Dumbbell Cuban Press
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
HOW TO PERFORM
- Stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand hanging in front of the thighs, palms facing you.
- Raise the elbows out to the sides until the upper arms are level with the shoulders and the forearms hang straight down.
- Keep the elbows where they are and rotate the forearms up and back until the dumbbells are above the elbows, palms facing forward.
- Press the dumbbells overhead to straight arms.
- Reverse each step under control: lower to the rotated position, rotate the forearms down, then lower the elbows.
FORM TIPS
- Use a fraction of what you would lateral raise. The rotation is the part that matters, and it is done by small muscles that a heavy weight bypasses.
- Keep the elbows level with the shoulders during the rotation. If they drop, the rotation turns into a press.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Shoulders
Secondary
- Traps
- Triceps
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.