Shoulders
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
The Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press is a strength exercise with dumbbells for your shoulders. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: front delts 31%, side delts 18% and triceps (lateral head) 10%.
Also known as: seated db press, seated dumbbell shoulder press
How to do it
- Set a bench upright, sit down and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
- Kick the dumbbells up one at a time to shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Press your back into the pad and plant your feet.
- Press both dumbbells up until the arms are straight overhead.
- Lower them under control back to about ear height.
Tips
- Keep the elbows slightly in front of the body, not flared straight out.
- Bring the dumbbells slightly toward each other at the top without clanking them.
Common mistakes
- Letting the dumbbells stop high above the shoulders on the way down.
- Arching the back off the pad.
- Letting one arm lag behind the other.
Muscles worked by the Seated Dumbbell Overhead 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.
Seated removes most of the trunk demand. Dumbbells travel wider and need more stabilising (Saeterbakken 2013). 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.
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
No equipment
Make it harder
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press work?
Mainly the front delts. The side delts, triceps (lateral head), triceps (long head) and triceps (medial head) assist.
Is the Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press good for beginners?
Yes. The Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press?
For example the Dumbbell Z Press, Dumbbell Military Press and Dumbbell Shoulder Press. They train mostly the same muscles.
How do you make the Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Dumbbell Z Press and Seated Barbell Overhead Press.
Sources
- Saeterbakken and Fimland 2013, JSCR 27(7):1824-1831 (standing, seated, barbell, dumbbell)
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