Arnold press: Shoulder press with a twist

Any form of shoulder presses can be performed either seated or while standing up, and it applies to the Arnold press as well, making it two different types of this particular exercise:

• Standing Arnold press
• Seated Arnold press

The Arnold press stimulates the shoulders, biceps as well as the chest which makes it a compound exercise. Keeping your shoulders in shape helps you in many ways, especially while performing real world duties of lifting things, especially doing household chores. 

An Arnold press can benefit you by strengthening the deltoids and trapezoid muscles within the shoulder structure. Compared to other shoulder press exercises, the Arnold press targets the front deltoids in the best possible way. The added benefit of regularly training the shoulder muscles is that it allows you to lift heavier in other exercises such as the bench press and the bicep curl.

The Arnold press is an intense exercise that must be performed after one has mastered the basic shoulder or overhead press movement. Exercises that involve the use of external weights must be performed carefully to avoid muscle strain or workout injuries. To prevent any kind of injury, always warm-up your body with some specific exercises with less weight for your shoulders such as the lateral raise, front raise and overhead press.

Muscle worked

• Primary: Shoulders
• Secondary: Biceps, triceps and chest

Equipment required

• A pair of dumbbells and a bench

Intensity

• Intermediate (trainee)

Sets and reps

• 3 sets of 15 reps each

How to do the Arnold press

• Either stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, or sit on a bench with a backrest to keep the back straight.
• Hold dumbbells with elbows touching the body and hands reversed with palms facing you.
• Elbows should be folded and the dumbells right in front of your shoulders.
• Twist your wrists outwards and turn the direction of your palms, and lift the dumbbells above your shoulders by straightening the elbows.
• Hold the position at the top of the movement for a second or two.
• Bring the dumbbells down slowly and turn the wrists again to return to the starting position. This is one rep.

Tip: Standing stance can be tougher than the seated one, thus try to lift lighter weights to get used to the movement.

It is advisable to not perform this exercise if you’re new to a gym atmosphere. The Arnold press is an improvised variation of the overhead press that targets the shoulder muscles with more intensity. With less experience, an individual can get injured. To prevent such injuries, lift according to your strength, perform under the supervision of a fitness trainer and first practice the movement without weights.

Much like many gym-based exercises, even the Arnold press has developed by the tinkering mind of a fitness professional looking to make the most out of an exercise. This exercise can be performed at the gym or at home with the help of dumbbells. If you’re looking to add a new exercise to your shoulder routine, the Arnold press can be the best you can go for in your bid to develop your shoulder muscles.