Training guide
A dumbbell shoulder press means pressing a dumbbell in each hand from your shoulders to straight arms overhead. Start seated on an upright bench with your back supported: rest the dumbbells on your thighs, use a knee to help each one up to your shoulder, then press up until your arms are straight, palms forward and elbows a little in front of your body, and lower slowly back to your shoulders. Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure.
Standing, you'll press about 10% less and your trunk works much harder; seated, you can load your shoulders with less to balance. Both build the front of your shoulders and your triceps, and no trial shows dumbbells beat a barbell or a machine. The risky moments are getting heavy dumbbells up and putting them down, not the press itself.
This guide covers the press step by step on the 3D figure, getting the dumbbells up and down safely, seated or standing, one arm or two, elbows, depth and grip, your shoulders and lower back, and how heavy and how many.
Sit tall on a bench set upright, a dumbbell at each shoulder, palms forward and elbows a little in front of your body. Press up until your arms are straight and the dumbbells nearly meet, then lower slowly back to your shoulders, without arching your back off the bench, as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) describes it.
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Rest them on your thighs, sit back and use a knee to help each one to your shoulder (the kick-up, coaching practice: we found no study of it), and at the end bring them back to your thighs before you stand. Weights dropping on the person caused 65.5% of US emergency department weight-training injuries and 78.4% of dumbbell injuries in a study from Victoria, Australia.
Standing, men pressed about 10% less with dumbbells than seated, and the shoulder muscles worked harder for each kilogram. Sitting with back support cut abdominal activity by about 81%. No trial has compared months of each.
In 16 men pressing seated, the dumbbell press worked the front deltoid at 74% of a maximal test effort, the side at 62% and the rear at 10%. Lateral raises and rows or face pulls cover the rest of the shoulder.
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You lift less with dumbbells, but across 13 studies free weights and machines built strength and muscle alike, and beginners' dumbbell presses rose just as much after 10 weeks on machines.
In weight trainers, signs of shoulder impingement went with raises and upright rows above shoulder height (the study's summary doesn't mention pressing), while behind-the-neck lifts went with signs of a loose shoulder. If you can only finish a rep by leaning back, the dumbbells are too heavy.
From our move page ("Sit on a bench with a back support, a dumbbell standing on end on each thigh"; "bring them back down to your thighs before you stand") and ACE's seated set-up. The knee kick-up is coaching practice, not tested in a study; the 2-second lowering is editorial.
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The movement on the figure: Dumbbell shoulder press (kick-up start)
The dumbbell shoulder press is also called the dumbbell overhead press or dumbbell military press. It's usually done seated with back support, or standing, with both arms together, alternating, one arm at a time or palms facing each other. ACE's version: "sit with your back against a back rest so that your head, shoulders and butt make contact with the bench", the dumbbells at shoulder-width or slightly wider. The barbell press has its own guide, our overhead press guide.
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Mainly the front of the shoulder (anterior deltoid) and the triceps, with the side of the shoulder and the upper trapezius helping and the rear of the shoulder barely used. In 16 experienced men pressing seated at 70% of their maximum for 5 reps, the front deltoid worked at 74% of a maximal test effort, the highest of 10 shoulder exercises, the side at 62% and the rear at about 10%. With a barbell at 60% for 12 reps in 13 trained men, it was 33.3%, 27.9% and 11.4%. Your shoulder blades turn upwards as the arms rise, which is what lets them get overhead.
Each arm steadies its own weight, so you lift less than with a barbell and the shoulder muscles work harder for each kilogram. A wobbly surface such as a Swiss ball only lowers the load: in 30 trained people, "as the instability of the exercise condition increased, the external load decreased", and a ball and a bench gave the same muscle activity in 16 men.
If you can't get your arms overhead without arching your back, press one arm at a time or seated, as our overhead press guide advises. There's no standard to hit: in 36 novice men, the estimated maximum for a standing dumbbell press started at about 12 kg (the paper doesn't say whether per dumbbell or per pair). Dumbbells go up in big steps (8 to 10 kg is 25%), so add reps before weight.
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We found no study of the knee kick-up or of putting dumbbells down: it's coaching practice, as our dumbbell bench press guide says. ACE only says to "slowly lift the dumbbells to your shoulder level", with a spotter standing behind you, hands close to your wrists.
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In US emergency departments from 1990 to 2007, "The most common mechanism of injury was weights dropping on the person (65.5%)", and 90.4% of weight-training injuries involved free weights. Of 111 dumbbell injuries in Victoria, 78.4% were weights falling or dropping on the person. In 15,348 recent US cases aged 14 to 35, dropped equipment caused 18.5% of women's and 12.1% of men's injuries, and from 2021 to 2024 drops and crushes were 27.2% of upper-limb weightlifting injuries. These are counts without any measure of how often people lift, so they can't say the press is riskier than other lifts.
Sit with the dumbbells standing on your thighs near your knees, lift one knee to help each dumbbell to your shoulder in turn, and press. At the end, lower them to your shoulders, then to your thighs, and stand up. Never drop them from overhead or from straight arms. If a rep fails, lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and then your thighs, as our overhead press guide says (coaching practice).
In 24 women with light dumbbells, pressing with the back rest at 85 degrees worked the front deltoid and upper trapezius more than at 45 degrees, which worked them more than lying flat. So set the bench upright, or one notch back if your shoulders prefer it (our suggestion); further back, it becomes an incline chest press, and lying down it's a chest press.
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In the one study of all four presses, 15 men at 80% of their maximum: "1-RM strength for standing dumbbells was ~7% lower than standing barbell (p = 0.002) and ~10% lower than seated dumbbells (p < 0.001)" (1-RM is the most you can lift once). Seated dumbbell presses drew about 15% less side-deltoid and 24% less rear-deltoid activity than standing ones. The standing dumbbell press drew the most deltoid activity of all, with the lowest maximum.
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In 15 men, abdominal (rectus abdominis) activity was "~81% lower in bilateral seated versus standing", the obliques were about 58% lower, and lower-back muscle activity was the same. Pressing on a wobble board added nothing to trunk work in 12 trained men, so a firm floor is enough.
Pressing one dumbbell at a time sharply raised the activity of the obliques (with two arms, it was 81% lower seated and 68% lower standing), and a one-arm press worked the back muscles that steady the trunk harder in 11 adults. It's a good option if one side is weaker, or for trunk work.
No trial has compared months of seated and standing pressing, and across 137 reviews the type of equipment didn't consistently change results. Start seated with your back supported (more load, less to balance, easier on a sore back); stand once the seated press is solid if you want the whole body involved (our suggestion).
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About 7% less than a barbell standing; in the bench press, dumbbells were 14% lighter than a Smith machine and 17% lighter than a barbell in 12 trained men.
Across 13 studies of 1,016 adults, free weights and machines raised strength and muscle alike when compared head to head, each improving most on its own kind of test, and the 2026 ACSM overview of 137 reviews found equipment didn't consistently change results.
36 novice men trained twice a week for 10 weeks, 3 sets at their 12-rep maximum. The estimated standing dumbbell press maximum rose from 12.1 to 16.1 kg with free weights, 11.7 to 15.8 kg with machines and 12.0 to 15.5 kg switching halfway, with no difference between groups. It's one small trial in beginners, with estimated maximums.
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In a 10-week chest press trial in 36 trained men, gains in the trained exercise tended to be bigger with dumbbells than with a Smith machine. If you want a bigger dumbbell press, practise the dumbbell press.
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The Arnold press adds a turn of the palms; our Arnold press guide covers it. Kettlebell and dumbbell presses at the same load worked the shoulder and back muscles about the same in 20 men, while a one-arm dumbbell press drew a little more front-deltoid activity than a kettlebell in 21 students (63.3% against 57.9%).
ACE: "For more comfort through the range-of-motion keep your elbows pointed in front of you." Keep your wrists over your elbows, forearms about upright, rather than flaring the elbows straight out with the wrists bent back.
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The space under the shoulder's bony roof narrowed from about 7.0 mm with the arm raised 30 degrees to 3.9 mm at 120 degrees in 12 volunteers, whatever the plane. In an MRI-based model of 20 people, pressing in the "scapular plane" gave no extra room high up, and the tendon had cleared the roof by about 90 degrees of arm raise. Your shoulder blades turn up as you press: let them, rather than pinning them back and down. Elbows a little forward is about comfort and a straight path, not proven protection (our reading).
In 11 trained men pressing a barbell seated, "narrower grips increased both load lifted, and shoulder, and elbow range of motion", with less turning force at the shoulder. No study has compared palms forward with palms facing each other in the dumbbell press; palms in keeps the elbows in front and often suits sore shoulders, as our overhead press guide says.
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Pressing to straight arms drew more activity in every muscle measured than stopping with the elbows bent, in 6 lifters, and a full range built more strength across reviews. Lower to your shoulders, the dumbbells beside your ears or a little below, then press to straight arms without snapping your elbows. Exactly how deep is coaching practice: no study has tested it in this press.
The kick-up press and the standing press at their move pages' dose, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 stopping with 2 or 3 reps in reserve (editorial there); the seated, palms-in and alternating presses at 3 sets of 8 to 12, and the one-arm presses at 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side (our editorial starting points); the Arnold press with a lighter pair.
3D demoDumbbell shoulder press (kick-up start)Intermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoSeated dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoStanding dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding palms-in dumbbell pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding alternating dumbbell pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoOne-arm dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding one-arm palm-in pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoArnold pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or boxOur overhead press guide's order and doses: the wall angel reach check; a band or machine press, 3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 or 3 reps short; the seated dumbbell press, 3 sets of 8 to 12 (move on at 3 sets of 10); the standing dumbbell press, 3 sets of 8 to 10 (move on at 3 sets of 10 without leaning back); then the barbell, the empty bar for 3 sets of 5.
3D demoWall angelBeginner · A wall
3D demoShoulder press with a bandBeginner · A band
3D demoMachine shoulder pressBeginner · Strength machine3D demoSeated dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box3D demoStanding dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbellPick dumbbells you think you could press 10 to 12 times, do 8, and keep 3 or 4 reps in the tank for your first two weeks, as our plans advise; people misjudge the reps they have left by about one.
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2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping 2 or 3 reps short (our move page's editorial dose), inside the American Heart Association's 1 to 3 sets of "moderate-intensity loads that permits 8 to 12 repetitions per set" and the ACSM's 8 to 12 repetition maximum for beginners. Heavier sets of 6 to 8 can come later; our shoulder workout uses 4 sets of 6 to 8 with a barbell.
You don't need to train to failure: across 15 studies it added a trivial amount of muscle at most. Stop 2 or 3 reps short, or when the press starts to turn into a lean back.
90 seconds to 2 minutes between sets, as our plans suggest for sets of 8 to 12; resting more than about a minute gave a small growth advantage across 9 studies.
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Once or twice a week, counted with your other pressing. About 10 or more hard sets a week per muscle built more, and strength rose most with 2 or more sessions a week. Count each press set as half a set for the side of your shoulders, as our lateral raise guide does.
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When every set reaches 12, take the next dumbbells and go back to 8, as our plans' double progression does. The ACSM adds 2 to 10% "when the individual can perform the current workload for one to two repetitions over the desired number"; dumbbell steps are often bigger, so you may need longer at the top of the range.
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Use lighter dumbbells and keep your back on the bench.
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Elbows a little in front, wrists stacked over your elbows.
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Lower to your shoulders and press to straight arms.
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Bring them close at the top without banging them, as our move page says.
Lower them to your shoulders, then your thighs, before you stand.
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Let the weaker arm set the reps, or press one arm at a time (our suggestion).
That's a push press, a different exercise; our push press guide teaches it.
Keep the dumbbells in front of your head, where you can see your hands.
Breathe out as you press.
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Keep shoulder pain to about 5 out of 10 or less during the exercise, back to its usual level by your next session, as our shoulder guides advise. A sharp pinch means lower, lighter or stop.
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Up to 36% of reported weight-training injuries are at the shoulder, mostly from studies looking back, but weight-training sports have low injury rates overall. In 46 weight trainers, signs of impingement (a pinching pain as the arm rises) went with lateral raises and upright rows above shoulder height; the study's summary doesn't mention pressing.
In a survey of 1,387 gym users, pain somewhere was reported by 31.7% of those doing barbell strict presses and 22.5% on the machine press; there was no dumbbell press question.
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In 123 weight trainers, behind-the-neck presses and pulldowns went with signs of a loose shoulder. One motion study called pressing behind the head safe only for people with ideal shoulder range and normal trunk control, and a hospital handout says "you must always be able to see your hands if you are looking straight ahead" and to "Start and finish overhead presses in front of the shoulder". Behind-the-neck presses work the side and rear of the shoulder more, but dumbbells press in front anyway: keep them there.
Our shoulder pain when doing overhead presses guide brings pressing back in steps: a band press, then a landmine press, then dumbbells with your palms facing in. While it hurts, the NHS says not to make up your own strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment, but not to stop using your shoulder completely.
Same day (NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre): a pop or tearing at the front of the armpit or chest during a lift, a dip or a tackle, followed by bruising into the chest or upper arm, a change in the shape of the chest or armpit (a thinner or lost armpit fold, or a chest or nipple that looks uneven), or weakness pushing. Don't wait for it to settle: it can be a torn pec tendon. In the US, go to urgent care.
We found no study of the load on the lower back in the dumbbell press. In 10 people, the lower-back muscles worked far harder in a front squat than in a military press, and the back rest didn't change their activity in a seated dumbbell press. The risk is the arch: ACE presses "without any arching in your low back". With back pain that's worse arching back, press seated with your back supported, as our overhead press guide says.
In 17 healthy men aged about 64, a one-arm military press of 10 reps at 70% of maximum peaked at 261 mmHg systolic blood pressure, below the 271 mmHg of about 3 minutes on a stair machine in the same men. With high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma, breathe out through the whole press rather than holding your breath, use weights you could lift 10 to 15 times, and leave maximal lifts until you've had advice, as our overhead press guide says.
Shoulder circles and band pull-aparts to warm up; lateral raises, 3 sets of 12 to 20, the last set 0 to 2 reps short; reverse flys, 3 sets of 12 to 15; face pulls, 3 sets of 12 to 20; band external rotations, 2 sets of 12 to 15 each arm (all from our shoulder workout at home); a chest-supported row, 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our dumbbell upper body workout B).
3D demoShoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBand pull-apartIntermediate · A band
3D demoDumbbell lateral raiseBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoBent-over reverse flyIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoFace pullIntermediate · A band
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoChest-supported dumbbell rowBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or boxThe shoulder workout at home is built round the seated dumbbell press; the overhead press technique workout walks the press ladder; the others use the dumbbell press inside an upper body, push or full-body session.
A 30-minute home shoulder workout with dumbbells or a band: presses, lateral raises for the side of the shoulder, and rear-shoulder and rotator cuff work.
30 minBeginner8 movesA band, A dumbbellA 30-minute practice session for the overhead press: check your overhead reach, groove it with a band and seated dumbbells, then press the empty bar.
30 minBeginner9 movesA band, A wallDumbbell upper body workout B: incline presses, chest-supported rows, seated presses, lateral raises, reverse flyes, hammer curls and skull crushers.
45 minIntermediate11 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxPush day B: seated dumbbell press, dumbbell bench press, cable flyes, cable lateral raises, dips and skull crushers, with sets, reps and rest.
50 minIntermediate11 movesA band, A dumbbellA gym upper body workout for chest, back, shoulders and arms: bench press, rows, presses, pulldowns, raises, curls and pushdowns.
50 minIntermediate13 movesA band, A barbellFull-body gym workout B: trap bar deadlifts, cable rows, seated dumbbell press, step-ups, leg curls, push-ups and a Pallof press.
50 minBeginner13 movesCardio machine, Other / check instructionsA 30-minute antagonist workout for climbers: push-ups and presses, band rotations, Y-T-W raises and face pulls, wrist and finger extensions, and a side plank.
30 minBeginner13 movesA band, A dumbbellThe seated dumbbell press comes round in these plans through their upper body, push and full-body workouts.
A 4-day dumbbell-only plan for home or gym: two upper and two lower days, every set, rep and rest, and how to keep progressing when the dumbbells max out.
4 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 3-day workout plan: three full-body gym sessions a week, alternating workouts A and B, with sets, reps, rest and an 8-week progression.
3 training days45 minBeginner6 days a weekA 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced3 days a weekA first gym plan for beginners: 3 days a week, starting on the machines, adding free weights and cardio, with what changes by week 12 and what comes next.
3 training days50 minBeginnerIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that feels tight, heavy or squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back; a sudden, extremely painful headache, especially while straining; someone who faints while exercising; or palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for sudden or very bad shoulder pain, an arm you can't move, a shoulder that has changed shape or is badly swollen, pins and needles that don't go away, no feeling in your arm or shoulder, an arm or shoulder that's hot or cold to touch, pain after an injury or a fall, severe pain in both shoulders, or feeling feverish or unwell. Go to A&E if, after an injury, you can't move your arm or your shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape. See a GP if shoulder pain is getting worse or hasn't improved after 2 weeks.
Call 999 or go to A&E: after a fall or injury, your shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape, you cannot move your arm, or your shoulder is painful, bruised or swollen. Do not drive yourself, and do not try to put it back in yourself.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): a sudden pop or snap with pain at the shoulder or upper arm during a lift, with or without a bulge low in the upper arm. It's usually a torn long head of the biceps. Most need no operation, but the rotator cuff can tear at the same time.
A pop or snap with sudden pain at the front of the elbow, especially with bruising, a gap at the front of the elbow or a bulge in the upper arm, can be a torn biceps tendon. Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E (in the US, urgent care) the same day, and don't wait for it to settle, as our biceps guides say.
A snap at the back of the elbow with sudden pain and weakness straightening the arm needs an urgent treatment centre or A&E.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): sudden weakness lifting the arm after an injury or fall. A rotator cuff tear caused by an injury needs urgent referral to a shoulder specialist. After a dislocation in anyone over 40, the rotator cuff should be checked: about 40% have a tear.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, the injured foot or hand has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin has changed colour or is cold to touch, as the NHS sprains and strains page lists. A headache after a blow to the head in the last 3 months is also a 999 or A&E matter, as the NHS headaches page lists. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
Aim for discomfort you'd call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning, as our back pain guides say. Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading down a leg are the exception: stop, and see our sciatica guide.
Neck pain, or pain or tingling down the arm: no behind-the-neck pressing, as our overhead press guide says. See a GP if neck pain comes with pins and needles or a cold arm, or hasn't gone after a few weeks.
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With controlled high blood pressure, the American Heart Association considers low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe. Breathe out as you lift, as our breathing guide advises.
With a pacemaker or defibrillator, the American Heart Association asks you to check with your doctor before upper-body strength training, because repeated arm movements can damage or dislodge the leads.
With glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, ask your eye team before lifting heavy, as our overhead press guide says.
See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
The NHS lists lifting heavy weights among the causes of a femoral hernia. After an inguinal hernia repair, avoid heavy lifting or strenuous activity for at least 4 to 6 weeks.
After heart surgery through the breastbone, or a heart or lung transplant, follow your surgeon's advice before pushing, pulling or lifting with your arms.
After breast cancer surgery or reconstruction, follow your surgical team's advice on when you can lift your arm above shoulder height, or push, pull or lift with it.
After a recent shoulder dislocation, or shoulder or elbow surgery, follow your surgical team's limits first.
The NHS says strength training at a gym is fine if you already do it. Press seated and upright with your back supported rather than lying back, and breathe out on the effort rather than holding your breath, as our overhead press guide says.
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Our move pages' caution: overhead pressing loads the shoulder in positions the spinal cord injury guideline advises limiting, so favour rows, pull-downs from shoulder height and rotator cuff work, and stop if it brings on shoulder pain. Our exercise for wheelchair users guide has more.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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Behind-the-neck lifts went with signs of a loose shoulder in weight trainers, the one motion study called it safe only with ideal shoulder range and trunk control, and a hospital handout says to avoid it. You don't need it: press in front.
Dumbbells drew more shoulder activity per kilogram but lifted less, and across many studies the type of equipment didn't consistently change strength or muscle gains. Use what you can do well and progress.
Standing raised abdominal activity about fivefold against seated, but no trial has shown it builds a stronger trunk than other trunk training.
Seated, you lift about 10% more with less to balance. It's a standard press and the beginner's starting point on our ladder.
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It's comfortable, but the space under the shoulder's roof narrows most at 90 to 120 degrees whatever the plane, and a model found no extra room for the scapular plane high up.
Impingement signs in gym-goers went with raises and upright rows above shoulder height (the study's summary doesn't mention pressing), and weight-training sports have low injury rates. Press in front, build up gradually, and change the press if it pinches.
They turn up as you press, which lets your arms get overhead; pinning them fights that, as our overhead press guide explains.
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Sit on an upright bench with your back supported and a dumbbell at each shoulder, palms forward and elbows a little in front of your body. Breathe out and press up until your arms are straight and the dumbbells nearly meet, then lower slowly back to your shoulders. Don't arch your back off the bench.
Sit with them standing on your thighs near your knees, then lift one knee to help each dumbbell up to your shoulder in turn. At the end, lower them to your shoulders, then your thighs, before you stand. This is coaching practice rather than something studies have tested, but dropped weights cause most dumbbell injuries.
Both build the shoulders. Seated, you'll lift about 10% more with less to balance; standing, your shoulder muscles work harder for each kilogram and your abdominals much harder. Start seated, and stand once the seated press is solid if you like.
Mainly the front of your shoulders and your triceps, with the side of the shoulder and the upper trapezius helping. In one study the front deltoid worked at 74% of a maximal effort, the side at 62% and the rear at only 10%, so add rows or face pulls for the back of your shoulders.
A little in front of your body, with your wrists over your elbows, which most people find comfortable. Elbows forward isn't proven to protect the shoulder, and elbows out isn't proven to harm it; go with what lets you press smoothly without a pinch.
Back to your shoulders, with the dumbbells beside your ears or a little below, then press to straight arms. A fuller range built more strength in studies. If the bottom pinches, stop a little higher and lighten the load.
No study has compared them in this press. Palms facing each other keeps the elbows in front and often suits sore shoulders, so use whichever is comfortable.
Neither builds more muscle in trials. You'll lift about 7% less with dumbbells standing, and each arm works on its own; a barbell lets you add weight in smaller steps.
Pick a pair you think you could press 10 to 12 times, do 8, and keep 3 or 4 reps in the tank for your first two weeks. There's no standard to hit: compare yourself with yourself, and add reps before weight because dumbbell steps are big.
2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping 2 or 3 reps short, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes' rest, once or twice a week. When every set reaches 12, take the next dumbbells and go back to 8.
Usually because you're arching to finish each rep. Sit with your back on the bench, lighten the dumbbells, and end the set when you start to lean back. Pain that travels down a leg needs checking.
We found no study showing that it is. In gym-goers, signs of impingement went with raises and upright rows above shoulder height, while pressing behind the neck went with signs of a loose shoulder. Press in front of your head and keep pain to about 5 out of 10, settled by your next session.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
