Machine Shoulder Press

Muscles worked by the Machine 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

Shoulder Press Machine

Also called: overhead press machine, military press machine, seated shoulder press, iso-lateral shoulder press, hammer strength shoulder press, plate-loaded shoulder press.

How to do the Machine Shoulder Press

1. Sit in the machine with your back against the pad.
2. Grip the handles at shoulder level.
3. Press the handles overhead until arms are fully extended.
4. Lower with control to the starting position.
5. Repeat.

Form tips

• Keep your lower back pressed into the pad without overarching.
• Keep your wrists stacked directly over your elbows as you press.

At a glance

Machine 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
• Dumbbell 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": "machine-shoulder-press",
  "name_en": "Machine Shoulder Press",
  "name_de": "Maschine Schulterdrücken",
  "name_es": "Press de Hombros en Máquina",
  "description_en": "A machine-based overhead pressing movement for the shoulders.",
  "description_de": "Eine maschinengestützte Überkopf-Drückübung für die Schultern.",
  "description_es": "Un movimiento de press por encima de la cabeza en máquina para los hombros.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "shoulder_press_machine",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "push_day",
    "knee_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "lower_back_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit in the machine with your back against the pad.",
    "Grip the handles at shoulder level.",
    "Press the handles overhead until arms are fully extended.",
    "Lower with control to the starting position.",
    "Repeat."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Setze dich in die Maschine mit dem Rücken gegen das Polster.",
    "Greife die Griffe auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Drücke die Griffe nach oben, bis die Arme vollständig gestreckt sind.",
    "Senke kontrolliert in die Ausgangsposition.",
    "Wiederhole."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate en la máquina con la espalda contra el rodillo.",
    "Agarra las manijas a la altura de los hombros.",
    "Presiona las manijas sobre la cabeza hasta que los brazos queden completamente extendidos.",
    "Baja con control a la posición inicial.",
    "Repite."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your lower back pressed into the pad without overarching.",
    "Keep your wrists stacked directly over your elbows as you press."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Stelle den Sitz so ein, dass die Griffe auf Schulterhöhe starten.",
    "Vermeide ein Hohlkreuz, indem du den Rumpf fest anspannst.",
    "Ziehe die Schultern beim Drücken nicht zu den Ohren hoch."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "No arquees la zona lumbar al empujar hacia arriba.",
    "Evita bloquear los codos de golpe en la parte alta.",
    "Mantén las muñecas firmes y alineadas con los antebrazos."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/machine-shoulder-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/machine-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 === "machine-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.