Arnold Press

Overview

Difficulty

Medium

Required equipment

• Incline bench
• Dumbbell

Main muscles

• Shoulder: Anterior deltoid muscle
  (Musculus deltoideus, Pars clavicularis)

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Training plans

Here you can find example plans for arnold press training:

3-day split4-day split

Arnold Press: Basics and alternatives

Involved main muscle groups:
Arnold Press

The Arnold Press is a unique variation of the dumbbell shoulder press. It involves pressing dumbbells overhead with both arms from shoulder or neck height in a twisting motion. Just like Arnold dips, this was a favorite exercise of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The difference between the normal shoulder press and the Arnold Press lies in the movement sequence. As you move the dumbbells up and down, you rotate them. At the beginning of the movement, your palms face you, and at the end, they face forward.

A 2017 study with 10 healthy men found higher activity in the front and side deltoids during the Arnold Press than during the normal dumbbell shoulder press. The rear deltoid wasn’t measured. This small study compared muscle activity during 5 repetitions of each exercise; it doesn’t establish greater muscle growth.^[1]

Correct Execution

The Arnold Press can be done standing, on a flat or incline bench, or seated on the floor. In every version you need dumbbells for the rotation, unlike the normal shoulder press, which you can also do with a barbell.

Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions

Set the back of the incline bench as steep as possible.

Sit on the bench and place the dumbbells on your knees. Your back presses against the backrest and your feet are firmly on the floor, so you have a stable sitting position. You should keep a slight arch in your lower back to relieve stress on your spine.

Now lift the dumbbells in front of your torso. This is easier if you lift one knee at a time to get one dumbbell into position with momentum. This swinging motion is usually only necessary as your workout progresses when the weights become significantly heavier. To start, it’s best to choose a weight that you can get up without using your knees.

The dumbbells are now in front of your torso with your palms facing you.

Now push the weight up and extend your arms. As you do this, rotate your forearms 180 degrees. At the end of the movement, your palms face forward.

Don’t jerk your elbows into full extension at the top; keep the press controlled (see “Common Mistakes”).

Once at the top, return the dumbbells to the starting position in front of your torso (point 4). At the end of the movement, your palms face you again.

Alternative Execution

As mentioned earlier, you can perform the Arnold Press without an incline bench. It’s also possible to do the exercise standing or sitting on the floor. However, you’ll need to stabilize your upper body more, and the posture of your back is even more critical than on the incline bench. This makes the execution more challenging, so it’s mainly recommended for experienced athletes.

Common Mistakes

Keep the dumbbells under control throughout the press. Avoid jerking your elbows into full extension at the top, and lower the weights smoothly. If you can’t control the movement, reduce the weight.

1. Comparison among the EMG Activity of the Anterior Deltoid and Medial Deltoid During Two Variations of Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercise. Shiny Raizada, Amritashish Bagchi. Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development. 2017;8(4):653–656. doi: 10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00411.9. URL: https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00411.9