LiftSets / Exercises / Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
Works the shoulders. Helped by the triceps.


Bright blue is the target muscle. Darker blue is helping. The app shows this as a moving demo.
Muscles worked
shoulderstriceps
How many reps
| Goal | Reps per set |
|---|---|
| Strength | 3-6 |
| Muscle size | 6-10 |
| Endurance | 12-20+ |
Whatever the number, the set should end within a rep or two of the point where you could not do another with good form.
| Kit | dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Level | intermediate |
What to think about
- Brace, don't lean back.
- Lower to about ear level.
- Finish at the shoulders, bells to thighs, never out front.
How to do it
- Grab a dumbbell and either sit on a military press bench or a utility bench that has a back support on it as you place the dumbbells upright on top of your thighs or stand up straight.
- Clean the dumbbell up to bring it to shoulder height. The other hand can be kept fully extended to the side, by the waist or grabbing a fixed surface.
- Rotate the wrist so that the palm of your hand is facing forward. This is your starting position.
- As you exhale, push the dumbbell up until your arm is fully extended.
- After a second pause, slowly come down back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and then switch arms.
Other exercises for the shoulders
- Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
- Alternating Kettlebell Press
- Arnold Dumbbell Press
- Back Flyes - With Bands
- Band Pull Apart
- Barbell Shoulder Press
- Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench
- Cable Seated Lateral Raise
Track it in LiftSets
Log dumbbell one-arm shoulder press with last time's numbers in front of you, a rest timer on your lock screen and a graph of your progress.
Coming soon to the App Store