Dumbbell Military Shoulder Press

by JP – Updated: 09/24/2016

Muscles Used    •    Exercise Type    •    Form Instruction    •    Tips and Techniques    •    Recommended Reps    •    Common Variations    •    Substitutions    •    Equipment Needed

Bottom	Top

Primary Mover(s)	Muscles Used:	Secondary Mover(s)
Delts (F)		Delts (S) Traps Triceps
		Other Mover(s)
		Biceps, Pecs

See all the exercises at the:
Weight Training Exercises Database

– Dumbbell Military Shoulder Press –

Compound Exercise, Push Movement

Seated, grasp dumbbells with overhand grip and hold to the shoulders with palms forward. Press dumbbells overhead until arms are nearly locked and lower back down.

Can be done standing or seated. Standing adds minor benefit by bringing in some stabilizer muscles but this isn’t a big deal (do what feels most comfortable to you). You can also use a bench with back support (the support should be just slightly inclined). Both arms can do the lift simultaneously or you can alternate arms for increased range of motion.

When seated, you can use your legs to help push the dumbbells up to your shoulders if necessary. Don’t go too heavy here though, good form and a challenging weight will produce more muscle growth than bad form and an ego-trip.

It should NOT be a goal to clank the dumbbells together at the top of the exercise as is sometimes advised. At the top of the exercise you want your hands to be just a bit outside of your shoulders. If that means your dumbbells touch, that’s fine. But moving the shoulders together to get that “clank” is a bad idea as it can create unnecessary shoulder strain.

You can bring the dumbbells down to your shoulders (more difficult) or stop them at the point where your arms are making 90 degree angles which will allow you the majority of the exercise’s benefits.

A key point with the dumbbell press is keeping the elbows to the sides and not letting them venture too far forward. They should be kept in the same position or just slightly back as it would be if you were using a barbell – where the goal would be to keep the barbell moving up and down as close to the body as possible.

You can allow the palms to go where they feel most comfortable for you (instead of forward, they can move slightly closer to facing each other).

6-12 the majority of the time, trying higher or lower reps on occasion.

The Arnold Press is a similar dumbbell exercise that involves all 3 of the deltoid heads (Front, Side, Rear).

Dumbbells and Weights