The shoulder press is a great movement to build and strengthen the all of the muscles of the shoulders. The main areas worked are the…
- Shoulders
- Arms
- Abs
- Obliques
- Back
The shoulder press can be performed standing up or sitting down. The press is considered one of the best functional exercises, due to it’s easy transition to real world movements, such as picking up a box and putting it on a shelf.
Download video to your iPod (Right click, then select “Save Link as”)
About the Shoulder Press
Proper Shoulder Press Form
- Grab the barbell with a palms facing out grip a little wider than shoulder width apart
- Make sure your elbows are pointed out, and not straight down. Rest the bar on the top part of your chest.
- Dip your body slightly by bending the knees and push the barbell over your head. Make sure to pull your head forward as the bar passes your chin. At the top of the movement, the barbell should be slightly behind your head.
- Return the bar to your chest
Common Shoulder Press Mistakes
- Wide Stance - Your feet should be directly below your hips, not out wide.
- Barbell goes too far forward when pressing up - The barbell should go straight up and then slightly back. It should not go out in front of your body.
- Hands placed too far outside - The hands should only be about shoulder width apart with the arms bent and elbows out. This allows you to generate the most power in your lift.
- Deltoids
- Triceps
- Pecs
- Traps
- Abdominals
- Obliques
Where do I start if I'm a beginner? (weights, reps, sets)
As a beginner you should begin performing the shoulder press with a barbell or something lighter such as a broomstick. To start you'll want to do a lot of reps to get your form down. We recommend you start with...
- Barbell or broomstick (basically something light)
- 3 Sets
- 12 Reps
14 Comments »
Trackback responses to this post
- How To Build Mental Toughness In The Gym | GymJunkies.com
- Best Exercises to Look Good Fast | The Art of Manliness
- Weight Training : FitHacks.com
- 7 Laws To Be Fit For Life | GymJunkies.com
- 7 Laws To Be Fit For Life | How To Build More Muscle
- 7 Laws To Be Fit For Life | Thebodybuildingtools.info-Articles Center
shoulder press is the workout ……for fitness level.
thank s alot to guide us with the proper steps to follow while excersing
hey vic.
when i do shoulder press or lateral raises, the next day, it will be my traps aching and not my shoulders. i need your advice. thanks.
I’d have to watch you do the movement, but my guess is that there is a technique issue that needs addressed. The traps are involved in pulling and should not be sore from the pressing movements. Lateral raises maybe, but I haven’t done them or had clients do them for years so can’t speak directly to them.
Even if you’ve been lifting for a long time, it never hurts to have a trainer or coach check out your form. Even Tiger Woods still uses a coach.
Why do you not have clients do lateral raises? Do you instead do a cross lift? I would love to hear hard facts on why lateral lifts are not a good move. Thanks
Hey Vic,
I have been doing this movement now for the past two weeks. From time to time, my wrists hurt really bad; Is there something I might be doing wrong?
Sometimes the elbows forward position can be uncomfortable on the wrists. As much as I’m not a fan of the elbows out-to-the-sides position, it might be more comfortable on your wrists and worth experimenting with. Let us know how it goes!
Hey Vic,
This is a great guide. Thank you for sharing you knowledge with us all. I’ve been a long-time lurker of the site, and have recently been revisiting some of these articles. I just got myself a pair of olympic dumbbell handles, and was wondering if there was a way to modify the shoulder press for dumbbells… any ideas?
I prefer the elbows in version of the press as opposed to the elbows out. With dumbbells, I find it feels more natural with your palms facing each other instead of trying to keep them pointing away from you as you would with a barbell.