Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Also known as: seated dumbbell overhead press
In SetGrip: Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press
- Secondary muscles
- Triceps, Upper Back
- Body part
- Shoulders
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed
The seated dumbbell shoulder press is an overhead press on an upright bench with your back against the pad: you press a dumbbell in each hand from shoulder height until your arms are straight. Sitting keeps your legs out of the lift. It works the shoulders, with the triceps and upper back assisting.
How to do the Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Sit on an upright bench with your back against the pad and a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Keep your feet flat and your lower back against the pad.
- Press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight above your shoulders.
- Lower them back to shoulder height under control.
Muscles worked
Primary
Delts · Shoulders
Secondary
Common mistakes
- Arching off the pad — if your lower back leaves the bench, your chest is helping; lighten the load.
- Pressing forward — the dumbbells should finish above your shoulders, not in front of your face.
- Bouncing at the bottom — lower to shoulder height and press again without dropping into the start.
Where it fits in a workout
Use it as the main shoulder press on a push or shoulder day.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Logging the Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press in SetGrip
SetGrip logs the Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press as weight and reps; log one dumbbell's weight and note in the routine that it is per dumbbell.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without dumbbell
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.
Track the Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press in SetGrip
All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.
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. Text: SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.