RepDriver
All exercises
Strength·Shoulders

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressSeated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Art style
Step 1 / 2

At a glance

Equipment
Pair of dumbbells + bench
Suggested reps
3–4 sets of 8–12 reps

Want this in your plan? Create a free account to add it to a routine, follow along with the timed runner, and log your sets.

Common mistakes

  • You arch your lower back away from the pad and press your ribs up, turning the overhead press into a steep incline press.

  • You stop the descent at the top of your head instead of lowering to ear level or below.

  • You let the dumbbells drift forward or crash together overhead instead of finishing stacked over the shoulders.

What to focus on

  • Keep your ribs down and your lower back in contact with the pad so the shoulders take the whole load.

  • Press the dumbbells up and slightly in so they finish over the shoulder joints, then lower with the same control you pressed with.

  • Keep the forearms vertical under the dumbbells at every point in the rep.

Featured in these guides

Build Muscle With Just DumbbellsNo barbell, no machines, no problem — dumbbells cover every growth pattern that matters. What actually limits home lifters isn't equipment, it's structure. Here's the plan.

Related strength moves

Arnold Press

Arnold Press

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Overhead Press

Overhead Press

Prone Y Raise

Prone Y Raise

Rear Delt Flye

Rear Delt Flye

Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotation

Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotation

Sources & further reading

  1. 1.EMG shows the overhead press strongly recruits all three deltoid heads — anterior, medial, and posterior — Frontiers in Physiology (2022), EMG study