Dumbbell Overhead 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, or sit on an upright bench, and clean the dumbbells to shoulder height with the palms facing forward.
- Brace the trunk and squeeze the glutes so the ribs stay down.
- Press overhead until the arms are straight, letting the dumbbells drift slightly toward each other at the top.
- Lower under control back to shoulder height.
FORM TIPS
- Two dumbbells will not stay on a fixed bar path the way a barbell does, so they take more shoulder stability and less weight than a barbell press.
- If the low back arches to get the weight up, sit down or go lighter. Standing turns it into a trunk exercise as much as a shoulder one.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Shoulders
Secondary
- Triceps
- Traps
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.