Modify a common exercise to suit your needs, your body, and your mood.
Adding the shoulder press to your training program might be beneficial given how often you lift your arms over your head, frequently carrying a heavy weight. It helps develop strength, especially through the shoulder, and works it through its complete range of motion with control, which crosses over to a lot of your regular tasks.
The front, medial, and lateral deltoids, which all assist in moving your arms in all directions and guard and support your shoulder joints, are the three primary muscles in your shoulders that are put to the test by shoulder presses. The exercise also strengthens your triceps since they have to help you lower the weight slowly back to your shoulders. Your core is needed to maintain your trunk firm and erect during the whole exercise.
There are adjustments, progressions, and alternatives you may use to make the seated shoulder press perform the greatest for your physique and desires, even though it is often the preferred exercise to target these muscles. Choose a modified shoulder press version that focuses on your upper body if you’re completely new to the exercise or want to perfect your technique with a high weight, for instance. Do you want to correct muscular imbalances or enhance your overall coordination? You may take steps toward achieving such objectives by doing simple shoulder press variants. And by completing a shoulder press with a minor variation in grip, you may strengthen yourself without aggravating shoulder discomfort if you’re already experiencing it.
Translation: Whatever your skills or level of fitness, you can modify the shoulder press so it’s a welcome—not dreaded—addition to your exercise regimen. Since the shoulder press has so many practical applications, Larson advises everyone to include some variation of it into their weekly exercise routine. Find the press that works for you by modifying it in the many ways that are available.
Are you prepared to put the upper-body workout to the test and work on your IRL movement patterns? Practice the sitting shoulder press using the instructions below, and then watch as Larson shows you how to change it up with nine other shoulder press variants that are suitable for people of various fitness levels and talents.
Seated Shoulder Press Technique
with a dumbbell in your hands and your feet flat on the ground. sit on a bench with your core tightened. Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing forward. Here is where everything begins.
When exhaling, push the dumbbells directly overhead until the biceps are close to the ears and the wrists are stacked precisely over the shoulders. Keep your core active.
Lower the weights to the starting position while inhaling, bending elbows.
9 Different Shoulder Presses
The sitting shoulder press is a useful exercise that may help you develop upper-body strength and learn functional movement patterns, but it shouldn’t be your only option. Don’t be hesitant to experiment with alternative shoulder press variants that work with your body, objectives, and present requirements if the standard exercise doesn’t feel right for you.
Here, you’ll discover shoulder press modifications that increase or decrease the difficulty of the exercise as well as replacements that will enable you to achieve certain fitness objectives, such as improved coordination, stronger shoulders, or muscular balance. Also, Larson offers shoulder press variants that are gentle on the joints if you have shoulder discomfort and get your heart pumping when you need some cardio.
Whatever variant you choose, keep in mind to keep your elbows slightly in front of your chest rather than parallel to it. You shouldn’t have a perfectly straight upper body. At the beginning posture, she says, “you want to be able to see your hands or the dumbbells in your peripheral vision. This helps to more effectively target the muscles you wish to train while reducing stress on the tendons and ligaments in the shoulder.
While you push through your repetitions, keep listening to your body. If anything doesn’t feel right, try a new activity.
Scaling Down Shoulder Press: Half-Kneeling Strict Press.
The thought of raising a pair of dumbbells into the air might be a little intimidating, regardless of whether you are a shoulder-press novice or an experienced lifter looking to increase your weights. Reducing the intensity and switching to this shoulder press variant, in which you kneel on the floor and raise one weight at a time. Since you’re closer to the ground, it may be less daunting and simpler to drop the weight if you fail the exercise. It also enables you to concentrate just on one arm at a time. Kneeling instead of standing provides you a strong foundation, meaning your core won’t have to work as hard to keep you upright and steady.
Kneel down while keeping your knees at a 90-degree angle and a dumbbell in your right hand. While maintaining the right knee on the ground, extend the left leg forward and put the foot flat on the ground. Lift the right elbow a few inches in front of the body, out to the side, at chest height. with the left arm outstretched and the right palm facing forward. Here is where everything begins.
When exhaling, push the dumbbell directly overhead until the biceps are close to the ear and the wrist stacks are directly over the shoulder. Keep your core active.
Lower your dumbbells back to the starting position while inhaling; bend your elbow.
Single-Leg Standing Strict Press as a Shoulder Press Variant to Increase Level
If doing a standing shoulder press is easy for you, you may want to attempt a single-leg standing stringent press to enhance the difficulty. According to Larson, the shoulder press variant tests your stability and core strength since you’ll have to work harder to remain steady. It also puts stress on your hip flexors on the raised leg.
With dumbbells in each hand while standing your feet hip-width apart and your abs tight. Raise the left knee toward the hips. Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing inward. Here is where everything begins.
When exhaling, push the dumbbells directly overhead until the biceps are close to the ears and the wrists are stacked precisely over the shoulders. Keep your core active.
Lower your weights back to the starting position while inhaling, bending your elbows.
Strict Press as a Shoulder Press Variant for Functional Strength
Turn to the rigorous press, in which you stand straight and press a pair of dumbbells squarely above to increase your functional strength and stability. In real life, “you do a lot with your arms in that above motion,” she says. And a tight press helps to develop a pretty powerful and comfortable posture, making it simple to accomplish when you run into it in daily life.
With your feet at hip-width apart and your abs tight, Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing. Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing forward. Here is where everything begins.
When exhaling, push the dumbbells directly overhead until the biceps are close to the ears and the wrists are stacked precisely over the shoulders. Keep your core active.
Thruster: An Alternative to the Shoulder Press for Cardio Boost
This shoulder press variant combines strength training with cardio in a very difficult way. According to Larson, you should squat down at the top of each rep before pressing up as hard as you can. This will help you lift the dumbbells above and raise your heart rate. Also, the exercise tests the stability of your shoulders. As you reach the lock-out position, you must be able to stabilize the joint and then manage the weight as you lower yourself since you are moving so swiftly and powerfully, she says.
As you drop the weights back to the beginning position, inhale deeply and bend your elbows.
An Alternate to the Shoulder Press for Boosting Cardio
This shoulder press variation is a particularly challenging approach to combining strength training and cardio. Larson recommends squatting at the end of each rep and then pressing up as hard as you can. You can lift the dumbbells above and increase your heart rate by doing this. The exercise also examines the steadiness of your shoulders. Since you are moving so quickly and strongly when you reach the lock-out position, you must be able to stabilize the joint and then control the weight as you lower yourself, she advises.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Maintain the arms at a 90-degree angle with the elbows lifted a few inches in front of the torso at chest level. palms inward facing. This marks the start of everything.
By leaning back into your hips and bending your knees to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor or almost so, you can keep your chest up and prevent rounding your back.
By leaning back into your hips and bending your knees to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor or almost so, you can keep your chest up and prevent rounding your back.
Press the dumbbells directly above while simultaneously straightening your knees through your feet as you exhale, stacking your wrists squarely over your shoulders, and positioning your biceps near your ears.
As you inhale, flex your elbows and return the weights to their initial position. elbows.
Rotating the shoulder press may help balance out muscle imbalances.
hold while A small strength differential between your arms is totally acceptable, but severe imbalances might result in compensatory movement patterns and an enhanced risk of injury. There is no access to the alternative shoulder press. According to Larson, correcting any asymmetries will be made easier by exercising each arm independently. Your non-dominant side is given some breathing room while the dominant side is operating when you do it alternately.
With dumbbells in each hand while standing with your feet hip-width apart and your abs tight. Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing inward. Here is where everything begins.
Press the dumbbell in your right hand straight above while exhaling so your wrist stacks are directly over your shoulder and your biceps are near your ears. Keep your core active.
While inhaling Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position; bend your elbow. Next, push again on the left side.
Doppler Press Push Press is an alternative to Push Through Plateaus.
Having trouble finishing the last few repetitions or increasing the weight? Attempt a push press, advises Larson, in which your lower body will assist in pushing the weights upward. To lift the weights above, however, you will just slightly bend your knees, unlike the squat-based thruster. She says that this little bump in power may help you finish your set or perhaps lift higher weights that you couldn’t quite do with a conventional press. The push press may help you break through any training plateaus and get used to the sensation of a greater weight traveling overhead, according to Larson. You may go to a strict press with the same weight after you’re confident with the larger load in a push press, she says.
Standing with your feet hip-width apart and your core firm, raise your elbows a few inches in front of your body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in your arms while gripping a dumbbell in each hand. palms inward facing. This is where it all starts.
Keep your core active.
Lower your weights back to the start position while inhaling, bending your elbows.
Rotational Shoulder Press: A Shoulder Press Variant to Enhance Coordination
This shoulder press variant calls for tremendous synchronization between your hips, shoulders, and core as you spin at the trunk while extending one arm above, according to Larson. She also points out that athletes who play rotational sports like tennis or basketball may find this approach to be very helpful.
Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing inward. Here is where everything begins.
Here is where everything begins.
Press the dumbbell in your right hand squarely above while exhaling, bringing your biceps up to your ears. While simultaneously turning the trunk to the left, elevate the right heel off the floor while maintaining a stable core.
While simultaneously turning the trunk to the left, elevate the right heel off the floor while maintaining a stable core.
Rotate the trunk back to the beginning position while bending the elbow and lowering the dumbbell on an inhalation. Next, push again on the left side.
Arnold Press: A Shoulder Press Variation for Strengthening the Whole Shoulder
Muscle Group
Arnold Press: A Shoulder Press Variation for Strengthening the Whole Shoulder Muscle Group
This shoulder press variant efficiently works all three of your deltoids because of a 180-degree rotation that occurs midway through the exercise, according to Larson. “This may be a very wonderful alternative if someone is truly seeking to gain size in their shoulder muscles,” she continues. Nevertheless, Larson advises against using this motion if you have a history of shoulder trouble or injuries since it might place too much strain on the joint.
Your abs tense while you stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold weights in each hand. Raise your elbows to chest height while keeping your arms bent. Tuck your elbows into your body with your palms facing inward. Here is where everything begins.
When exhaling, push the dumbbells squarely above, turning your arms so your palms face front and your biceps are adjacent to your ears. Keep your core active.
Lower the dumbbells back to the beginning position while bending your elbows and inhaling. Rotate your arms so your palms are once again facing your body.
Neutral Grip Press: An Alternative Shoulder Press for Shoulder Pain
The neutral grip press is the best exercise for those with shoulder discomfort because it relieves strain on the shoulder joint by keeping the weights near your body’s midline. She also points out that the shoulder press variant targets the triceps more specifically than the standard exercise does.
Raise elbows a few inches in front of the body at chest height while maintaining a 90-degree bend in the arms. palms facing inward. Here is where everything begins.
Keep your core active.
As you drop the weights back to the beginning position, inhale deeply and bend your elbows.