Seated Dumbbell Press

How to perform

1. 01Grab a couple of dumbbells and sit on a military press bench or a utility bench that has a back support on it as you place the dumbbells upright on top of your thighs.
2. 02Clean the dumbbells up one at a time by using your thighs to bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height at each side.
3. 03Rotate the wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward. This is your starting position.
4. 04As you exhale, push the dumbbells up until they touch at the top.
5. 05After a second pause, slowly come down back to the starting position as you inhale.
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.