Front delts exercise
Dumbbell Push PressHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Front delts, Triceps
- Also works
- Quads, Glutes
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Push Press?
- Stand with your feet hip-width and hold the dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing in.
- Dip a few inches by bending your knees, keeping your chest tall.
- Drive up through your legs and press the dumbbells overhead in one move.
- Lower them back to your shoulders under control and reset.
Cues
- Short, quick dip
- Drive through your heels
- Finish with your arms by your ears
Common mistakes
- Dipping too deep or too slowly: it is a quick, short dip.
- Leaning forward in the dip: keep your torso upright.
- Dropping the dumbbells on your shoulders: lower them with control.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Standing, feet about hip-width, toes a little out, weight over the mid-foot. A dumbbell in each hand racked at the shoulders with a neutral grip (palms facing in, handles front to back): the dumbbells rest on or just above the front of the shoulders, the elbows forward and under them (upper arms about 30° forward of vertical, forearms about vertical). Trunk braced, ribs down.
The movement
1. The torso stays upright, the heels stay down, the elbows stay forward. 2. Drive: without a pause, the legs straighten hard and the dumbbells leave the shoulders; the arms finish the press to about 172° at the elbow, the dumbbells over the shoulders (a little inside them), palms still facing in, the head through the arms' line. 3. Lower: the dumbbells come back to the shoulders under control, the knees softening a little to cushion them, then the lifter stands tall. The knees do not re-bend under the weights at the top (that is a push jerk).
Tempo
Stand 0.35 s, dip 0.4 s, drive and press 0.55 s (fast), hold 0.4 s, lower 1 s, settle 0.8 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper arm forward of vertical in the rack | 30° | 20–40° | |
| Pelvis drop in the dip | 8 cm | 5–12 cm | |
| Elbow at the top (included) | 172° | 165–178° | |
| Torso lean in the dip | 0° | under 5° | |
| Heels | down through the dip |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Dumbbell Push Press is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx.net, Dumbbell Push Press
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed., push press technique
- [Achievable: CSCS exercise technique list, part 5 (third-party paraphrase of NSCA technique, barbell shoulder press)](
- [NFPT: How to Do Shoulder Presses with Dumbbells](
