Dumbbell Arnold Press

oec:dumbbell-arnold-press

A seated overhead press variation where dumbbells are rotated from a supinated chest position to a pronated overhead position.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Arnold Press, Arnold Shoulder Press, Schwarzenegger Press, Rotational Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Corkscrew Press, Palm-to-Palm Overhead Press

How to do it

Setup

Set an adjustable bench to an upright angle (roughly 75 to 90 degrees).
Sit firmly against the back pad with your feet planted flat on the floor.
Bring the dumbbells to upper-chest level with elbows tucked in front of you, forearms vertical, and palms facing inward toward your body.

Movement

Press the dumbbells upward while simultaneously flaring your elbows out to the sides.
Rotate your wrists smoothly as the weights ascend so that your palms face forward at the top of the lift.
Lock out your arms overhead without violently hyperextending your elbows.
Lower the dumbbells along the reverse path, rotating your palms back toward your torso as your elbows return to the starting position in front of your chest.

Breathing

Inhale as you lower the weights to the chest, and exhale forcefully as you rotate and press the dumbbells overhead.

Cues

Smooth twist on the way up.
Elbows in at the bottom, elbows out at the top.
Stay glued to the back pad.

Common faults

Rotating the wrists completely before beginning the upward press.: Synchronize the rotation with the upward pressing motion so the turn happens fluidly across the middle third of the range.
Excessively arching the lower back to press the load.: Brace your core, keep your lower back in contact with the bench, and reduce the weight if necessary.
Flaring the elbows immediately without an active upward drive.: Initiate the press upward from the front deltoids before opening the elbows wide into the frontal plane.

Safety

Avoid using excessively heavy weights that compromise rotational shoulder control.

Muscles

Front deltoid prime mover
Side deltoid prime mover
Triceps brachii synergist
Pectoralis major, clavicular head synergist
Upper trapezius synergist
Serratus anterior synergist
Rotator cuff stabilizer

Joints

Shoulder: Flexion, Abduction, External rotation
Elbow: Extension
Shoulder blade: Upward rotation, Elevation
Forearm: Pronation

Details

Movement: Vertical push
Modality: Hypertrophy, Strength
Mechanics: compound
Force: push
Laterality: bilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: intermediate
Equipment: Dumbbell; Adjustable bench or Flat bench
Record: Repetitions and Load
Load: external, per implement

variation of Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
variation of Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
substitute for Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
substitute for Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Sources

wger: Arnold Shoulder Press, by trzr23 (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

dumbbell-arnold-press.json