The overhead press is the lightest of the main barbell lifts, because pressing a bar overhead with no leg drive isolates the shoulders and triceps. That makes the overhead press weight a sensitive measure of upper-body strength, and its standards, read against bodyweight and sex, sit lower than the bench for the same lifter.
Why the numbers are the smallest
A strict overhead press removes the leg drive and the bench that a bench press allows, so the overhead press weight is the smallest of the barbell lifts for almost everyone. Reading it against bodyweight gives a clean picture of shoulder and triceps strength, uncontaminated by the larger muscles the squat and deadlift recruit.
Reading your overhead or shoulder press
Use a strict standing press with no dip or push, and read your best against your bodyweight row. A push press or a seated shoulder press with back support will produce a higher number that the strict-press standards will flatter, so judge the lift by the version the table assumes.
A slow lift to progress
Because the overhead press uses a small amount of muscle, it adds weight slowly, and a shoulder press weight that creeps up a few pounds a month is normal progress rather than a plateau. Reading it against the standard is useful mainly to set a fair expectation for how quickly the bands move.
Questions people ask about overhead press weight
How much should I overhead press?
Read the overhead press standard at your bodyweight and sex; the numbers are the smallest of the barbell lifts, so a strict press near bodyweight is an advanced marker for many people.
Is the shoulder press the same as the overhead press?
The strict standing overhead press is the version the standards assume; a seated shoulder press with back support or a push press produces higher numbers the strict-press table will flatter.
Why is my overhead press so much lower than my bench?
Because it isolates the shoulders and triceps with no leg drive or bench, the overhead press is the smallest barbell lift for almost everyone, so a much lower number is normal.