Arnold Press: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The Arnold press works your shoulders through a rotating path that shifts from a palms-in start to a palms-forward finish, engaging more of the deltoid than a standard press. Your triceps extend your elbows to complete the lockout, making it a fuller shoulder exercise in a single movement.
- Primary muscle:
- Shoulders
- Secondary muscles:
- Triceps
Muscles worked
Your shoulders are the prime mover, and the rotating path, starting with palms facing you and finishing palms forward, brings the front and side heads of the deltoid through the movement more than a standard dumbbell press does.
Your triceps extend your elbows to lock the dumbbells out overhead, doing the same finishing job they do in any overhead press, regardless of the rotation.
Log Arnold Press in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- Sit on an exercise bench with back support and hold two dumbbells in front of you at about upper chest level with your palms facing your body and your elbows bent. Tip: Your arms should be next to your torso. The starting position should look like the contracted portion of a dumbbell curl.
- Now to perform the movement, raise the dumbbells as you rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward.
- Continue lifting the dumbbells until your arms are extended above you in straight arm position. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement.
- After a second pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells to the original position by rotating the palms of your hands towards you. Tip: The left arm will be rotated in a counter clockwise manner while the right one will be rotated clockwise. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Start with the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing your body.
- Rotate your palms to face forward as you press up, finishing with arms extended overhead.
- Reverse the rotation smoothly on the way down instead of dropping straight back to the start.
- Keep your ribs down and avoid arching your lower back to press the weight up.
- Use a lighter weight than your standard shoulder press while you learn the rotation.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Arnold press better than a regular shoulder press?
It isn't strictly better, just different. The rotating path brings more of the deltoid through the range of motion in one movement, which some lifters prefer, while a standard press lets you focus purely on pressing strength with a simpler path. Both are valid shoulder exercises.
Why does the Arnold press feel harder than a dumbbell shoulder press?
The rotation adds a second task, moving your wrists and forearms through a turn, on top of pressing the weight overhead, which is why most lifters use less weight for Arnold presses than for a standard press at the same rep range.
What's a good rep range for the Arnold press?
6-12 reps per set with a weight that's challenging by the final rep works well for shoulder size, the same general range that suits most front raise or lateral raise work.
More shoulders exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
