Dumbbell Shoulder Press | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Shoulders
Secondary muscles: Triceps, upper back, chest
Equipment: Dumbbells

DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS INSTRUCTIONS

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
2. With your palms facing forward and your elbows under your wrists, position the dumbbells at your shoulders.
3. Push the dumbbells up and fully extend your arms.
4. Lower the dumbbells back down to your shoulders and repeat the movement until the set is complete.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

Keep your back straight, open your chest, face forward and exhale as you push the dumbbells up and over your head. Engage your core muscles to give back support, and maintain your hands shoulder-width apart.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The dumbbell shoulder press strengthens your upper body and helps to tone and slim down your arms, shoulders and back. This is a great exercise to increase muscle power and improve your upper body aesthetics.

DEMONSTRATION

SETS AND REPS

To tone and sculpt your upper body use lighter dumbbells and do 30 second to 1 minute sets. Combine the dumbbell shoulder press with bodyweight squats, split squats or lunges, to burn even more calories and maximize your workout. If your goal is to build muscle and gain strength, grab a set of heavier dumbbells and perform 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions, focusing only on your upper body.

CALORIES BURNED

To calculate the number of calories burned doing the dumbbell shoulder press, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

RELATED UPPER BODY EXERCISES

Try these other upper body exercises to tone, tighten and sculpt your triceps, biceps, chest, upper back and shoulders:
Chest fly
Dumbbell pullover
Dumbbell chest press
Dumbbell punches