Arnold Press

The Arnold press is a dumbbell overhead press that begins with the palms facing the body and rotates them outwards as the weight goes up. The rotation adds the front deltoid's internal-to-external range to a standard press, so the shoulder works through more of its available motion than a fixed-grip press allows.

Targets
Deltoid Anterior
Also works
Deltoid Lateral, Serratus Anterior, Triceps Brachii
Equipment
Dumbbell
Level
Intermediate
Start with
3 × 10-12, 60s rest

How to do it

  1. Sit or stand holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you, elbows in front of your ribs.
  2. Press the dumbbells upward and rotate your palms outwards as they rise.
  3. Finish with the arms overhead, palms facing forwards and the dumbbells roughly over your shoulder joints.
  4. Reverse the path exactly: lower and rotate the palms back towards you at the same time.
  5. Return to the start with the palms facing your body before beginning the next rep.

Form cues

  • Let the rotation happen across the whole press rather than twisting at the top.
  • Keep your ribs down and your midsection braced so the press does not become a standing back arch.
  • Stop the dumbbells over your shoulders, not behind your head.

Common mistakes

  • Using a load that only works with a leg drive. This is a shoulder exercise; if the knees are dipping, it has become a push press.
  • Rotating the wrists only at the very top, which skips the range the exercise exists to add.
  • Flaring into a deep stretch at the bottom under heavy weight. The start position is at shoulder height, not below it.

Where this fits in a week

Dietly Fit scores one photo a week out of 100, names the area holding the score back, and builds the week around it — so a movement like this gets programmed when your deltoid anterior is what needs the work, not because it was next on a list.

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More shoulders movements

Demonstration courtesy of Gym Visual. Sets and reps are a starting point, not a prescription. Speak to a qualified professional before starting a new exercise program, particularly if you are managing an injury or a health condition.