How to do an Arnold Dumbbell Press
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Arnold Dumbbell Press
Instructions for Proper Form
Arnold Dumbbell Press is a compound movement that primarily targets the shoulders. The difference between the Arnold Press and a standard Shoulder Press is that you bring the dumbbells in front of you at the bottom of the movement rather than stopping when they reach your shoulders. Bringing the dumbbells in front of you can be more a comfortable movement as well as improve muscle activation.
- Sit upright on a bench with the incline set to 90 degrees or slightly lower positioning a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing in towards your body.
- Begin with your elbows to your sides and keep your shoulders back before you begin to extend your arms overhead.
- While you extend your arms overhead, slowly rotate your palms until you are at full extension and your palms are facing away from your body aligned with your ears.
- Descend the dumbbells back down to your shoulders as you rotate your palms back to the starting position.
Tips & FAQs
What's the difference between Arnold press and dumbbell press?
The Arnold press involves rotating your palms from facing your body to facing forward as you press overhead, targeting the front deltoids and upper chest. The dumbbell press is a straightforward press with palms facing forward throughout, primarily targeting the middle deltoids.
What's the difference between Arnold Press and Dumbbell Press?
The Arnold press involves rotating your wrists as you press the weights overhead, engaging more muscle groups and improving shoulder mobility. The dumbbell shoulder press is a simpler movement with no wrist rotation, focusing primarily on building shoulder strength.
Common Form Mistakes
Leaning Back
Leaning back can help you lift a bit more weight, or finish off a difficult set. However, it also reduces the effectiveness of the exercise, and increases the risk of injury. Keep your back straight, core engaged, and gaze forward to help prevent this.
Always Sitting
Performing this exercise while seated adds stability to the movement. You don’t need to focus on keeping your balance, or stabilizing your body. This allows you to focus more on exertion, which is great, but make sure you’re including some standing variations as well. This will help highlight and address some instability you may have with this movement.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Arnold Dumbbell Press standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps17.5lbs1 Rep Max22.5lbs
- intermediate8reps25lbs30lbs
- advanced8reps30lbs40lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Arnold Dumbbell Press
1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
99.5 mSCORESWAPPED 5,593 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for slightly more instability than with equipment like barbells. This can help you recruit and develop stabilizing muscles around the shoulders. In addition, by using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
2. Dumbbell Front Raise
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,510 TIMESDumbbell Front Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise, and can work well to isolate the shoulders to build strength and muscle mass. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
3. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press
86 mSCORESWAPPED 1,978 TIMESStanding Dumbbell Shoulder Press is a variation on the more standard Shoulder Press. Like other Shoulder Press variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders. By using dumbbells, you add more instability to the movement which can help recruit smaller stabilizing muscles around your shoulder. In addition, by performing this exercise while standing you add even more instability.
4. Dumbbell Shoulder Raise
97.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,758 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise and can work well for building muscle mass and strengthening the shoulders. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
5. Machine Shoulder Press
92.5 mSCORESWAPPED 1,418 TIMESis a variation on the more standard shoulder press that utilizes a machine. Like other shoulder presses, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. The use of the machine restricts your movements, and adds more stability. This allows you to focus more on exertion than stabilization. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to learn the basic movement, and develop the strength needed for other similar exercises or functional applications.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Shoulder Press Machine
6. Barbell Shoulder Press
97 mSCORESWAPPED 1,372 TIMESBarbell Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders. By using a barbell instead of other pieces of equipment, you can add more stability to the movement, which allows you to focus more on exertion rather than stability. This is one of the best exercises for developing vertical pressing strength.
7. Standing Arnold Press
42.4 mSCORESWAPPED 1,322 TIMESSimilar to the seated version, the Standing Arnold Press is a compound movement that primarily targets the shoulders. By performing this exercise while standing, you engage additional stabilizing muscles in the core and legs. This makes it a more functional exercise, improving balance and coordination while building strength and muscle mass in the shoulders.
8. Cable Lateral Raise
97.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,305 TIMESCable Lateral Raise is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Shoulder Raise. Similar to the Dumbbell Shoulder Raise, this isolation exercise primarily targets the shoulders, and more specifically the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder). By using a cable machine, you have more control over the direction your resistance is coming from, and can easily make adjustments. In addition, by isolating each side of the body, you can more easily identify and address strength imbalances between sides.
- Beginner
- Shoulders
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
9. Cable Face Pull
96 mSCORESWAPPED 1,186 TIMESCable Face Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders, more specifically your posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder). By using a cable machine, you have more control over where the resistance is coming from, and can easily make adjustments by either moving towards or away from the cable machine, or by adjusting the height of the pulley.
- Intermediate
- Shoulders
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
10. Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise
94.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,165 TIMESDumbbell Rear Delt Raise is a variation of Dumbbell Shoulder Raise. Similar to other shoulder raises, this is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. By hinging your hips back, and leaning forward slightly, you can further emphasize your rear deltoids (back of the shoulder).