Exercise guide

How to do seated shoulder press

Front & side delts · triceps

Seated shoulder press starting position — correct set-up before the first rep
Start
Seated shoulder press finished position — the end of one repetition
End of rep

Step by step

  1. Set the backrest just off vertical. Sit with your whole back on the pad and feet planted.
  2. Bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, palms forward, elbows slightly in front of your body rather than straight out to the sides.
  3. Press up until the arms are long, letting the dumbbells travel slightly toward each other.
  4. Lower for 2 seconds until the elbows drop just below shoulder height.

The cue that matters

CueRibs down, glutes on the seat. If your lower back peels off the pad, the weight is too heavy.
AvoidHalf reps at the top. Come all the way down to shoulder level every rep.

Where this sits in the split

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