No Back Support Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

Also known as: unsupported seated dumbbell press

In SetGrip: Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press (No Back Support)

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Pectorals
Body part
Shoulders
Position
Seated
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Sitting on a flat bench with nothing behind you forces the trunk to hold the position a backrest normally provides, a middle step between supported seated pressing and standing overhead work. Move to it once supported pressing feels stable, with slightly lighter dumbbells while your midsection learns to be the bench.

How to do the No Back Support Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press

  1. Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
  2. Lean back and position the dumbbells to the sides of your chest, palms facing forward.
  3. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and keep the wrists straight over the elbows through the whole rep.

Muscles worked

Primary

Delts · Shoulders

The front delts assist every press and take over on Bradford and behind the neck variations.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The triceps lock out the elbow on every press and dominate close grip and skull press variations.
  • Pectorals — The chest presses the arms together and forward, and decline and wide grip variations put more emphasis on the lower and outer pecs.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flaring wide — on horizontal presses keep the elbows at roughly 45 degrees from the torso; pressing overhead, keep them under the weight instead.
  • Losing the shoulder blade position — on bench-style presses set the shoulder blades back and down and keep them there; overhead, let the shoulder blades rotate up naturally with the arms.
  • Bouncing or rushing the bottom — control the bar down and pause for a beat before driving up, especially on decline and close grip variations.
  • Not committing to a variation — Bradford presses, skull presses and the like are hybrids; pick a fixed range and stick with it for the whole set.

Where it fits in a workout

Presses are the main movement in a push session and should go first or second. Superset them with a row or pulldown for a push and pull pair.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without dumbbell

Easier and harder

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

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. 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.