Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSide DeltsLateral Deltoid

Secondary

TrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, side deltoid, lateral delt.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Shoulder Press

1. Sit or stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
2. Press both dumbbells overhead until arms are fully extended.
3. Keep your core braced and avoid arching your lower back.
4. Lower the dumbbells under control back to shoulder height.
5. Do not let the dumbbells drift behind your head.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Stack your wrists directly over your elbows throughout the press.
• Exhale as you press up and inhale as you lower.
• Keep your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders rather than flared wide.

At a glance

Dumbbell Shoulder Press in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Behind the Neck Press
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Machine Shoulder Press
• Push Press
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "dumbbell-shoulder-press",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Shoulder Press",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel Schulterdrücken",
  "name_es": "Press de Hombros con Mancuernas",
  "description_en": "An overhead press with dumbbells performed seated or standing, building the front and side delts.",
  "description_de": "Ein Schulterdrücken mit Kurzhanteln im Sitzen oder Stehen, das die vordere und seitliche Schulter sowie den Trizeps kräftigt.",
  "description_es": "Un press vertical con mancuernas, sentado o de pie, que desarrolla las porciones anterior y lateral del deltoides.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit or stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.",
    "Press both dumbbells overhead until arms are fully extended.",
    "Keep your core braced and avoid arching your lower back.",
    "Lower the dumbbells under control back to shoulder height.",
    "Do not let the dumbbells drift behind your head.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Sitze oder stehe mit Kurzhanteln auf Schulterhöhe, Handflächen nach vorne.",
    "Drücke beide Kurzhanteln über den Kopf, bis die Arme vollständig gestreckt sind.",
    "Spanne den Rumpf an und vermeide das Hohlkreuz.",
    "Senke die Kurzhanteln kontrolliert zurück auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Lass die Kurzhanteln nicht hinter den Kopf driften.",
    "Wiederhole die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate o ponte de pie sujetando mancuernas a la altura de los hombros con las palmas mirando hacia adelante.",
    "Empuja ambas mancuernas por encima de la cabeza hasta que los brazos queden completamente extendidos.",
    "Mantén el core contraído y evita arquear la zona lumbar.",
    "Baja las mancuernas de forma controlada hasta la altura de los hombros.",
    "No dejes que las mancuernas se desplacen detrás de la cabeza.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Stack your wrists directly over your elbows throughout the press.",
    "Exhale as you press up and inhale as you lower.",
    "Keep your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders rather than flared wide."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Unterarme senkrecht unter den Hanteln.",
    "Drücke beide Seiten gleichmäßig hoch, ohne dass eine Hantel vorauseilt.",
    "Nutze keinen Schwung aus den Beinen, drücke streng aus den Schultern."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Sube las mancuernas en línea recta, sin chocarlas arriba.",
    "Mantén las muñecas firmes, alineadas con los antebrazos.",
    "Si tu zona lumbar se arquea, reduce el peso."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/dumbbell-shoulder-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/dumbbell-shoulder-press-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "dumbbell-shoulder-press");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.