Execution
• Assume a well-balanced, standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly to the sides.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with the dumbbells approximately shoulder high with the elbows pointed downward and to the side. The palms should face forward and the forearms should be vertical.
• When you are ready, inhale slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you press the dumbbells upward.
• Raise both dumbbells at the same rate of speed so that your body weight remains balanced between your feet.
• Raise the dumbbells upward until the arms are fully extended or locked but not hyperextended and the shoulders are elevated.
• After reaching the highest point, relax the muscles somewhat and exhale as you lower the dumbbells back to the initial shoulder level position.
• As you approach the bottom position, immediately inhale and reverse directions to again raise the dumbbells. If needed, pause momentarily and then repeat.
• Your body should be fully extended as you execute the exercise so that, in most cases, there will be slight arching in the lumbar spine when the arms are overhead.
Performance Tips
• Be sure to hold your breath as you press the dumbbells upward. The breath holding and automatic isometric contraction of the mid-section muscles create the intra-abdominal pressure needed to support the spine and keep you in a safe position as you execute the exercise.
• Do not use very heavy weights as they will limit the range of motion in the shoulder joints and may cause you to lean backwards in order to raise the dumbbells. This, in turn, will limit the development of the deltoid and trapezius muscles and at the same time increase your chances of lower back injury.
• To make the exercise more specific to sports in which these actions are used in a powerful manner, you should not stop in a down position. As you reach the lowest position, you should immediately change directions and push the dumbbells back up. This utilizes the stretch reflex to give you a stronger initial contraction.
• Pause momentarily in a top position when your arms are locked out. Doing this develops greater balance and stability of the body which is especially beneficial for women. In addition, you hold the muscles in a maximally shortened position slightly longer for greater strength which is important in holding the shoulders level. This gives you esthetic and posture benefits.
• If you want more strength in the initial beginning position, then you should pause in the bottom position when the dumbbells are shoulder high, and then press up. However, this may force you to use the legs to get the dumbbells going especially as you experience slight fatigue. This detracts from strengthening the muscles through the full range of motion.
• Be sure to fully extend and, in some cases, lock out (but not hyperextend) the elbows to ensure full contraction of the triceps and shoulder muscles. By raising the arms and shoulders as high as possible, you get maximum shortening of the trapezius and deltoid muscles which produces greater definition. Development of the deltoid muscle produces a wider shoulder appearance which helps to minimize the width of the hips. In addition, you maintain, and in many cases even increase your shoulder joint flexibility.
• If you play sports such as tennis, basketball and volleyball, in which you must reach up as high as possible at times, you should also do the alternating overhead dumbbell press. In this case, you start off in the same initial position, but raise only one dumbbell at a time as high as possible on each side. This entails lateral flexion of the spine and even greater elevation of the shoulder joint.
• So that you do not overstress the shoulder joints, it is recommended that you also do the overhead press with a neutral grip, i.e., with the palms facing one another and the elbows pointed in front. In this variant, you use most of the same muscles, but greater emphasis is placed on the upper pecs and anterior deltoid.
Major Muscles Involved
In the shoulder joint, the major muscles are the deltoid, supraspinatus and upper pectoralis major when the arms are above level. The deltoid is a three-headed muscle that covers the shoulder on top, in front, and in back. The supraspinatus is a small but powerful muscle located deep on the back of the shoulder and is covered by the trapezius. The upper pectoralis major fills in the upper part of the chest above the main breast area. In the shoulder girdle, the major muscles are the serratus anterior and the upper and lower portions of the trapezius. The trapezius is a large diamond-shaped muscle that covers the upper mid back from the neck to the beginning of the lumbar spine and to the inner borders of scapulae. The serratus anterior is located on the sides of the rib cage directly under the arm pits. Its fibers are in line with those of the external obliques. In the elbow joint, there is only one major muscle involved, the triceps. It is a large three-headed muscle that covers the entire back side of the upper arm.
Muscle and Joint Actions
In the shoulder joint there is abduction in which the arms move upwards in a sideward plane from a position of slightly below shoulder level. At the same time, there is upper rotation of both scapula to facilitate full range movement of the humerus in the shoulder joint. In the elbow joint there is extension in which the forearm moves away from the upper arm. The deltoid and supraspinatus pull the upper arm upward as the upper and lower portions of the trapezius together with the serratus anterior rotate the scapula. At the same time, the triceps contracts in elbow extension.
Sports Uses
For bodybuilders, fitness contestants, and women involved in fitness and sports activities, the overhead press is the best exercise to develop the deltoid muscle through a full range of motion. It is much safer and effective than exercises such as the lateral arm raise to the horizontal position. In addition, the overhead dumbbell press is one of the best exercises for developing and defining the upper and lower portions of the mid-upper back. The actions involved in the overhead dumbbell press are important in a multitude of sports, especially those that require raising the arms overhead. This includes sports such as tennis, badminton, racquetball, volleyball, and basketball, in which players much reach upward as high as possible for a hit or to reach a ball. It plays an important role for women involved in gymnastics especially in vaulting and on the unevens and in free exercise. Although not against great resistance, the actions involved in the shoulder joint are also important in swimming in the recovery phase, synchronized swimming, diving, rhythmic gymnastics and pole vaulting.