Seated Dumbbell Press:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press Form Tips

Some consider the seated dumbbell press to be the best dumbbell shoulder exercise of all. This page provides some handy tips to get the most out of it.

If you aren't already familiar with the technique, you should read the basics of the dumbbell shoulder press.

Seated Dumbbell Press Tips. This exercise is pretty easy to get the hang of, but it is vital that you nail the subtleties and practice flawless execution in order to maintain healthy shoulders. Use the following technique tips to minimize your risk of injury and maximize the benefits of this shoulder press exercise.

• Back It Up. Keep your butt against the seat and backrest. You'll see some guys in the gym who slide so far forward and extend their upper torso backward so much that it's like they're performing the incline bench press (without an actual incline bench).
• Slightly Arch Your Back. You can lift more weight on the dumbbell shoulder press if your arch your back. Keep upper back and lower back touching the backrest, tighten your abs and arch your back by extending your chest and ribcage. Don't overdo it though. It should only be a slight back arch. Too much arching defeats the purpose of the exercise by taking focus off the deltoids.
• Don't Rotate Your Arms. Avoid moving the dumbbells forward and backward. This unnecessarily strains your rotator cuffs and shoulder joints. The dumbbell should remain directly above your elbow and your elbow should stay aligned with your hips.
• Keep Your Wrists Straight. Don't allow your wrists to bend backwards. It makes you weaker and it gives your arms a tendency to rotate backwards, which is bad for the shoulders.
• Tilt the Weights Inward. Target the deltoids better by slightly tilting the inside of each dumbbell toward the center-line of your body. In other words, raise the pinky-side of each hand, while lowering the thumb-side.
• Get a Spotter. It's very important to have a spotter on this exercise when you're using heavy weight. First, you could bop your head hard since you are moving heavy objects in and around that area. Second, since you're using dumbbells, you have less control. And so, if you hit failure and/or lose control, both weights will go in whichever directions momentum and gravity dictate; thereby forcing your delicate rotator cuffs into a rough situation.

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