Seated overhead dumbbell press: add shape and definition to your shoulders with this training staple

technique

* Sit at the end of an exercise bench, your feet flat on the floor.

* With a dumbbell in each hand, raise your arms so that your hands line up with the tops of your ears, palms facing forward and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

* Your elbows should be bent and pointed down and out to the sides. The dumbbells should be just slightly in front of your shoulders.

* Keep your shoulders back, your chest out and your spine in its normal lumbar curve.

* Inhale and hold your breath as you press the dumbbells directly overhead and inward. The dumbbells should barely touch when your arms are extended and directly over your head with a slight bend in the elbows.

* Exhale after passing the most difficult point in the overhead press and pause for a moment after reaching a fully extended position.

* Lower the weights with a controlled motion and repeat.

performance

* To make the exercise more effective, do not stop in the down position. Pause when your arms are fully extended overhead, and then, as you lower the dumbbells to the shoulder position, reverse directions and raise the dumbbells upward and pause at the top. This action utilizes the energy built up in the eccentric contraction as you lower the dumbbells.

* Be sure to bring the dumbbells toward each other in the overhead position. This allows for full involvement of the middle and anterior deltoids and enhances elevation of the shoulder girdle, which is needed for free and unimpeded movement of the arms and the scapulae.

* Do not jerk the dumbbells upward or let them down quickly with a sudden stop at the bottom before you reverse directions. Any forceful movements like this can impact the spine greatly and cause injury. This is why the standing overhead press is often recommended since the legs can act as shock absorbers.

* To prevent lower-back injury, maintain the normal curvature of the spine while in the seated position. Be sure to sit upright at all times and do not round your back.

* To maintain normal curvature of the spine, stabilize your upper body and create greater force during the overhead press by holding your breath during the exertion phase of the exercise. Breath-holding helps create a firm base upon which the muscles can effectively contract.

* Do not use excessively heavy weights. They increase the risk of you losing your balance when the weights are fully overhead. In addition, extremely heavy weights can limit your upward range of motion in the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle.

* Contract the erectors of the lower back, and draw your abdominals in to hold your position.

* To place greater stress on the anterior deltoid and upper pecs, and for variety, you can do the exercise with a neutral grip (palms facing your head) and the elbows pointed forward. Execute in the same manner but keep the elbows pointed forward.

primary muscles involved

In the shoulder joint, the supraspinatus and the middle and anterior deltoids play the most important roles. The deltoid muscle covers the outer shoulders and gives the wide, rounded appearance to the shoulders. When well-defined, the three divisions of the deltoid can be seen. The supraspinatus, located beneath the deltoid is relatively small and cannot be seen.

In the shoulder girdle, the serratus anterior, upper and lower trapezius, levator scapulae and rhomboid muscles are involved. The trapezius is a large muscle located in the middle of the upper back that produces a diamond-shaped appearance when welldefined. The rhomboid is directly beneath the trapezius, while the serratus anterior is located on the sides of the rib cage under the armpits. The levator scapulae is a long thin muscle that runs along the backside of the neck and is covered by the upper trapezius.

In the elbow joint, only the triceps is strongly involved. It is a large three-part muscle that occupies the entire backside of the upper arm. In this exercise, all three heads are involved.

muscle/joint actions

The deltoid and supraspinatus are involved in shoulder joint abduction, in which the arm is moved outward and upward in a sideward plane. The deltoid contracts most strongly from the shoulder-level position of the arms to completely overhead. The serratus anterior and the upper and lower portions of the trapezius contract to rotate the scapula upward and to allow the arm to go through the full range of motion. As the arm approaches the horizontal and above positions, the upper trapezius and levator scapulae contract to elevate the scapula while it continues to rotate upward. These actions are needed to ensure the full range of upper-arm action.

In the elbow joint, there is extension in which the forearm moves away from the upper arm as the upper arm is raised to straighten the arms.

sports uses

The seated overhead dumbbell press is one of the best exercises to develop the deltoid through a full range of motion. It's safer and more effective than exercises such as the lateral raise (to the level position). Development of the deltoid improves contours of the outside of the shoulders, gives width to the shoulders and a V-shaped appearance to the body (as opposed to a pear shape, where the shoulders are narrow and the pelvic girdle is wide). The overhead dumbbell press also is great for development of the middle-back musculature.