Standing Dumbbell Press
Trains the Shoulders.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes so the trunk is rigid.
- Press both dumbbells overhead until the arms are almost straight.
- Finish with the weights over your shoulders rather than in front of them.
- Lower under control until your upper arms are level with the floor.
- Reset the brace between repetitions rather than letting the ribs flare.
Common mistakes
- Leaning back to get the weight up. Standing, there is nothing to press against but the floor, so a backward lean turns the press into an inclined one and puts the load into the lower back.
- Letting the ribs flare at the top. Ribs down and glutes tight is what keeps the spine out of it; the arch appears on the repetition where the shoulders run out.
- Pressing the dumbbells around the head in an arc. They travel up beside the head, not around it, and moving the head back an inch is what makes that possible.
- Choosing standing to lift more. Standing removes the bench's support and adds the trunk's work, so the usable load is lower than seated — which is the point rather than a drawback.