Seated Arnold Press: My New Go-To Shoulder Exercise
So you want to boulder shoulders like Arnold? Well, congratulations, because you're in the right place. The seated Arnold press is a great place to start. An extremely undervalued and effective movement, the Arnold press is a must-have in every bodybuilder's and athlete's routine.
In this post, I'll explain why I love the exercise, my experience with it, how to complete it properly, tips, muscles worked, and mistakes to avoid.
Why The Seated Arnold Press
Your shoulders must be protected at all costs. Shoulder health is something that needs to be talked about more. The shoulder joint is not like your knee or elbow, it is far more complex. Think of it as a golf ball on a tee. The head of the arm bone (the humerus) being the ball, and the shoulder bone (scapula) being the tee. The ball of the joint is very mobile and receptive to injury. Keeping healthy surrounding muscles and proper scapula alignment is vital to maintaining healthy shoulders. I say this because the Arnold press is one of the few overhead exercises that is shoulder-friendly.
I am someone who is EXTREMELY anti-barbell overhead press. Not because the ability of the exercise to build muscle or strength, but because of the added risk of injury that comes along with it - especially when form starts to diminish. Take it from me, I've had not one, or two, but THREE shoulder surgeries. And I can tell you for free that barbell overhead press was a regular part of my lifting routine back in the day.
That said, if it's shoulder day and you have access to both dumbbells and barbells, I recommend choosing dumbbells every time. Don't make the same mistakes I did.
Back to the seated Arnold press.
The two biggest reasons I like the exercise:
1. Provides a safer and more fluid range of motion.
2. Engages all 3 sections of the deltoid muscle.
I also like the high rep potential the exercise has to offer. If you're doing high-rep barbell presses, and your form starts to break down, that can end very poorly. Of course, there's always a degree of risk with the seated Arnold press, but it's significantly less. This is mainly due to the weight path of the dumbbells and the inability to thrust because of the seated aspect.
The Seated Arnold Press - How To
Grab a set of dumbbells and a comfortable bench or box to sit on.
Hold the dumbbells out in front of your shoulders with your hands facing towards you.
Spread your arms and rotate the dumbbell up over your head in one fluid motion.
Reverse the movement and bring the dumbbells back in front of your face.
Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.
Repeat for as many reps as you'd like.
Seated DB Arnold Press - Tips
Neutral posture - sit upright, keep a stable core, and do not overarch your spine.
Shoulder blade alignment - retracted (pulled back) and down. Hunched posture will increase difficulty and chance of injury.
Control tempo - you'll be able to get in a rhythm pretty quick, a little swaying back and forth isn't the end of the world as long as the weight is light enough.
Rep count - this isn't an exercise to max out on. I recommend shooting for somewhere between 8-20 reps.
Seated DB Arnold Press - Mistakes
Bringing the weight too far down in front of you.
Over-rotating at the top of the movement.
Fanning your arms out too much - this takes away from the purpose of the movement.
Seated DB Arnold Press - Muscles Worked
Anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids
*Emphasis on the anterior*
If you're looking to target the lateral deltoid, I recommend lateral raises.
If you intend to target your posterior deltoid, I recommend a row variation.
Final Quote
“We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There's really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger
For a similar, but more chest concentrated movement, check out the Incline Dumbbell Hex Press!