Overhead pressing
Arnold press
- Kit
- Dumbbells
- Works
- front delts · side delts
- Also
- triceps · upper traps · core
The Arnold press is an overhead press with a rotation built in: you start with the dumbbells in front of your chest, palms facing you, and turn them out as you drive up. That rotation takes the shoulder through more range than a straight press, so it loads the front and side of the shoulder together. It suits anyone with light or moderate dumbbells who wants more out of the weight they own.
Form
How to do arnold press
- 1Stand or sit tall with a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent in front of your chest, palms turned toward your face and forearms close together.
- 2Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes so your ribs stay stacked over your hips, not flared forward.
- 3Press up while rotating your palms outward and away, so the dumbbells finish overhead with palms facing forward and arms almost straight. Breathe out as you drive up.
- 4Reverse the path exactly: lower the weights while rotating your palms back toward your face, until your elbows are in front of your chest again. Breathe in on the way down.
- 5Keep the tempo steady and controlled for the whole effort, and stop the set if the rotation starts turning into a shrug or a swing.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Arching the lower back to get the weight up.
Fix: Lighten the dumbbells and keep your ribs pulled down with the stomach braced so the shoulders do the work.
Pressing and rotating as two separate actions.
Fix: Start the turn as soon as the weights leave your chest so the rotation finishes at the same moment your arms straighten.
Letting the elbows flare wide at the bottom.
Fix: Bring your forearms back in front of your chest each time, close together, before starting the next press.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions