What you'll gain
Loads the front and side of the deltoid across a longer path than a straight overhead press.
The rotation adds time under tension without needing a heavier dumbbell.
Seated against an upright bench it removes leg drive, so the shoulders do the work.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Set an adjustable bench upright and sit with your back flat against the pad.
- 2
Bring two dumbbells to shoulder height with your palms turned toward your face and your elbows in front of you.
- 3
Brace your core and keep your ribs down before the first rep.
- 4
Press the dumbbells overhead while rotating your forearms so the palms finish facing forward.
- 5
Stop just short of locking the elbows and hold the top position briefly.
- 6
Reverse the rotation as you lower the dumbbells back to the start.
Common Mistakes
Rushing the rotation, which turns the lift into a swing and takes tension off the deltoid.
Letting the ribs flare and the lower back arch, which moves load from the shoulders to the spine.
Locking the elbows hard at the top, which parks the load on the joint instead of the muscle.
Starting with the palms already facing forward, which removes the rotation the exercise exists for.
About This Exercise
The Arnold press starts with the dumbbells at shoulder height and the palms turned toward your face, then rotates the forearms outward as you press so the palms finish facing forward. It is a compound dumbbell push aimed at the shoulders, with the triceps and traps assisting, and the front and side of the deltoid do the moving while the upper back and trunk stabilize. The rotation takes the arm from an internally rotated start into abduction and external rotation, loading the deltoid over a longer path than a straight press. For an asset library this is the rotational entry in the overhead press family, and the palm turn is the detail a still image cannot carry. Use it in shoulder blocks, dumbbell equipment filters, and technique content that explains the rotation.
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Arnold Press
A seated dumbbell press that starts with the palms facing you and rotates them forward as the weight goes overhead.
Need more than one animation?
Choose a focused 104-exercise pack or unlock all 412, with commercial licensing included.
Specifications
Built for
- Shoulder day slot in dumbbell-only hypertrophy programs.
- Variation pickers that offer the Arnold press beside a standard dumbbell press.
- Technique clips that walk through the palm rotation frame by frame.
- Push-day substitution when a straight overhead press has gone stale.
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
Cuban Press
$4.99A three-phase dumbbell drill that links an upright row, an external rotation and an overhead press in one rep.
Dumbbell Front Raise
$4.99A standing dumbbell raise to shoulder height that isolates the front delts in a clean, controlled arc.
Dumbbell Incline Front Raise
$4.99A front raise performed face-down on an incline bench — isolates the front shoulders through a fuller range than the standing version.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
$4.99A standing dumbbell raise out to the sides — the foundational isolation for the side delts and shoulder width.
Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly
$4.99A chest-down reverse fly on an incline bench that isolates the rear delts and upper back without lower-back strain.
Dumbbell Push Press
$4.99An overhead dumbbell press driven by a short leg dip, letting the shoulders finish a load they could not strict press.