Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Stand tall with the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward, and brace your abs and glutes. Brace your torso first so your ribs do not flare up.

Press the dumbbells overhead, letting your hands come naturally closer together above your head. Think of your shoulders driving the dumbbells toward the ceiling to load the front and side delts.

Hold briefly with your arms fully extended, then slowly lower the dumbbells to shoulder height. Keep your elbows from drifting too far behind you, and keep your wrists straight.

This is a basic press driven together by the front and side delts. Your hands move independently, so lower the weight if one side rises first and match both sides.

Leaning back and using momentum, or letting one dumbbell rise first, shifts the work to one side. Lowering the dumbbells too far behind you can irritate the front of your shoulders, so use only a comfortable depth.

Exhale as you press and inhale as you lower. A steady breath helps keep your torso still and both sides moving at the same speed.

With the standing dumbbell press, symmetry comes before load. Once both hands reach the same height and you can hold the fully extended position for 1 second, you can increase the weight.