Keeping your shoulders in optimal shape to prevent injuries is very important since you constantly use the muscles and tendons1 in them to do daily tasks. As such, the aptly named shoulder press has been recommended by health and fitness experts to strengthen these two important joints.
If you’re curious about the ideal way to do a shoulder press, this guide will help you learn how to do it correctly without raising your injury risk.
What Is a Shoulder Press?
Also called an overhead press2 or military press,3 a shoulder press exercise is done by lifting a barbell (or a dumbbell in other variations) upward from your shoulders, until your arms are extended above your head.4
In a Women’s Health article, New York City-based trainer Emily Samuel notes that the shoulder press can work on muscles like the deltoids (found in the upper area of your shoulder5), trapezius, triceps and rotator cuffs.6 A shoulder press may also target your core muscles better than a crunch, and aid in strength building so you can carry heavier loads during upper body lifts.7
How to Do a Shoulder Press
If you’re interested in including this move into your workout routine, follow these instructions on how to do a basic standing dumbbell shoulder press, adapted from MSN:8
![shoulder press]()
1. Grab a set of dumbbells and place them at shoulder height. Ensure that both arms are bent, and palms are facing forward and away from the body. Stand up with feet shoulder-width apart.
2. While holding dumbbells tightly, press shoulders up until elbows are locked out then pause.
3. Slowly lower shoulders to starting position.
This dumbbell shoulder press works the muscles of your shoulders, triceps and upper back.9 Once you have mastered this move and want to take your workouts up a notch, you can perform other shoulder press variations (more on these to come later).
Shoulder Press Benefits, as Proven by Studies
A 2013 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study revealed that the standing dumbbell shoulder press produced “the highest neuromuscular activity of the deltoid muscles, although this was the exercise with the lowest 1-RM [one-repetition] maximum strength.”10
Authors of a 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery article also discovered that a shoulder press entailed “less scapular internal rotation, greater upward rotation and greater posterior tilt” compared to a shoulder flexion.11
Because of these qualities, this particular exercise can be recommended to people undergoing rehabilitation of their scapula or shoulder blade12 and shoulder.13 Researchers add that the shoulder press is “ … a useful re-education exercise (if pain allows) for patients with decreased scapular external rotation, upward rotation, and posterior tilting.”14
Lastly, results of a 2015 Journal of Athletic Training study highlighted that participants who did strength training exercises like a shoulder press, bench press, lat pull down and seated row at equivalent intensities exhibited improved joint position sense (JPS), and in effect enhanced muscle spindle sensitivity and neuromuscular control in their shoulders.15
Other Types of Shoulder Press
If you want to challenge yourself, you can try doing shoulder press variations that target multiple muscles:
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
To exercise your abs, shoulders or lats (in your middle and lower back16), this exercise can do the job:17
![seated dumbbell shoulder press]()
1. Sit down on a bench that provides upright back support. Grab two dumbbells and put them on your knees.
2. Lift dumbbells to shoulder level.
3. While holding the dumbbells firmly, raise them above your head. Make sure your elbows are locked out. Pause and slowly lower dumbbells to original position.
Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
MSN notes that this can work your shoulders, core and lats:18
![seated barbell shoulder press]()
1. Sit on a weight bench that provides upright back support. With a double-overhand grip (palms are directed toward you19), hold the barbell. Keep your hands apart, slightly beyond shoulder width.
2. While letting your elbows stay at your sides, slowly bend your arms and move the barbell downward to the collarbone.
3. Firmly grasp the barbell and extend it upward. Ensure elbows are locked out.
Single-arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press
This move works on your shoulders, triceps and core:20
![single arm barbell shoulder press]()
1. With one hand, hold a dumbbell and bring it to shoulder level. Bend your arm and let your palm face forward. Stand up. Tighten your core and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold the dumbbell as hard as you can and extend it above your head, until the arm is nearly locked. Pause the movement and gradually return to starting position.
Alternating Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Your triceps, core and delts will receive a workout because of this move:21
![alternating dumbbell shoulder press]()
1. Position feet so they're as wide as your hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and place it above your shoulders. Bend arms and let palms face forward.
2. With your chest up and shoulders back, lift one dumbbell above your head. Try to refrain from moving the other dumbbell.
3. Go back to original position and perform the move on the other side.
Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
According to authors of this Strength and Conditional Journal article, a standing barbell shoulder press works your deltoids, trapezius, serratus anterior and triceps brachii muscles:22 Follow the steps below from Workout Labs below:23
![standing barbell shoulder press]()
1. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip in a standing position, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your core tight and your lower back flat throughout.
2. Bring the barbell to shoulder height, with your palms facing out. Start by pushing the barbell straight overhead. You should focus on contracting the shoulders as you drive your glutes forward for stability.
3. Once you reach the top, bring the barbell to the starting position slowly. Do not allow it to rest on your shoulders. Immediately, move into the next repetition.
How to Use a Shoulder Press Machine
If you’re working out at the gym and have the opportunity to use a seated machine, try doing a close-grip shoulder press. Follow these instructions adapted from the American Council on Exercise:24
1. Sit on the machine and ensure your back is firmly supported on the backrest. Adjust the seat's height, making sure the handles are level to your shoulders or just a bit higher.
2. Do a full grip on the handles, ensuring your thumbs are clutching them. Your wrists need to be in a neutral position and aligned to your forearms.
3. Position your elbows so they're located toward the front of your body, allowing more of the load to target the triceps instead of the shoulders. Firmly place your feet on the floor or on the foot rest.
4. Stabilize your spine by stiffening or bracing your ab muscles. Ascertain that your lower back retains its natural arch; avoid pressing it into the backrest, and refrain from curving your back. Pull shoulders back and down. Try to maintain this position.
5. Gently exhale and slowly press upward. Lengthen your elbows while ensuring your head is aligned to your spine, wrists are in a neutral position and your lower back isn't arched. Continue doing the move until your elbows are fully extended. Refrain from locking your elbows in.
6. Pause the movement. Gently contract your back muscles so you can pull the handles back to the starting position. Let your elbows bend slowly and in a controlled manner during this downward movement so they can return to their original forward-facing position. Repeat the exercise.
How Much Should You Shoulder Press for Your Weight?
How much you should lift during a shoulder press depends on your gender, body weight, age and fitness levels. Lon Kilgore, an author and instructor at the Kilgore Academy,25 created a detailed chart showing the amount of weights (in kilograms and pounds) you should try to lift when doing a shoulder press.26
For instance, if you’re an active adult man weighing 56 kilograms (123.46 pounds), try to lift 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of weight. An active adult woman also weighing 56 kilograms (123.46 pounds) should then strive to lift 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of weight.
As you age, the amount you will need to lift for a particular body weight decreases. If you want to know how much weight you should lift when doing a shoulder press, you can refer to the table Kilgore created.27
Safety Tips to Remember if You’re Doing a Shoulder Press
Safety should be your utmost priority when doing a shoulder press, especially if you’re a beginner. Here are some tips to remember when doing this move:
• Avoid arching your back — Ebenezer Samuel, Men’s Health’s fitness director, warns that doing so can increase lower back strain, put your shoulders in an unideal position and raise your injury risk. He adds, “Focus on keeping your pelvis right under your torso (squeeze your glutes to get here), and keep your abs tight. Think about using your abs to pull your ribcage down. Maintain this tension throughout the movement.”
• Squeeze shoulder blades — According to Samuels, squeezing your shoulder blades can assist in raising your arms upward and enable you to properly finish the press. This prompts tension in your rhomboids and throughout the back, protects your shoulder blades from discomfort and allows your arms to remain perpendicular to the floor.
• Maintain proper elbow position — Samuels recommends rotating your elbows forward by a few degrees since this may help you start a shoulder press in a “more natural arc” and enable you to remain in the scapular plane. Avoid doing a shoulder press if elbows are extended wide and are parallel to your shoulders.28
• Grip should be shoulder-width — When doing a shoulder press, make sure your hands aren’t wider than shoulder-width, and that your elbows are under your wrists. Doing so will help
“keep you in the strongest mechanical position possible for the lift.” Increasing the width of your hands can weaken you and cause you to lift less weight.
• Keep your wrists mobile — This will enable you to do a very strong shoulder press since the wrists will move back toward your body. Properly positioned wrists can result in a strong push and prompt elbows to spread sideward while doing an upward press.
• Lift your chest — This helps strengthen and stabilize your upper back, and allows all the muscles and joints needed for a shoulder press to move properly.
• Modify your head’s position — If you’re using a bar instead of a dumbbell when doing a shoulder press, move your head slightly backward when lifting it up to prevent hitting your chin and nose.29
• Ensure the bar is properly positioned — Refrain from letting a bar touch your upper chest while lowering the weight. Slightly raise your elbows if this happens so your deltoids in your shoulders30 won’t stretch out excessively.31
Ideally, do shoulder press exercises once a week. Your body will need time to recover after lifting or pressing heavy weights. Jim Wendler, a London, Ohio-based strength coach, mentions in a Men’s Health article: “If you train your upper body twice a week, do bench presses one day and shoulder presses the next.”32
Prioritize an Exercise Like the Shoulder Press
If you’re looking to incorporate more upper body exercises into your routine, knowing how to do a shoulder press and any of its varieties can come in handy. Apart from targeting the body part mentioned in its name, this exercise also works your core and upper back muscles.
But before you go ahead and perform multiple reps, consult a physical trainer who can further guide you on the proper movement and form needed for a shoulder press.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Shoulder Press
Q: Does the shoulder press work your arms?
A: Yes. Performing a shoulder press using a barbell33,34 or dumbbells35 can target your arm muscles.
Q: Does the shoulder press work your traps?
A: The traps (or trapezius muscles, located on your upper back36) are some of the many muscles that a shoulder press can work on.37,
38,
39
Q: Is the shoulder press bad for you?
A: While the shoulder press targets multiple upper body muscles,40 it can be bad for you if you do it improperly since you may injure yourself. If you’re a beginner, talk to a physical trainer who can help you know more about the movement and form a shoulder press entails, and guide you in avoiding injuries. Don’t forget the safety tips recommended when doing a shoulder press too.