Although in many gyms the free weight area seems to attract mainly males who wish to add muscle mass, the dumbbell shoulder press is an exercise which is beneficial to anyone looking to increase their fitness and functionality. The dumbbell shoulder press recruits the shoulders (deltoids), the triceps (three headed muscle to the rear of the upper arm), and a handful of other muscles which assist the movement.
How to execute the exercise
The shoulder press is a basic push compound exercise. Below we will illustrate how to perform the seated dumbbell shoulder press, and for this you will need a set of suitable weighted dumbbells, a padded seat (or an adjustable incline bench) and sufficient space. The exercise can be performed standing, although this would be much harder to spot if training with a partner.
• Sit upright on the seat with a sound posture (back straight, torso upright, chest up).
• Grasp both dumbbells and bring them to shoulder level, so each dumbbell is located to the side of either shoulder and the wrists are above the elbows. Flare the arms outwards so in line with the body.
• Whilst remaining seated with sound posture, press the dumbbells above your head by extending the arms. Stop just shy of lockout.
• Reverse the movement in a controlled fashion so both dumbbells end up at either side of the shoulders again.
• Repeat for repetitions.
It is important to not allow the dumbbells to rest on your shoulders in between each repetition. The dumbbells should be brought to (or just above) shoulder height, but held in position.
Which muscles are recruited?
The primary muscle recruited during the shoulder press is unsurprisingly the shoulders, especially the front head of the shoulders, the anterior deltoid head. The side (or lateral) head is also significantly stimulated, although the level of stimulus is somewhat less than the front head. The rear head of shoulders receives minimal stress from the over head press.
The triceps is also strongly recruited during the shoulder press, with the triceps contracting to extend the arms as the dumbbells are brought upwards. There are additional muscles which play a role during the exercise, such as the trapezius structure, the diamond shape muscle which runs from the back of the neck to the centre of the back, as well as the upper chest (clavicular head).
Overall, the shoulder press is an effective upper body exercise for targeting the so called “push” muscle groups; shoulders, triceps and chest.
Who may benefit from the shoulder press?
The compound nature of the shoulder press means the exercise is an effective choice for anyone who wishes to enhance their upper body strength or power. The pushing muscles of the upper body are especially important for many contact sports such as rugby, as well as athletic events. Powerlifters and strongmen competitors will also have a keen interest in this exercise. Such trainees would likely perform the shoulder press within a low to moderate repetition to enhance power and strength. Strongmen competitors may vary their repetition range due to the varied nature of the strongmen events, where muscle endurance is also needed.
Bodybuilders will likely choose to use of a moderate repetition range with the aim of inducing muscle hypertrophy (growth). The exercise may be implemented as part of an upper body split, a full body split, a push split, or a specific shoulder session.
Any gym goer who wishes to increase their fitness and overall aesthetics will benefit from the shoulder press. The exercise is effective at targeting various muscle groups and would work well as part of a full body split.
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