Dumbbell Seated Curl to Shoulder Press
- Secondary muscles
- Delts
- Body part
- Upper Arms
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Flowing from a curl straight into a shoulder press covers biceps and delts with a single pair of dumbbells, which is the appeal for short or equipment-limited sessions. The curl is the weaker link, so the weight will undertrain your shoulders; accept that trade or split the two movements.
How to do the Dumbbell Seated Curl to Shoulder Press
- Sit on a bench with your back straight and feet flat on the ground.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward and arms fully extended.
- Keeping your elbows close to your sides, curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
- Once your forearms are vertical, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing forward.
- Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.
- Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position by reversing the movement.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Lower for three seconds and stop just short of locking out the elbow to keep the muscle under tension.
Muscles worked
Primary
Biceps · Arms
The biceps bend the elbow and turn the palm up, so they work hardest when the palms face up; hammer and reverse grips shift more of the work to the forearm muscles.
Secondary
- Delts — The front delt should only be stabilizing the upper arm, so if you feel it working the elbows have moved forward.
Common mistakes
- Elbows drifting forward — as the elbows come up the front delt starts to lift the weight; pin the elbows to your sides and let only the forearm move.
- Swinging from the hips — a small rock backward on each rep means the weight is too heavy; drop it and curl from a dead stop.
- Cutting the bottom short — stopping with the elbow bent shortens the range where the biceps are stretched; lower until the arm is nearly straight.
- Wrists curling at the top — flexing the wrist toward you brings the forearm flexors in; keep the wrist neutral or slightly extended.
Where it fits in a workout
Curls go at the end of a pull session or arm day, after the rows and pulldowns that also load the biceps. Superset them with a triceps pushdown or extension.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.