Front delts exercise
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Front delts, Side delts
- Also works
- Triceps
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press?
- Sit tall against an upright bench, feet flat, dumbbells at ear height.
- Upper arms level with your shoulders, elbows slightly forward, palms forward.
- Press up and slightly in until your arms are almost straight.
- Lower slowly until your elbows are level with your shoulders again.
Cues
- Elbows never below your shoulders
- Back and head on the pad
- Press up and slightly in
Common mistakes
- Lowering too far, elbows to your ribs: stop at shoulder level.
- Arching your back off the pad: brace and keep it flat.
- Elbows flared straight out: bring them slightly forward.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Upright bench with a back pad. Head, shoulders and buttocks touch the pad. Feet flat, about shoulder-width apart, knees about 90°. Low back neutral, no arch. Shoulder blades down and back. Pronated, closed grip (palms forward, thumbs round the handles), wrists straight in line with the forearms.
The movement
Up and slightly in; down and slightly out, back to the same bottom position. Straight up for most of the press, with the inward drift in the last third. The elbows keep their 30°-forward angle all the way and stay under the dumbbells. Torso stays rigid against the pad; the low back does not arch more as the arms rise. Head neutral.
End position
(turnaround point): elbows extended to about 170–180°, not snapped into lock. Dumbbells directly over the shoulder joints, arms close to vertical and beside the ears. The inner ends finish about 5 cm apart or just touching.
Tempo
About 2 s up, a short pause at the top, 2–2.5 s down (controlled, not a drop), a brief hold at the bottom.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder elevation at the bottom | 90° | 80–90°, never below | |
| Elbow flexion at the bottom | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Elbows forward of the frontal plane | 30° | 20–40° | |
| Forearm from vertical at the bottom | 0° | 0–10° | |
| Dumbbell height at the bottom | ear level | top of shoulder to ear lobe | |
| Elbow at the top | 175° | 170–180°, no snap | |
| Gap between dumbbells at the top | 5 cm | 0–8 cm | |
| Back pad angle | 90° | 80–90° |
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 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder 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
