Arnold Press
A seated dumbbell press that starts with the palms facing you and rotates them forward as the weight goes overhead.
How to do it
- Set an adjustable bench upright and sit with your back flat against the pad.
- Bring two dumbbells to shoulder height with your palms turned toward your face and your elbows in front of you.
- Brace your core and keep your ribs down before the first rep.
- Press the dumbbells overhead while rotating your forearms so the palms finish facing forward.
- Stop just short of locking the elbows and hold the top position briefly.
- Reverse the rotation as you lower the dumbbells back to the start.
Key technique cue
Rotate the palms smoothly on the way up; ribs down, no lower-back arch.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Rushing the rotation, which turns the lift into a swing and takes tension off the deltoid.
- ✕ Letting the ribs flare and the lower back arch, which moves load from the shoulders to the spine.
- ✕ Locking the elbows hard at the top, which parks the load on the joint instead of the muscle.
- ✕ Starting with the palms already facing forward, which removes the rotation the exercise exists for.
Benefits
- ✓ Loads the front and side of the deltoid across a longer path than a straight overhead press.
- ✓ The rotation adds time under tension without needing a heavier dumbbell.
- ✓ Seated against an upright bench it removes leg drive, so the shoulders do the work.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 3
About the exercise
The Arnold press starts with the dumbbells at shoulder height and the palms turned toward your face, then rotates the forearms outward as you press so the palms finish facing forward. It is a compound dumbbell push aimed at the shoulders, with the triceps and traps assisting, and the front and side of the deltoid do the moving while the upper back and trunk stabilize. The rotation takes the arm from an internally rotated start into abduction and external rotation, loading the deltoid over a longer path than a straight press.
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