The Arnold Press Is the Upper-Body Exercise You Need for Strong, Capped Shoulders

If you want to do something right, learn from the best. So if one of your fitness goals is to build strong shoulders, include the Arnold press in your workouts.

Why? Because this twisting version of a dumbbell shoulder press was popularized by (and named for) one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Arnold wanted to fill out his anterior deltoid (the front part of the cap of the shoulder)," Steven Head, owner of Headstrong Fitness, tells LIVESTRONG.com. Schwarzenegger felt that by starting with his palms facing his chest and twisting as he lifted, he got more activation in that area — and research has shown he was onto something.

That's not the only benefit of performing dumbbell presses in Arnold's style, though. The Arnold shoulder press can help activate other parts of your shoulder more effectively, and can make overhead pressing hurt less.

Here's everything you need to know to perform the Arnold press with perfect form.

• ​What is the Arnold press?​ It's a vertical pressing exercise where a lifter starts holding dumbbells in front of their chest, palms in, then twists their palms forward as they press the weights straight overhead. You can do the Arnold press standing or seated.
• ​What muscles does an Arnold press work?​ It works the anterior (front) and medial (side) deltoid, which are the caps of your shoulders. It also works your triceps as you press the weights overhead, your biceps as you control the weights back down and your core as you stabilize your body. Your supraspinatus — one of the muscles in your rotator cuff — gets involved during the rotational portion of the move.
• ​Who can do this exercise?​ Anyone without a shoulder injury or limited shoulder range of motion and who can perform the move without pain or overextending the low back.

Of course, bodybuilding legend and former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn't have lent his name to a shoulder press variation if it wasn't at least a little different. But is the Arnold press better than a standard dumbbell shoulder press? What about a barbell press? Here are the main differences:

​Arnold Press vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press:​ During a classic dumbbell shoulder press, you press the weight overhead without twisting the weights to face a different direction. You either start and end with palms in or palms forward, depending on which grip you choose. The difference between an Arnold press and a shoulder press is that you start with your palms facing in, then turn them as you press up so they're facing forward at the top.

​Arnold Press vs. Barbell Shoulder Press:​ There's also the old-school barbell shoulder press, which gives the shoulders a mighty workout. Different as they may look, the dumbbell shoulder press, Arnold press and barbell press all target the anterior deltoid (front shoulder muscle that helps you rotate your arms). Plus, they all engage the lateral deltoids, traps and triceps.

In the barbell's pros column: Compared to other overhead presses, you can lift more weight when using a barbell. Greater loads correspond to more strength gains.

The drawbacks of pressing with a barbell is that it can lead to injury of the back of the shoulder. If you lack mobility in this area, you may be more likely to lean back, overextending your low back and placing a lot of the load on it. Not good. And some lifters let their egos get involved when performing barbell presses, stacking on more weight than their shoulders can handle.

The benefits of the Arnold press likely lie in the dumbbells themselves. Though dumbbells aren't ideal for heavy reps, they encourage both limbs to do the same amount of work — and tend to be a bit friendlier on the joints. And the starting hand position (palms facing in) is easier to maintain without over-arching your back.

A July 2013 study in the ​Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research​ found that both the anterior (front) and medial (side) heads of the deltoid, or shoulder cap, were activated more by standard dumbbell overhead presses than by barbell overhead presses.

And in a small October 2017 study from the ​Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development​ the Arnold press activated the anterior and medial of the deltoid more than the standard overhead press.

So, if standard dumbbell presses are better than barbell presses, and Arnold presses are superior to standard dumbbell presses, Arnold seems to have gotten it right.

Another purported benefit of performing moves like a shoulder press with dumbbells instead of the barbell is that each arm must do equal work: When you're lifting a barbell, your stronger side may do more work, increasing the imbalance between your two arms. When you use dumbbells, each arm has to lift the whole weight.

The starting position of the Arnold press — palms facing inward — can make the move more shoulder- and back-friendly. When your hands are in the standard shoulder press position — your palms facing forward — you may start to lean way back, hyperextending and overloading your low back. That's a no-no.

The standard shoulder press starting position can also cause some twinges in the shoulder itself that you may not feel when your palms are facing in.

One of the main form misses on the Arnold press is "moving out and then going up, as opposed to moving up and out at the same time," Head says.

The point of the Arnold press is to load the anterior delt more, and that happens when the hand presses up while the palm is still facing your chest. If you open your hands out and then press up, you're just doing a normal dumbbell press with an extra step.

If you feel a twinge of discomfort in your shoulders at the top of the press, you don't have to twist that far. Instead, twist so your palms are at a 45-degree angle at the top of the move.

Actively focus on squeezing your glutes and bracing your abs before each rep. This can help keep you from swinging your hips as you press, focusing more on the shoulders, and also can prevent you from arching backward and putting your low back at risk of pain or injury.

Keep a tiny bend in your elbows at the top of the move. This can keep you from overextending your elbows when you have a heavy weight overhead.

Don't let your wrist fall backward into the same position as a waiter holding a tray. This can put unnecessary strain on your wrist, leading to overuse injuries. Instead, keep your hand and wrist in a punching position.

Performing shoulder presses while seated means your core has to stabilize your body less. This can help keep you from over-arching your back.

Using a kettlebell can make it easier to keep your wrist in a "punch" position, since the weight can rest against your forearm. "I also find it more shoulder-friendly," Head says. "I call it going from the 'rack' position to the 'stack' position," where the weight is stacked above you.

This move does double duty, adding a curl before you press. But because you can probably curl less than you can press, Head says, the smaller load should make it easier to perform the Arnold press portion.

This is a more challenging, single-arm Arnold press variation where you'll alternate the arms you press. Pressing one dumbbell at a time means you have to stabilize your core from side to side with each press. It also means holding the dumbbells in front of you for longer, which can give your biceps some extra work.

Many people do the Arnold press to try to hammer the posterior (rear) deltoid. The bent-over lateral raise is another effective way to target this area.

In fact, a September 2014 study by the American Council on Exercise found that this move activated the rear delts at seven times the rate of regular shoulder presses. Though they used the seated bent-over lateral raise in the study, the standing version lets you practice your hip hinge.