Shoulder Press
Seated in a shoulder press machine with your back on the pad, you press the handles from shoulder height to just short of lockout, working the front delts and triceps.
- Primary muscles
- Front delts
- Secondary
- Triceps, Side delts, Serratus
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Why do it
The machine guides the handles for you, so you don't need to balance a bar or control two dumbbells, and you can push close to failure without a spotter. That makes it a good first overhead press for beginners and a handy way for experienced lifters to add volume after free-weight pressing. Machines differ in how the handles travel, so spend a warm-up set finding a seat height where the handles start at or just below your shoulders and the press feels smooth.
How to do it
Set the seat so the handles sit at or just below shoulder height, and sit with your back flat against the pad.
Grip the handles overhand with your elbows out to the sides, feet planted on the floor.
Press up until your arms are nearly straight, stopping short of locking your elbows.
Lower the handles slowly back to shoulder height. Keep your back on the pad instead of arching to get the weight up.
Common mistakes
Keeping the last person's seat height
A seat that's too low starts the handles above your shoulders and cuts off the bottom of the press. Adjust it so the handles start at or just below shoulder height.
Sliding your hips forward to finish
When reps get hard, scooting forward and leaning back changes the press angle. Keep your back flat on the pad and end the set there instead.
Letting the stack crash down
Resting the plates between reps gives your shoulders a break and skips the lowering. Stop just before the stack touches and press again.
Snapping your elbows straight
Locking out hard at the top takes tension off the shoulders. Stop just short of lockout and start the next rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
