Arnold Press vs Dumbbell PressArnold press vs dumbbell press; this article will examine both exercises. There are pros and cons to both of these movements, and both work the shoulders in slightly different ways. Remember that both of these exercises can also be performed in either a seated or standing position. Dumbbell Press For the dumbbell press, you want to start off by holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Your elbows should be out to the sides and at about a 90 degree angle to your upper arms. From here, you lift the weights straight up and come back down under control, again going down until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor or slightly lower. With your elbows wide and out to the sides, the involvement of the medial deltoid is maximized, and this is in contrast to the Arnold press, which works the anterior deltoid more as discussed further below. When executing the dumbbell press, it is important to only lower and raise the weights as far as your flexibility permits. Going down too far or forcing your joints through an uncomfortable range of motion can result in injury. Arnold Press For the Arnold press, you start by holding the dumbbells at shoulder level in front of your chest, with your palms facing inwards. As you lift the weights, you rotate your hands 180 degrees, so that your palms face outwards at the top of the movement. Then, as you lower the weights back down, you rotate your hands again so that your palms face inwards at the bottom. One of the main advantages of the Arnold press is that it takes the shoulders through a very natural range of motion, and for this reason, it can sometimes be easier on the joints than the traditional dumbbell press. To fully examine the issue of the Arnold press vs dumbbell press, it is important to get a clear idea of which areas each exercise develops. In terms of the muscles worked, the Arnold press focuses most of the effort of the movement on the anterior deltoid since the arms are positioned in front of the body in the starting position. It is important to keep in mind that most people usually have significant strength in the anterior deltoids, simply because a lot of incline movements for the chest usually work this muscle group quite significantly as well. So if you are looking to add more overall balance and thickness to your shoulders, it may be a good idea to focus primarily on the dumbbell press, but at the same time if you have shoulders problems, the Arnold press might be a lot easier to perform. Arnold Press Variation When deciding on the Arnold press vs dumbbell press, past shoulder injuries or discomfort often make the former exercise a better choice. In fact if you do have shoulder problems, there is a modified version of the Arnold press that can be performed which may be even easier on the joints. In this variation, you rotate your hands only 90 degrees as you lift them up, so that your palms face each other at the top of the movement instead of facing outwards. From here, you rotate your hands as you lower the dumbbells so that your palms face inwards again at the bottom of the movement. Try these different variations and see what works best for you, remembering the key point: the dumbbell press maximizes the involvement of the medial deltoid while the arnold press maximizes the involvement of the anterior deltoid, and may also be easier on the joints. Here is a video outlining the concepts discussed on this page:
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