Arnold Press

How to Perform

1. Start with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you (like the top of a curl)
2. As you press up, smoothly rotate your palms to face forward
3. Fully extend overhead with palms facing away from you
4. Reverse the rotation on the way down back to the starting position

Tips

• Keep the rotation smooth and continuous throughout the press — jerky transitions stress the rotator cuff
• No dumbbells? A standard overhead press with a barbell or kettlebells covers the same pressing pattern
• Use a controlled 2-3 second press with smooth rotation and a 2-3 second descent — rushing defeats the purpose
• Beginners often go too heavy and lose the rotation — use lighter weight than a standard shoulder press until the pattern is smooth
• Feel the front delts engage at the start, lateral delts through the middle, and the full shoulder complex at lockout

Essential Equipment

Equipment	Why You Need It	Our Pick	Review
Adjustable Dumbbells	Progressive overload through the full weight range	Bowflex SelectTech 552	Read Review