Open Exercise

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Catalogue

Dumbbell Bradford Press

oec:dumbbell-bradford-press

An overhead press variation where dumbbells are pressed just over head height and alternated between front and rear shoulder positions under continuous tension.

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: DB Bradford Press

How to do it

Setup

  1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Bring the dumbbells to your front clavicles in a standard overhead press rack position with palms facing forward or slightly angled.

Movement

  1. Press the dumbbells upward just high enough to clear the top of your head without locking out your elbows.
  2. Shift the dumbbells slightly backward over your crown and lower them under control to the sides of your neck behind your head.
  3. Immediately reverse the movement, pressing the dumbbells just over the top of your head again and returning them to the front rack position to complete one rep.

Breathing

Inhale as you lower the weights to each side and exhale smoothly as you press over the top of your head.

Cues

  • Skim the top of your head.
  • Maintain continuous tension without locking out.
  • Keep your ribs pulled down and glutes tight.

Common faults

Pressing into full overhead lockout.
Only press high enough to safely clear the crown of your head to maintain continuous tension on the deltoids.
Excessively hyperextending the lumbar spine when moving behind the head.
Brace the abdominals firmly and ensure adequate shoulder mobility before attempting behind-the-head transitions.
Using excessively heavy weights.
Select light to moderate dumbbells to maintain smooth, uninterrupted control throughout the arc.

Safety

  • Avoid this exercise if you experience shoulder impingement or lack the active external rotation required to safely handle loads behind the neck.

Muscles

  • Front deltoid prime mover
  • Side deltoid prime mover
  • Triceps brachii synergist
  • Upper trapezius synergist
  • Serratus anterior synergist
  • Rear deltoid synergist
  • Rotator cuff stabilizer
  • Rectus abdominis stabilizer

Joints

  • Shoulder: Abduction, Flexion, Horizontal abduction, Horizontal adduction
  • Shoulder blade: Upward rotation, Elevation
  • Elbow: Extension, Flexion

Details

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

Sources

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

dumbbell-bradford-press.json