The bench press is typically thought of as the end-all, be-all of upper body lifting due to the deep roots and popularity of this movement within not only fitness culture, but the bodybuilding and strength sport world - especially powerlifting. However, is the bench press really all that good in terms of whole-body, overall development of strength and power? In our opinion - no, no it is not. Enter the Overhead Press.
The OHP or any overhead press type movement is much better for the development of the upper body musculature, strength, power AND it is also a generally more functional movement. I mean, think about it, how often are we going to lay down on a nice padded bench and press weights in life - NOT OFTEN. However, lifting weights over - YES, YES YOU WILL DO THIS VERY OFTEN!
The king of overhead press variations, in our opinion, is the push jerk due to the amount of explosiveness it requires. It will build high levels of power and coordination, as well. Not to mention the incredible levels of core stability it takes to stabilize and finish this particular movement. My point - you should be doing push jerk!
Does this mean the bench press is worthless? No - the bench press is a great tool for building general upper body strength, and also muscle mass. However, when it comes to whole body development, it doesn't hold a candle to the OHP - so put some priority on OHP within your training and you'll see great pay-off.