Shoulders · Overhead press
Arnold Press
The Arnold Press mainly trains your front delts and side delts. Also working: triceps and upper back.
Free weights
Dumbbells
Stable
How to do it
- Dumbbells in front of your shoulders, palms facing you
- As you press up, open your elbows out to the sides and rotate your hands
- At the top your palms face forward, arms almost straight
- Rotate back and lower along the same path
Coach’s tip
The rotation makes the shoulder work through a longer range: use about 20% less weight than for a regular press. Log the weight per dumbbell. Sitting on the bench keeps your back steadier.
Noticeably loads the shoulder. If you tell DCFT that this joint bothers you, the app leaves exercises like this one out and picks a better supported alternative.
Setup
Grip
Dumbbells
Load
Free weights
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (overhead press). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Arnold Press work?
Mainly the front delts and side delts. The triceps and upper back help.
What can I do instead of the Arnold Press?
For the same movement: Cable Shoulder Press, Seated Cable Shoulder Press and Kneeling Cable Shoulder Press. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Arnold Press in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.