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Exercises

Arnold press: how to do it, and what to do instead

Published October 17, 2026

The Arnold press is a seated dumbbell shoulder press that starts with your palms facing you in front of your shoulders and turns them to face forward as you press overhead. It trains the front delts hardest, with the side delts and triceps helping. What makes it work is a slow, even turn that finishes as your arms lock out, with a weight light enough that you can reach the bottom position every rep.

Your last Arnold press set

How to do the Arnold press

Starting with your elbows in front of you keeps the front delt working from the first inch, and opening them out as you rise brings the side delt in near the top. It takes only a pair of dumbbells and a bench with a backrest.

Steps

  1. Set a bench upright, sit with your back against the pad and your feet flat, and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Bring the weights up in front of your shoulders, palms toward your face and elbows pointing down in front of your chest, like the top of a curl.
  3. Press up and, as the dumbbells pass your forehead, open your elbows out to the sides so your palms turn to face forward.
  4. Finish the turn just as your arms straighten overhead, with the dumbbells above your shoulders rather than in front of them.
  5. Lower along the same path, closing your elbows in front of you so your palms face you again at the bottom, then press the next rep from there.

Cues

  • Turn and press in one motion
  • Elbows open as the weights rise
  • Back stays on the pad

Common mistakes

  • Turning the dumbbells first and then pressing: spread the turn over the whole rep so there is never a pause halfway.
  • Arching away from the backrest to finish the top: keep your back on the pad and take a lighter pair.
  • Cutting the bottom short once the set gets hard: every rep starts with the palms facing you at chin height, or it is a regular shoulder press with extra steps.
  • Going as heavy as your normal dumbbell press: start a pair or two lighter, since the turn costs you load.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Landmine Press

Muscles the Arnold press works

The Arnold press works the front delts most, with the side delts and triceps helping and the upper chest chipping in at the bottom. With your elbows in front of you at the start, the front delt does most of the pressing, and the side delt takes more of the work as your elbows open out on the way up.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the Arnold press

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
This is the default the session builder below uses for the Arnold press.
Shoulder priority 3–4 × 10–15 1–2 2 min
For when your shoulders are lagging: keep the weight where every rep reaches the full bottom position, and add a second shoulder day before adding sets to this one.
Beginners 2–3 × 10–12 2–3 2 min
Stay further from failure while you learn to blend the turn into the press, and add reps before you add weight.
After a heavy press 2–3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Use it second on a shoulder day, after barbell or machine presses, when your front delts are already tired and lighter dumbbells still make the sets hard.

Arnold press variations

  • Dumbbell Shoulder Press start position

    Dumbbell Shoulder Press

    Pick it when you want to press heavier dumbbells: drop the turn and start with your palms facing forward.

    Build a session with it
  • Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Shoulder Press start position

    Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Shoulder Press

    Pick it if turning your wrists feels awkward; your palms face each other the whole way, and your elbows stay in front of you.

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  • Alternating Dumbbell Shoulder Press start position

    Alternating Dumbbell Shoulder Press

    Pick it when you train standing and want one arm to stay locked out while the other works, so your trunk has to brace through the set.

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  • Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press start position

    Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press

    Pick it when one shoulder lags: press one dumbbell at a time and let the weaker side decide how many reps both sides get.

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  • Scott Press start position

    Scott Press

    Pick it to keep a turn in the press but start with your elbows out wide, which moves more of the work onto the side delts.

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Arnold press alternatives

No dumbbells

  • Machine Shoulder Press start position

    Machine Shoulder Press

    The easiest press to push close to failure, since the machine handles balance; use it when you want hard sets with no setup.

    Build a session with it
  • Barbell Overhead Press start position

    Barbell Overhead Press

    The press to pick when strength is the goal; it lets you load the most weight and add it in small jumps.

    Build a session with it
  • Kettlebell Overhead Press start position

    Kettlebell Overhead Press

    For home gyms with kettlebells: the bell sits on your forearm, which keeps your elbow under your hand.

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If pressing straight overhead feels awkward

  • Landmine Press start position

    Landmine Press

    The bar travels up and forward instead of straight up, so you can press hard without reaching fully overhead.

    Build a session with it
  • Incline Dumbbell Press start position

    Incline Dumbbell Press

    Set the bench to its highest incline short of upright and you still train the front delts, with your chest helping.

    Build a session with it

No equipment

  • Pike Push-Up start position

    Pike Push-Up

    Hips high and head toward the floor turns a push-up into an overhead press with bodyweight; raise your feet on a box to make it harder.

    Build a session with it
  • Band Overhead Press start position

    Band Overhead Press

    Stand on a band and press one arm at a time; it gets harder the higher you press, so it fits travel and home sessions.

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Side delts first

  • Dumbbell Lateral Raise start position

    Dumbbell Lateral Raise

    If you chose the Arnold press for wider shoulders, a raise trains the side delt more directly than a press.

    Build a session with it
  • Cable Lateral Raise start position

    Cable Lateral Raise

    The same job with tension from the very bottom, where dumbbells give the side delt almost nothing.

    Build a session with it

Arnold press vs dumbbell shoulder press

The Arnold press starts with your palms facing you and your elbows in front, then turns as you press, so the dumbbells travel further each rep; the regular dumbbell shoulder press starts with your elbows out to the sides and lets you handle more weight. Neither one is the better builder for everyone.

Pick the shoulder press as your heavy press and add load to it week after week. Pick the Arnold press if the longer path and lighter dumbbells suit you better, or use both on different days.

Can you do the Arnold press standing?

Yes. Standing works the same muscles, but your trunk has to hold you upright, and on hard reps it's easy to lean back to finish the press.

Sit with your back on the pad when the goal is the shoulders, so the last reps of the set land on your delts. Stand when you have no bench, and squeeze your glutes and ribs down so your torso stays stacked over your hips.

Questions

What muscles does the Arnold press work?

Mainly the front delts, with the side delts and triceps helping and the upper chest contributing at the bottom of each rep. The rear delts do very little, so pair it with face pulls or rear-delt raises.

Is the Arnold press a good exercise?

Yes, for building the front of the shoulder with a pair of dumbbells. It trades some load for a longer range at the bottom, so it suits muscle-building sets of 8–15 better than heavy strength work, where a barbell or regular dumbbell press lets you lift more.

Is the Arnold press better than the military press?

They do different jobs. The military press lets you lift the most weight and add it in small steps, so it wins for overhead strength. The Arnold press uses lighter dumbbells through a longer range, which suits muscle-building sets. Many lifters press heavy with a barbell first and use the Arnold press second.

Which is harder, the Arnold press or the shoulder press?

With the same dumbbells, the Arnold press is harder: the longer path and the turn mean you will use lighter dumbbells than on a regular dumbbell shoulder press for the same reps.

Can you do the Arnold press standing up?

Yes. Brace your trunk and keep your ribs down so you don't lean back to finish each rep. If you catch yourself arching on the last reps, sit on an upright bench with your back on the pad.

How heavy should the Arnold press be?

Start a pair or two lighter than the dumbbells you use for a regular shoulder press for the same reps. The weight fits if every rep starts with your palms facing you at chin height and finishes with your arms straight overhead.

What can I replace the Arnold press with?

The dumbbell shoulder press is the closest swap. Use a machine shoulder press for hard sets with no balance to manage, a barbell overhead press for strength, a landmine press if reaching straight overhead feels awkward, and pike push-ups if you have no equipment.