How to do the dumbbell shoulder press
A shoulder press that lets each arm find its own path, so it suits beginners, home gyms and anyone whose shoulders don't like a barbell overhead.
The Helthy team · Updated · 6 min read
- Works
- Front delts
- Also works
- Side delts, Triceps
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Level
- Beginner
The dumbbell shoulder press is the easiest way to start pressing overhead, and plenty of experienced lifters never move past it. Each arm works on its own, so your shoulders can settle into whatever angle suits them instead of following a fixed bar, and a weaker side can't hide behind the stronger one. You need a pair of dumbbells and a bench with an upright back. If you have a rack and want to load heavier, the barbell overhead press is the other option; if not, this can be your main shoulder lift.
How to do a dumbbell shoulder press
- Set the bench back one notch below vertical. Fully upright is fine too, but a slight lean (around 80 to 85 degrees) is more comfortable for most people and still keeps the work on your shoulders.
- Get the dumbbells to your shoulders. Sit with the dumbbells standing on your thighs, then drive one knee up at a time to kick each one to shoulder height as you lean back into the pad.
- Set your start position. The dumbbells sit just outside your shoulders at about chin height, palms facing forward or turned slightly in. Your elbows point down and a little in front of your body, not straight out to the sides.
- Brace against the pad. Plant your feet, take a breath, and keep the back of your ribcage and your upper back in contact with the bench. Your lower back keeps its natural small curve and no more.
- Press up and slightly in. The dumbbells travel up and toward each other so they nearly touch above your head, finishing directly over your shoulders with your elbows straight.
- Lower until the dumbbells are level with your shoulders. Take one to two seconds on the way down and stop when the handles reach shoulder height, which for most people puts the upper arms at or a little below parallel to the floor.
You should feel it in the front and sides of your shoulders, with your triceps doing more near the top. A sharp or pinching feeling at the front of the shoulder isn't normal. Try bringing your elbows further forward first, and if that doesn't fix it, shorten the bottom of the range a little.
Cues that help mid-set
"Elbows a little in front." Think of your elbows sitting about a hand's width ahead of your torso at the bottom. It puts your shoulders in a stronger, more comfortable position and fixes most elbow flare on its own.
"Punch the ceiling." A fast, deliberate push upward keeps the dumbbells moving vertically instead of drifting out to the sides.
"Draw a tall, narrow A." The dumbbells start wide at the bottom and meet near the top. If they're traveling in a wide arc, like a lateral raise with a press on the end, this cue tightens the path.
"Back of your ribs on the pad." If your chest keeps lifting toward the ceiling as the set gets hard, this stops the arch before it starts.
Common mistakes
Flaring the elbows too far back. When the elbows point straight out to the sides (or behind you) at the bottom, the shoulder joint sits in a position a lot of people find uncomfortable, and it tends to cause that pinch at the front. It usually comes from copying the bottom of a barbell press with too wide a hand position. Bring the elbows forward and turn your palms in slightly, and the pinch usually goes away.
Arching the lower back. As the set gets harder, the chest lifts, the lower back peels off the pad and the press turns into a steep incline press. The weight is almost always too heavy. Keep your ribs down against the pad and pick a pair you can press with your back still in contact.
Stopping short at the top or bottom. Lowering only to forehead height or stopping with soft elbows lets you handle heavier dumbbells, but you skip the stretch at the bottom and the triceps work at the top. Bring the handles to shoulder level and finish with straight arms every rep.
Letting one side lag. One dumbbell rises faster or finishes higher than the other, and over time the stronger side does more of the work. Press both together and let the slower arm set the pace. If the gap is big, do a few weeks of single-arm presses and start each set with your weaker arm.
Clanging the dumbbells together at the top. Banging them together looks committed but shifts them out over your head and off balance. Stop just short of touching.
Sets, reps and how much weight to use
Dumbbell pressing works best in moderate to higher rep ranges. For muscle growth, do 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12. For strength, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 is about as low as we'd go, because heavy dumbbells are awkward to get into position and a failed rep has nowhere safe to go. Use a weight you could still press 2 or 3 more times with good form, and rest about two minutes between sets.
Do it first on a shoulder day, or second after a chest press on an upper-body day. If your working sets use 40 lb (18 kg) dumbbells, warm up with a set of 10 with 20 lb (9 kg) and a set of 5 with 30 lb (14 kg).
Most beginners start somewhere between 10 and 20 lb (5 to 9 kg) per hand. The awkward part of progressing is the jumps: going from 25 lb to 30 lb dumbbells is a 20% increase, like adding 40 lb to a 200 lb squat in one go. So add reps first. Once you can do all your sets at the top of your rep range, move up to the next pair and start again at the bottom of the range. There's more on this in our progressive overload guide.
Here's roughly what people use for their normal working sets, per dumbbell:
| Bodyweight | beginner | intermediate | advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 25 lb (11 kg) | 45 lb (20 kg) |
| 160 lb (73 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 30 lb (14 kg) | 55 lb (25 kg) |
| 190 lb (86 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 40 lb (18 kg) | 65 lb (29 kg) |
| 220 lb (100 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 45 lb (20 kg) | 75 lb (34 kg) |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 25 lb (11 kg) | 50 lb (23 kg) | 90 lb (41 kg) |
Take these loosely. Dumbbell numbers vary more than barbell numbers because the setup, the bench angle and how deep you go all change them.
Variations and alternatives
- Standing dumbbell press: no back support, so your abs and glutes have to hold you upright. Expect to use a little less weight. Good if you want the whole-body demand of the barbell version.
- Neutral-grip press: palms facing each other the whole way up. It's the most shoulder-friendly version and a good default if the standard grip ever feels pinchy.
- Single-arm press: one dumbbell at a time, holding the other side still. Useful for fixing a strength gap and it trains your trunk to resist leaning.
- Arnold press: start with palms facing you and rotate them forward as you press. It adds range at the bottom, although the rotation makes it hard to load heavily.
- Shoulder press machine: the same movement on a fixed path. Handy when you want to push sets close to failure without worrying about balance.
- Overhead press: the barbell version, for when you want to load heavier and progress in smaller steps.
Dumbbell shoulder press questions
Is the dumbbell press better than the barbell press?
Neither is better for muscle growth; both will build your shoulders. Dumbbells are easier on most people's joints and show up imbalances. The barbell lets you use more total weight and progress in smaller jumps. If you only do one, pick whichever your shoulders feel better with.
Should I sit or stand?
Sit, for most people. The back pad removes the balance problem and makes it hard to lean back, so you can focus on your shoulders and use a bit more weight. Standing is a good variation once you're comfortable with the movement.
How do I get heavy dumbbells into position?
Use your legs. Stand the dumbbells on end on your thighs, then kick them up one knee at a time as you sit back. At the end of the set, lower them to your shoulders and then to your thighs, rather than dropping them out to the sides, which is hard on your shoulders and your neighbors.
How low should the dumbbells go?
To shoulder height, where the handles are about level with your chin. Going deeper stretches the shoulder more but many people get a pinch there. If shoulder height feels fine, stay there.