Shoulder presses are a weight lifting staple for men wanting to complete the strong upper body look and women wanting arm definition that makes a strapless dress look amazing. There are several different types of shoulder presses but the idea is the same for all of them, strong shoulders! Many women work the arms but avoid the shoulders. This is a mistake because strong shoulders are needed to assist other upper body muscles and they can really help to make you look toned.

Medium to heavy dumbbells are usually used for men but normally, women need to lighten the load a little bit because their upper body is not as strong as men’s. Also, women need to be cautious of overloading the shoulders because rotator cuff injuries can be an issue for women as they get older. This should not be discouraging though. Working and challenging the muscles can still be done without lifting heavy weights and causing damage.

To do the shoulder press:
You can do this exercise while standing or sitting, for this description, you are going to be standing. Start standing tall with feet shoulder width apart and weights at your side. Bring the weights up to the shoulders with the palms facing out, elbows should be next to the body. Keep the stomach and butt squeezed and lift the weights up and over the head. The elbows should be close to the temples. Don’t clank the weights together, keep the lift controlled. Breathe. Now bring the weights back down to the starting position. Repeat 10 times keeping the move slow and controlled. Work up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

There are a couple of variations of this particular shoulder press. The first is the starting position of the arms and subsequently, the elbows. In the description above, you have the maximum range of motion because the hands are starting at shoulder height and the elbows are at chest level. Another way to start the exact same shoulder press exercise is to have the hands by the ears and the elbows at shoulder height. Either way, the shoulder muscles are going to be engaged but the first description is harder for those lifting heavy weights than the latter.

Add the shoulder press exercise to your upper body weight-lifting routine and you’ll see and feel the results within days! Remember, working all the muscle groups is important to complete a strong and sexy physique.