Shoulders
Half Kneeling Press
The Half Kneeling Press is a strength exercise with dumbbells for your shoulders. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: front delts 27%, side delts 14% and upper chest 12%.
How to do it
- Kneel on a mat with one knee down and the other foot flat in front, both knees bent about 90 degrees.
- Hold a dumbbell at the shoulder on the same side as the down knee, palm facing in.
- Squeeze the glute of the down leg and brace your core so the torso is tall.
- Press the dumbbell straight up until the arm is straight overhead.
- Lower it under control back to the shoulder, then switch sides after the set.
Tips
- Squeezing the glute of the kneeling leg stops the lower back from arching.
- Let the palm turn slightly forward as the arm straightens if that feels smoother.
Common mistakes
- Leaning the torso away from the working arm.
- Letting the front knee cave inward.
- Arching the lower back to finish the rep.
Muscles worked by the Half Kneeling Press
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
An angled one-arm press adds upper chest and asks the trunk to resist rotation. Pressing overhead is shoulder flexion and abduction with elbow extension: the front delt leads, the lateral delt and triceps assist, and the upper traps and serratus rotate the shoulder blade up.
Half Kneeling Press alternatives
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Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Half Kneeling Press work?
Mainly the front delts. The side delts, upper chest, triceps (lateral head), serratus anterior, triceps (long head) and triceps (medial head) assist.
Is the Half Kneeling Press good for beginners?
The Half Kneeling Press is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Landmine Press first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Half Kneeling Press?
For example the Landmine Press, Landmine Shoulder Press and Single Arm Overhead Press. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Half Kneeling Press harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Barbell Z Press and Z Press.
Sources
- Saeterbakken and Fimland 2013, JSCR 27(7):1824-1831 (standing, seated, barbell, dumbbell)
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