Scan to open on your phonegymvim.app/exercises/dumbbell-seated-overhead-press
10s · no sound
How to do it
- Sit on a bench with back support and a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs.
- Kick the dumbbells up to shoulder height with palms facing forward and elbows bent at about 90 degrees.
- Brace your core, plant your feet, and press your back firmly against the bench pad.
- Press both dumbbells up and slightly inward until your arms reach near-lockout with the bells nearly touching.
- Lower the dumbbells under control to the starting position with elbows tracking down beside your ribs.
- Pause briefly at the bottom, reset your breath, and repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Common mistakes
- Arching the lower back off the bench to push more weight, which loads the spine instead of the shoulders.
- Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides, which strains the front shoulders and shortens the press.
- Cutting the range short by stopping well below lockout, missing the top portion of the lift.
- Banging the dumbbells together at the top, which jolts the wrists and wastes pressing tension.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Front Delts
- Secondary
- Triceps
Good to know
- What muscles does the Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press work?
- Mainly the front delts. It also works the triceps.
- What equipment do you need for the Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press?
- It uses dumbbells. Without it, the Band Overhead Press and the Cable Overhead Press train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it beginner.