How to do the Seated Dumbbell Press
Step by step
- Sit on an upright bench with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Brace your core and keep your back against the pad.
- Press the weights straight overhead until your arms are extended.
- Lower them back to shoulder height under control and repeat.
The thing people get wrong
Do not arch your lower back to help press the weight up - if you have to lean way back, the dumbbells are too heavy.
Coaching cue
Lower until your elbows are level with your shoulders, then press back up.
Stay safe
If a rep stalls, let the dumbbells fall out to the sides away from your head instead of fighting them.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Use lighter dumbbells and press one arm at a time.
- Harder: Take three seconds to lower the weights on every rep.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Front delts, Triceps
- Secondary: Side delts, Upper Back
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.