Dumbbell shoulder press

Dumbbells, upright bench

Also called dumbbell overhead press, seated dumbbell shoulder press

Dumbbell shoulder press, start position — Images: Free Exercise DB (public domain)

Dumbbell shoulder press, end position — Images: Free Exercise DB (public domain)

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Seated with back support, press dumbbells from shoulder height to overhead.

Sit tall, back against the pad
Start at shoulder height, palms forward or slightly in
Press up without arching your lower back
Lower to about chin level

Movement

Pattern: Vertical push
Type: Compound, several joints move
Sides: Both sides together
Equipment: Bench, Dumbbells

Muscles worked

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Upper body

Ratings

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better4.0
Very good; among the better picks for the muscle. 5 sources.
- 4/5 Upright seated version with dumbbells low and wide gives a massive front delt stretch and less joint pain. Renaissance Periodization, The Worst Shoulder Exercises People Still Do (And What to Do Instead) @ 12:34videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI
- 4/5 Faster setup, more range of motion and more side delt involvement than barbell. A tier. Jeff Nippard, The Best And Worst Shoulder Exercises @ 5:07videoExpert opinion2024checked by AI
- 4/5 A 2013 comparison of four presses found it gave the highest activation across all three delt heads. Jeremy Ethier, 15 BEST Shoulder Exercises For Growth (And How To Use Them) @ 2:03videoStudy2022checked by AI
- 4/5 Main heavy compound for shoulders, mainly front delts with some side and rear delt help; standing or seated both work. Jeremy Ethier, The Best Science-Based DUMBBELL Shoulder Exercises For Mass and Symmetry @ 0:32videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI
- 4/5 Better than the barbell press for side delts per a 2013 study; standing adds stabilization and core demand. Jeff Nippard, Build Bigger Shoulders With Perfect Training Technique (The Overhead Press) @ 1:04videoStudy2019checked by AI
Loaded stretch higher is better4.0
Hard in the stretched position. 1 source.
- 4/5 Lowering the dumbbells to the outside of the delts places a big stretch on the front delts. Renaissance Periodization, The Worst Shoulder Exercises People Still Do (And What to Do Instead) @ 12:34videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI
Progression higher is better2.7
Progresses with some workarounds. 3 sources.
- 2/5 Gets hard to overload at heavy weights, so use lighter dumbbells for 20-30 reps. Jeremy Ethier, 15 BEST Shoulder Exercises For Growth (And How To Use Them) @ 2:03videoExpert opinion2022checked by AI
- 4/5 Seated version is easier to overload since you can kick heavy dumbbells into position and lift about 10 percent more than standing. Jeremy Ethier, The Best Science-Based DUMBBELL Shoulder Exercises For Mass and Symmetry @ 1:34videoExpert opinion2019checked by AI
- 2/5 Highest delt activation in one study, but very hard to overload at heavy weights, so he prefers the barbell. Jeremy Ethier, The Best Science-Based Shoulder Workout for Size and Symmetry @ 2:33videoExpert opinion2018checked by AI