Dumbbell Shoulder Press

How to perform

1. 01While holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on a military press bench or utility bench that has back support. Place the dumbbells upright on top of your thighs.
2. 02Now raise the dumbbells to shoulder height one at a time using your thighs to help propel them up into position.
3. 03Make sure to rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward. This is your starting position.
4. 04Now, exhale and push the dumbbells upward until they touch at the top.
5. 05Then, after a brief pause at the top contracted position, slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
6. 06Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Form cues

• —Brace your core before the first rep and keep it braced.
• —Drive through the full range — do not cut the lockout short.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.
• —Adding weight before the movement pattern is clean.