turned out to be true. And so 5×5 became the foundation for everything I did. I even told my friends to do 5×5. It was so simple and easy. Plus, we all got stronger.

In 2007 one of my friends told me to start a website on how to get stronger. I was reluctant since I could barely write English. But I got tired seeing guys waste their life (as I did) on bodybulding split routines without getting stronger. So I stopped making excuses and created

In the beginning Stronglifts was just me telling people the basics: free weights, compound exercises, add weight, , etc. But they asked for more: they wanted a routine to get stronger. So I shared what had worked for me and all my friends: the 5×5 routine from Reg Park.

It started with an article – “Beginner Strength Training Program”. People tried it and got stronger. Within a few weeks, that post had 200 comments. Some Members of my online community began referring to this routine as “StrongLifts 5×5”. It sounded simpler. So I began calling it that too.

Today StrongLifts 5×5 is all over the Internet. Every lifting forum has guys who used my program to get stronger. Some call me “the 5×5 guy”. Great, but I didn’t invent this. I simply put info together, built to track your workouts, and spread the word about 5×5. Real credit goes to Reg Park.

Reviews of StrongLifts 5×5

Here’s a video from Elliot Hulse from strengthcamp reviewing and recommending the StrongLifts 5×5 program for gaining strength, building muscle and burning fat. I didn’t pay or even ask for this.

More reviews of StrongLifts 5×5

If you’ve posted a helpful review of StrongLifts 5×5 on your site, send me the link through the contact form.

How To Get Started

The best way to find out if StrongLifts 5×5 can get you stronger, is try it for 12 weeks. The program is free so you have nothing to lose. Here’s the best way to get started…

– you’ll see it’s so simple, anybody can do this. – it will motivate you to see how strong you’ll be in 12 weeks. Find a gym – you only need a , , and . Search for a gym today. Install my – they’ll show you which exercise to do, with how much weight, and how long to rest between sets. Available for free on and . Rated 4.5 stars. – many guys read my daily motivational emails first thing in the morning. They keep telling me it gives them a “kick in the butt” to hit the gym. Get my daily tips .

And, get off your butt. Don’t just read read read. Do my StrongLifts 5×5 program this week. It’s only by taking action that you’ll get stronger.

Goals

Getting Stronger

In Ancient Greece, the wrestler Milo From Croton got stronger for the Olympics by carrying a newborn calf on his back each day. As the calf grew bigger, he carried a heavier weight. This training stimulated Milo’s body to get stronger and build muscle. It turned him into the strongest guys of his time.

Maybe it’s just a legend, but the story illustrates how StrongLifts 5×5 will get you strong: you don’t start heavy, hit failure and try to get pumped. You start light, do your workout with proper form, and add a little bit of weight each time. Do this as long as you can, and you’ll get stronger.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to use a calf. But you’ll lift to build “real world” strength. Not that fake gym strength but strength usable outside the gym. Some call it “functional strength”. Here’s how…

• Free Weights. Machines balance the weight for you which leaves your stabilizing muscles weak. But free weights force you to balance the weight yourself which strengthens your stabilizers. This develops real-world strength. It’s why Stronglifts 5×5 uses free weights.
• Compound Exercises. You rarely do single-joint movements like curls in the real world. Carrying or picking up heavy objects always engages several muscles. So to get stronger you must practice exercises that mimic real-world movement – , , all StrongLifts 5×5 exercises.
• Barbells. It’s easier to with 180kg on your back than with a dumbbell of 90kg in each hand. It’s also easier to add 2.5kg/5lb each workout when using barbells than dumbbells. Stronglifts 5×5 because you can lift the most weight and progress more easily.
• 5 Reps. You can use more weight if you do five reps than 8, 10 or 12. The more reps you do, the more tired you get and the worse your form becomes. Drop the reps and you can lift more weight with better form. StrongLifts 5×5 uses so you can lift heavier and get stronger.
• Frequency. “Strength is a skill” world champion told me once. The more you do an exercise, the better your form gets and the more efficient you become at lifting. You’ll do each exercise several times a week on Stronglifts 5×5 because that’s key to getting stronger.

Then there’s mindset – strength training is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t be the “hare” who starts heavy to get quick PRs. You’ll gets sore, feel like skipping workouts, and plateau early on. Be the tortoise: start light, add a little bit of weight each workout, and get stronger at a steady pace.

If you can 140kg/300lb, with your hips going lower than your knees on each rep (parallel), you’re too strong for StrongLifts 5×5. You need a more advanced program. But if you can’t 100kg/225lb using free weights and proper form, StrongLifts 5×5 is the simplest program to get stronger fast.

Building Muscle

Unlike many guys believe, you don’t need to train a muscle directly for it to grow. You don’t need to do a dozen of exercises each workout to hit your muscles from every angle. And the best way to gain muscle is NOT to train until failure to get “pumped” and wake up sore.

Instead, just get stronger. Because the stronger you are, the more weight you lift, the more muscular you’ll be. Lifting heavy forces your body to add muscle to your frame. That’s why the 140kg Bencher usually has a bigger chest than the guy struggling with 60kg. More strength is more muscle.

This is also why the most successful bodybuilders ever, from Reg Park to Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ronnie Coleman, could Deadlift over 700lb. They knew the secret to gaining muscle is to get stronger by lifting heavy. Here’s a video where I show why strength is key to building muscle.

Many guys think you can’t build muscle with StrongLifts 5×5 because it’s only three exercises. But the key to building muscle isn’t the amount of exercises, it’s the intensity. 100kg is a workout by itself. You’re happy you don’t have to do more than three exercises per workout.

Here’s why: the is a compound exercise. It works several muscles at the same time. Same for : it’s NOT a “chest” exercise. What’s holding the bar? Your hands. What’s moving? Your arms. Ever heard of “leg drive?” Your whole body has to work to a heavy weight.

But most guys don’t go heavy. They just curl, curl and curl. That’s why they can do so many exercises per workout – you can’t do that with heavy compound exercises. Worse, many guys favor their arms and chest while ignoring their legs and back. This leads to imbalanced physiques and shoulder pain.

StrongLifts 5×5 is different. You won’t get an imbalanced physique because you’re working your whole body using compound exercises. And you can go heavier than with isolation exercises like curls, flies or leg extensions. As a result, you’ll get stronger and finally build muscle.

Better, you’ll build that muscle while training less. Because you’re getting a full body workout with only five exercises. So no more gym rat, no more one muscle a day, no more five times a week B.S. Just three workouts, done. And you can actually have a life outside the gym.

Here’s how StrongLifts 5×5 will work each muscle in your body using only three compound exercises per workout, three times a week, for about 45 minutes per workout…

• Abs. Your abs have to work hard at keeping you from collapsing under the bar when you do heavy , and . Stronger abs are the secret to six pack abs. Note that you do have to eat right as well. Otherwise your abs will be hidden behind a layer of fat.
• Shoulders. Both the  and will work your shoulders hard to lift the weights up. Nothing worked for me to build wider shoulders until I started to .
• Chest. Getting your to 100kg/225lb will have the biggest impact on getting a bigger chest. You don’t need to do incline, decline or all that B.S. Just go flat and go heavy.
• Arms. One, your biceps works hard when doing heavy . Two, your triceps works hard when pressing heavy (, ). Three, you’re holding the bar on each exercise, squeezing it hard during heavy weights. So your arms will get tons of direct and indirect work to get bigger.
• Forearms. Again, your arms grip the bar hard on every exercise. That and heavy will make your forearms grow bigger. Forget about high rep wrist curls in every direction.
• Traps. Shrugs suck. If you want ski-slope traps, just heavy. Take before/after pics for proof. Your traps will be huge once you can pull 4 plates (180kg/400lb) off the floor.
• Thighs. Get your to 3 plates (140kg/300lb) and you’ll have to buy new pair of jeans. You might even tear a pair of shorts in the gym… (note: I can’t be held responsible for this).
• Back. Forget about wide lat pulldowns and all that. Heavy and  will hit your upper-back hard. You’ll build size, strength and that v-shape everybody wants but few achieve.
• Calves. and will work your calves. But don’t expect miracles if you have high calf attachments as I have. There isn’t much muscle to work with in this case, mostly tendon. Calves are largely genetics. I got over it and accepted myself as I am. I recommend you do the same.

Note that Stronglifts 5×5 is NOT a bodybuilding program. NOT for bodybuilders. Many bodybuilders use massive amounts of drugs and look like mutants. This site isn’t about that. StrongLifts is for guys who want to build a lean, athletic physique by getting stronger – drug-free.

Losing Weight

Every now and then I get an email from a bigger guy who’s panicking. Usually he’s been doing StrongLifts 5×5 for seven weeks, everything is going well except… he’s not losing weight, but GAINING. Wtf?!?

The top picture illustrates how this can happen. Two guys, same height, same weight, same BMI. But different look. One guy is all muscle, the other all fat. I bet you’d prefer to look like the left guy.

In that case, remember: the stronger you get with Stronglifts 5×5, the more muscle you’ll gain. so this is a good thing. You’re going to look smaller at the same weight, like in the picture. But you might see no difference on the weight scale at first although you look better.

Here’s why: the average lean muscle gain for new and drug-free lifters is 0.5lb of per week. For weight loss: it’s recommended to lose 1lb of fat per week max (you need to eat 20% less per day for that).

Now unless you go strict on your diet, you won’t lose 1lb of fat a week with StrongLifts 5×5. The weights are too light for that in the beginning. But you’ll gain muscle from day one.

This explains why it’s common for heavier guys to see little change on the scale, but huge differences in the mirror and how clothes fit: you’re gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

But you can’t know that by just looking at the scale. Especially since your body-weight fluctuates daily based on water retention, bowel content, bladder content, fat loss, muscle gain, bone gain, etc. It’s easy to look at the scale and think you’re doing bad when you’re actually doing great!

Anyway, the key to losing weight is to increase how many calories you burn with StrongLifts 5×5. How? Increase the weight on the bar. Lifting heavy is easier if you weigh more. So aim for that 140kg/300lb . When you’re that for 5×5, you’ve become a fat burning machine.

Beyond that, you can add half an hour of cardio after StrongLifts 5×5 to burn extra calories and speed up weight loss. But prioritize lifting weights – you need to build muscle. Oh, and don’t do cardio on your off days, your body needs recovery. You need those legs for . And clean up your diet :-)

I’ve seen many bigger guys change their goals at one point. They let go of trying to reach a number on the scale as they saw their strength increase. Here’s why: it’s not about how much you weigh in the end. It’s about becoming healthier, looking better and getting stronger. So lift heavy.

Losing Fat

The top picture shows the importance of lifting weights for losing fat: muscle is denser than fat. Lifting weights builds muscle. Lifting weights also burns calories and boosts your metabolism. So if you start lifting you’ll build muscle, lose fat and look slimmer at the same weight – without eating less.

Meanwhile most people try to lose fat by eating less, without doing exercise. But few people can stick to low calorie diets for a long time. Most get hungry, crack and end-up fatter than before. The few who can stick to these diets burn muscle from starvation. They end up skinny-fat, weak and unattractive.

Other people try to lose fat through exercise. They’re the “cardio-bunnies” in your gym. Cardio six times a week, then McDo post-workout. They don’t realize half an hour cardio only burns about 400 calories, the equivalent of a Big Mac. Hit McDo post-workout and you just made that half hour of cardio insignificant.

Now cardio is great for speeding up fat loss because it increases how many calories you burn. But unless you’re training six hours a day like Michael Phelps, you can’t out-train a bad diet – you’ll have to eat right. And lifting weights should always have PRIORITY over cardio for fat loss. Here’s why:

• Lifting weights burns calories. Your body burns energy to lift weights. The heavier the weights, the higher the intensity and the more calories you burn. Especially if you do full body exercises like . This is why lifters can eat more than average people without getting fat.
• Lifting weights boost your metabolism. They call this “afterburn” or EPOC. You burn more calories the hours after you’re done lifted weights. This helps you lose fat.
• Lifting weights builds muscle. Cardio doesn’t. Nor does a low calorie diet. Only lifting weights does – the stronger you get, the more weight you can lift, the more muscular you’ll be.
• Lifting weights prevents muscle loss. Low calorie diets and excess cardio BURN muscle. This leads to the unhealthy and unattractive skinny-fat look. Yet lift weights builds muscle and prevents muscle loss from dieting, aging, etc. It makes you healthier and more attractive while losing fat.
• Lifting weights makes you look slimmer. Check the top picture again – . So by lifting weights you’ll build muscle, lose fat and – at the same weight.

There’s one more way Stronglifts 5×5 will help you lose fat. People who lift weights stick to their diet better than those who don’t exercise. Lifting weights has a domino effect. It motivates you to live healthier and eat better. By eating better you can lose fat with StrongLifts 5×5 without doing boring cardio.

Adding Bulk

Some guys (and many women) think touching a barbell is enough to turn bulky like Arnold overnight. Yet I’ve been lifting for 14 years, , and am anything but bulky.

Here’s why: when guys talk about “bulk” or “size” they mean gaining weight. Yes, you’ll build muscle by lifting weights. But . Plus lifting heavy weights burns calories and boosts your metabolism. So lifting weights can make you more athletic (but smaller) at the same weight.

That means just Stronglifts 5×5 isn’t enough to get “bulky”. If you want to get bigger, if you want “size”, you must gain weight. You must increase your body-weight. How? By eating more. Food contains energy – calories. Eat more calories than your body burns, lift heavy, and you’ll get “bulky”.

Now it’s true StrongLifts 5×5 can burn so many calories at heavier weights, it can make you hungry and eat more. But unless you actually eat more than before, you won’t get bulky by just lifting. I haven’t.

So you have to eat more to gain weight. The simplest way if you’re skinny as I was before lifting weights is to eat more meals each day. Start with three. After a month, four. Month later, five meals a day. Don’t rush it, give your body time to get used to eating more. Be the tortoise, like with the weights.

And stay away from weight gainer supplements. They’re usually full of sugars that will make you fat and fart. They also don’t get you into the habit of cooking your own meals and eating more. The goal is to get strong and muscular permanently. Not revert to skinny and weak after a few weeks.

Exercises

All exercises on StrongLifts 5×5 are using free weights. Doing any StrongLifts 5×5 exercise on a machine like the leg press will build less strength than free weights. Same for the smith machine where the barbell is attached on rails. This is because unlike free weights, machines balance the weight for you.

Many guys are intimidated by free weights and think machines are safer because you can’t drop the weight. Yet machines force you into fixed, unnatural movements. They lock you into the same movement every time. This causes pattern overload and chronic injuries in the knees, shoulder and back.

StrongLifts 5×5 uses . Dumbbells are less effective because they usually go up by 2kg. You can’t sustain this progression for long. It’s also impossible to heavy with dumbbells. Leg strength rarely is the limiting factor, holding the weight in each hand is. So use free weights, .

Squat

The is a full body, compound exercise. You by putting the barbell on your back and bending through your knees. works your hamstrings, quads, glutes, adductors and calves directly. But your abs and lower back also have to work to keep the bar stabilized under the weight.

The is king of all exercises. It releases more testosterone and growth hormone than exercises like the leg press. That’s why and . Nothing I did in the gym worked until I started to . You have to . And you’ll Squat 3x/week on StrongLifts 5×5.

Many people are afraid . Yet I’ve been for 14 years and my knees are fine. So are the knees of all my Members. Squats are even effective for rehabilitation from ACL injuries. The key is to . That means:

• – think sitting on a toilet, pushing your hips back on the way down
• – don’t let them cave in, keep your knees aligned with your toes
• – go down until your hip joint is lower than the top of your knees

parallel will strengthen your knees, not hurt them. It’s Partial Squats, only going down 90°, that will hurt your knees. Partial Squats work mostly your quads, not your hamstrings. This creates muscle imbalances and results in knee pain. Partial Squats are also less effective for getting stronger.

There are many different style of . On StrongLifts 5×5 you’ll do a low bar Squat. Putting the , between your traps and rear shoulder muscles, shifts the stress from your knees to your stronger hips. So you can lift more and get stronger .

The safest way to is in the . The safety pins will catch the weight if you miss a rep so you can’t get stuck under the weight. If your gym has no , find a real gym. Or buy a for your home as I’ve done. You must be able to safely alone to get stronger.

For more information about how to , read my .

Bench Press

The is a compound upper-body exercise. You do it by lying on your back, lowering the bar to your chest, then pressing it back up until your elbows are locked. The  works your shoulders, triceps and chest. It also works your abs and back to stabilize the bar, and your biceps to hold it.

The  is the most popular exercise in the gym. It’s also the upper-body exercise you can lift the most weight on, more than the . This makes the the most effective strength and mass builder for your upper-body. You’ll do it every other StrongLifts 5×5 workout.

Many guys Benching. Usually they’re with bad form: bodybuilding-style, with , to get a bigger chest stretch. Don’t like this on StrongLifts 5×5. . This way you’ll get stronger without hurting your shoulders.

You must use a full range of motion when you . Using a full range of motion builds more strength and muscle than partials. Don’t do half reps, don’t be a Half-way Harry. Go all the way down until you touch your chest. And lock your elbows at the top so your skeleton holds the weight.

There’s no incline or decline benching on StrongLifts 5×5. You cannot isolate your upper or lower chest. Your chest contracts as a whole. Your upper-chest has to work hard when you bench heavy. So by taking your  to 100kg/220lb, your entire chest will grow bigger.

To under the weight, bench inside the . The safety pins will catch the bar if you fail a rep. If you don’t have a rack, ask somebody to spot you. Or don’t put collars on the bar so you can tilt it to one side if you get stuck. The plates will drop on the floor though, power rack is better.

Fore more information on how to Bench Press, read my guide on .

Deadlift

The is a full body, compound exercise. You do it by picking up the weight from the floor to your hips. This works your hamstrings, glutes, quads and adductors. But many other muscles have to work during heavy : your grip to hold the bar, your back to keep your spine from rounding, etc.

I think are king but are definitely queen. The is the exercise you’ll lift the most weight on. It works even more muscles than the . And it will release a ton of growth hormone and testosterone in your body. So are crucial for getting stronger and gaining muscle.

Many guys doing . Here’s the key: . Keep it neutral. That’s how you build a strong lower back without getting hurt. That’s also how you build the habit of picking stuff off the floor with safe form, avoiding injuries outside the gym.

One trick is to think of as …

Lift the weight off the floor by pushing through your feet (as if doing a leg press). Keep the bar in contact with your legs. Once the bar reaches knee level, thrust your hips forward.

Overhead Press