How to Do Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercises

Chest and shoulders routines in the gym will include free weight training for some muscle groups. Free weight training can build muscle groups often better and faster than machine based exercises. Dumbbell raises target the chest, shoulders and upper back muscles, in a variety of different ways to target different muscles. You can do them standing, lying flat, or sitting at an incline.

Instructions

    • 1

      Understand the motion with the weights. The dumbbells are to be grasped one in each hand. Regardless of body positioning, the dumbbell press begins at shoulder level and presses straight up and slightly inward, so that at the peak of the raise, the dumbbells meet in the center and touch each other.

    • 2

      Choose your body position. You may lie flat on a bench and press the dumbbells from the shoulders straight upward to above your chest, then back down. Sitting back on an incline bench and extending the arms from the shoulders directly above your head will concentrate on the chest and trap muscles. If you lie in a inclining position and press up from the shoulders to above your shoulders and chest, the press will work the chest and lower pec muscles.

    • 3

      Repeat these exercises and build the muscles. More repetitions with lower weight will build tone in the muscles, whereas working lower reps with heavier weights will build strength and grow the muscle size.

    • 4

      Build muscle size and strength by beginning with a lower weight to warm up the muscle group through a set of 8 to 12 repetitions. Follow by working a set of your normal weight at between 8 to 15 reps and then increase the weight to above your normal weight and continue increasing the weight. This will show you the weight max for the muscles you are working.