Arnold Press
The Arnold press, so-called because they were invented by seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, can be performed as an alternative to the
dumbbell military press
exercise. Start by standing upright while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Your elbows should be bent with your arms in front of your chest and your palms supinated (facing up). While keeping your back straight throughout the range of motion, lift the dumbbells by raising your arms. Rotate your arms at the same time as you extend them, so that your palms are facing outwards at the end of the movement.
Raise your arms until the dumbbells are above your head but avoid locking out at the end of the movement. Lower the weights back down to the starting position carefully while rotating your arms so that your palms once again face inwards at the bottom of the movement.
Tips
* This exercise mainly develops the anterior deltoid and middle deltoid. The triceps and serratus anterior contribute to the movement as well.
* The main
advantage to this movement over the dumbbell press
is that the range of motion is increased. This allows you to target more muscle fibers in the shoulders. At the same time, an increased range of motion means that you will probably not be able to use quite as much weight as you would for the standard dumbbell military press.
* Another advantage of this exercise is that by starting with the arms in front of the chest, friction in the shoulder joints is cut down, lessening the chance of injury by taking the shoulders through a more natural range of motion.
* Alternatively, you can stop the rotation by having your palms face each other (instead of facing outwards) at the top of the movement, which may also be easier on the joints for some people.
* This exercise can also be performed in a seated position to provide support to the back.
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