Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Exercise Video Tutorial
Boulders for shoulders, that’s what we want, and I’m here to help you get them.
Shoulders are one of the most immediately noticeable body parts as they add width to your body and greatly determine the outline shape of your torso. Developing them is an absolute must if you want to build an impressive physique.
If you’re not stimulating the deltoids correctly, you’re wasting your time. Let’s do things right - every time.
The following article and video demonstration will put you well on your way to massive shoulders.
Dumbbell Shoulder Presses
Dumbbell shoulder presses are a great alternative to military presses (with a barbell) and these 2 exercises can be used interchangeably – though stick to one or the other for at least 8 weeks at a time. Shoulder presses are the best exercise for developing the whole of the shoulder (not one specific head) and should not be omitted from your shoulder workout.
How To Do The Dumbbell Shoulder Press Correctly
Firstly, as I always say, stop sacrificing form for weight.
Your muscles aren’t impressed by how much you can lift (and neither am I).
They’ll only grow in response to proper stimulation i.e.
- Increased overload from the same set in the previous workout (more reps or increased weight)
- A full range of motion
- Correct timing
Watch this instructional video and then read the exercise guide below…(apologies for the lighting, this was recorded quite a while ago with a crap camera)
For each rep, the timing is:
- 1-2 seconds up (concentric part of the rep)
- 2 seconds down (eccentric part of the rep)
(1) Getting Into Position
- Keep your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart
- Ensure that your back is kept straight throughout the movement
- Take a firm, commanding grip of the dumbbells
- Holding the dumbbells at your side, use momentum to get them into the starting position.
- Hold the dumbbells so that your palms are facing your ears, not outwards.
(2) Concentric Part of The Repetition
- Take a deep breath in
- On exhaling push the weights up with a powerful yet controlled motion.
- During the upward movement, turn the dumbbells so that your palms are facing out at the top of the movement
- It should take 1-2 seconds to get to the top of the movement
(3) Top of the Repetition
- Stop at a point just before your elbows lock out i.e. before your arms are completely straight.
- Ensure that the dumbbells are straight above your head and your arms are in line with your ears. There is a tendency to push the arms out forward thereby taking some stress off the shoulders. Aim to keep your feet, back, head and arms all in a straight line.
(4) Eccentric Part of the Repetition
- Start to lower the weight with a slow, smooth motion.
- Turn both dumbbells as you lower them so that your palms are once again facing inward towards your ears.
- Lower right back to the starting position but do not rest the dumbbells on your shoulder blades. Some people stop at a point far above their shoulders. This allows them to perform more reps with a heavier weight, but what we really need is a full range of motion. Lower the weight right down to a point just slightly above the shoulders and ensure that each dumbbell is about 3 inches away from the outside of the shoulder blade.
Now repeat as in step 2.
You should hit failure somewhere between the 8th and 12th rep. If you can do more than 12 reps, make a note to increase the weight on this set for your next shoulder workout.
Remember that for us natural bodybuilders, poor form is a disaster. Yes I’ve also seen the videos of pro-bodybuilders (steroid users) perform lightning-fast reps with an incomplete range of motion, but we cannot get away with that.
You must give you’re your body a reason to grow.
You must demand that it grows.
Working out in the way I have outlined here is the way to do it.
More exercise videos are coming this week - stay tuned.
Your Buddy,
Mark McManus
P.S. If anyone knows how to crop a video let me know. I tried vidcrop and visicrop but they won’t install on my PC (vista). Any help would be appreciated
If you're new here, please download my free workout and diet book and start transforming your body today!. Thanks for visiting!
Related posts:
- Standing Front Dumbbell Raises - Exercise Video Tutorial
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise - Exercise Video Tutorial
- 10 Tips for the Perfect Bench Press
- Deadlifts - Exercise Video Tutorial
- How To Build Chest Muscle
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May 12th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
[...] 1 Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press [...]
May 12th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
thanks for the work you’re doing here — you are helping me out a lot.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
No probs Geoffludt, my pleasure.
Good to know I’m making a difference.
Mark
May 12th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I’ll second that Mark.
This helps me out a lot. I can see I wasn’t really doing the shoulder dumbbell presses right.
Great work!
May 12th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Thanks for that Paul.
)
The other shoulder videos I’ve got coming are about the same quality but when I get into the bicep tutorials, the picture is much much better.
(You know you guys can always stumble or digg the article, hint hint
Mark
May 12th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Great tutorial! I stumbled it (eaglepost). I haven’t had a chance yet, but I imagine you might find a good video editor (that can crop) on download.com. It is a site owned by cnet and all software downloaded there has been checked for viruses and malware. Cheers!
May 12th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Thanks baldeagle - I appreciate the help in spreading the word about this site.
I tried DL.com and got the programs I have mentioned above - won’t install.
Thanks anyway,
Mark
May 13th, 2008 at 2:03 am
What is adequate progressive overload? If I do 3 sets of 8 reps one week, is doing 2 sets of 8 and one of 9 the next week adequate? Or should all sets increase by 1?
Also, is reducing the rest interval equivalent to adding a rep? I have limited workout time and want to maximize every second. Are alternating exercises (eg. bench, abs, bench) effective or self-defeating because they limit recovery?
Thanks for the tips. This approach has revitalized my workouts.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Yeh, great stuff, I agree shoulder presses should be the mainstay. My experience has been don’t forget rear shoulder, most people tend to work front and middle. After a while, years, things get unbalanced, the joint contorts, pain.
Bent rows, dumbell rows, shrugs, reverse grip chins all work rear shoulders.
Here’s something I’ve found deluxe for shoulders, and a good, functional, balancing test. Be carefull though at first, have it so you can take your weight gradually, and get off safetly. One arm hanging. Working each side with grip away, grip facing. At first, until you are much stronger, use your other hand touching whatever, just to stop you twisting. When you can hang for a minute/minute and a half, add weight using a dip/chin belt. When you can hang with some weight for a couple of minutes pain free, you’ll know how good your shoulders are…gives you a real appreciation of why gymnasts are so developed. Plus, grip, back, arms get a test too.
I do them after my workout, when I’m virtually pre exhausted, but at first its probably best when you are fresh. Again, be very carefull though, you might be in for a shock!
May 13th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Great post. I’m looking forward to additional how-to videos. It’s a little disappointingly to realize I haven’t been getting the most out of this exercise, but it’s never to late to do the right thing.
As for video editing - there aren’t a lot of vista compatible options. You might be able to get enough functionality out of eyespot (www.eyespot.com) or jumpcut (www.jumpcut.com). Both are online editors with surprisingly decent reviews.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Another great post Mark. It’s great to see a video to learn proper form for us visual learners. Heading to the gym to do shoulders now.
-Caveman
May 13th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
This is great I would love to see something like this for back exercises I feel like i could be doing them better. LOL
May 13th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Does anyone know if you’ll get the same benefit from doing this routine sitting down? The room I work out in doesn’t have ceilings high enough for me to do it standing! (It’s in a basement with 7′ ceilings)…
Thanks!
May 14th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Craig, I’m a qualified personal trainer with around 30 years experience, and I would say yes. No worries. Just be really conscious of your core, which should apply from day one in any weight training exercise anyway, so that it becomes constant ingrained habit. That way, as you get stronger you are always safe. Sitting isn’t an ideal position for back health, so pay real attention to ‘flat back’, that is holding the natural arch. Keep your core tight by squeezing like you want to stop urinating, keep abs tight, and spinal erectors, hips and back flexed and strong, so you provide a good, safe base to press from, which makes you able to work better and harder anyway. Brace your feet strongly on ther floor. On top of this, you have to focus on all three heads of shoulder, constant tension, and breathing. Soon, its all natural, habit. I reckon too many people relax in the stretched position in all exercises, in this case the bottom position. Not only does this mean less shock, less work for muscles, so less reason to adapt, it exposes the joint to contortion and damage when beginning the press, dramatically moreso if any momentum and acceleration is present. This becomes a real problem as people are supposedly getting stronger and using more weight. The joint is just getting hammered. I totally agree with Mark about only using a weight you can truly control and lift. Its dangerous and counter productive to fool yourself. This applies equally to standing too (watch out for back arch when tired), but again, moreso in sitting as its not ideal on the spine. Easy to relax and get sloppy, so that your spine is soaking up a lot of the force whilst the discs are aligned poorly. It all seems a hassle at first, but soon becomes habit, and spills over into everyday life, lifting, moving things safetly and strongly.
In a way, it is easier to eliminate hip thrust and momentum when sitting, further stressing the shoulders, but there is a disadvantage if you want to use some momentum at the end of sets for forced reps etc. But this is for advanced, mainly in athletics or sports, when you must be accustomed to dealing with and utilising momentum and explosive forces.
Everyone has their own methods, techniques and ideas. The best is to try them, see what works for you. I’m big on proper technique, safety, core and joint strength and protection. No point getting injured, when it can mostly be avoided with care and thinking. From personal experience, nothing is worse than watching all your hard work dissappearing, while you nurse some injury caused usually by, ignorance, slackness, impatience, or, I hate to admit it….sometimes plain stupidity. ‘Why, why, why did I do that, why didn’t I listen to myself!!!!! What was I thinking’.
You are lucky having a tool like Marks vids to learn from. Sometimes it doesn’t come across well in books, and, he is walking proof of his research.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Thanks, Uplift! That is great advice. I definitely get into the “poor form trap” sometimes, but since I started following this blog, I’ve backed off on the weight and tried to have better form. For my next workout, I’m going to try to follow your advice for this exercise. Thanks for sharing your experience!!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Excellent post, and thanks for the great vid. I cut back a bit on the weight tonight to more closely match your form, and I can already feel that it was much more effective. Thanks for everything, and I’m really looking forward to more!
May 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Brilliant Dave - that’s exactly what most natural bodybuilders need to do. Keep it up and you’re in for a lot more growth than you’ve had.
Mark
May 17th, 2008 at 6:31 am
hi! i LOVE this web-site, so far it’s the most comprehensible guide i saw on the internet.
about ur problem with the cropping software: right click the msi (install) file and go to the compatibility tab, and select xp, that should solve the problem
)
thanks again
denys
May 17th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Thanks for the comments and your help Denys, I’ll try that.
Mark
May 19th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Hi pal, I-ve just ran accross another website of yours:
http://www.cavemanconclusion.com/2008/01/17/eat-like-a-caveman-to-build-muscle/
Cheers,
Ted
August 18th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
[...] – NOTHING * Nothing in the world will give you square, toned shoulders like overhead barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses * Nothing will improve your posture more than weight training * Nothing will give you those nice [...]
August 25th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
[...] or dumbbell shoulder press (2 [...]