Guide to Using the Arnold Press

One such type of exercise that comes in handy is the Arnold press, a patented form of the overhead press originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. While traditional forms of the overhead press will do plenty for your overall build and physique, the Arnold press helps target underutilized muscles in order to give your figure an almost otherworldly form.

How to Do the Arnold Press

Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger was someone that nobody had ever heard of? I certainly don’t – I’ve known about him m entire life. But while we remember him going to Mars and fighting with Carl Wethers, sometimes it’s easy to forget that Arnold got his start in the world through body-building, and that exercises like the Arnold press are responsible. The Arnold press is named as such because it’s named for the man who invented it – the guy we’ve been talking about, you remember. Anyway, it targets the shoulders specifically, but it doesn’t target just any areas of the shoulder. While nowadays a lot of fitness buffs just like to go after their glamor muscles, the Arnold press was specifically designed with strength in mind, and also working muscles that typical overhead presses and other shoulder workouts don’t handle. Another benefit to the Arnold press is that you don’t need to have incredibly high strength already to do it. You can adjust the weights according to your own preference and level of comfort, and as long as you correctly perform the exercise, you’ll see results. That’s one great thing about exercises created by professionals – anyone can do them if they’re done correctly. There are two major variations of the Arnold press worth discussing.

Seated Arnold Shoulder Press

The seated Arnold press is a re-imagination of the exercise we just went over. The additional benefits it brings are somewhat debatable, but it’s obvious that it has its pros and cons. Pros include the fact that it’s much easier to do sitting down, as you won’t be dealing with any issues related to poor balance or bad posture or anything like that. It can also make rest breaks much more tolerable, while also helping to ensure good form. Oftentimes when standing up, people can lean incorrectly without even realizing it, which can lead to pulled muscles and even more serious injuries. When you’re performing the seated Arnold press, your back will be up against a flat surface, which will help to ensure your form is ideal and any risks of injuries is at a zero.

Dumbbell Overhead Press

The dumbbell overhead press offers a helpful and easy alternative to the Arnold press, which some beginners might find a little intimidating or difficult to perform. It’s done like the Arnold press, only much more simply. Just stand up with a dumbbell in each hand and essentially press up from your shoulders with your palms facing the ceiling to your preferred number of reps and sets. This workout will target your shoulders and the upper portions of your back. The big downside is that it won’t target all the different, smaller muscles present in your back and shoulder that the Arnold press do such a good job of making look better.

FAQ:

Does the Arnold shoulder press really work?

Of course it works, or else no one would know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is. A patented shoulder exercise routine that targets the deltoids, biceps, and other muscles in the upper body did wonders for him, so there’s no reason why it won’t do wonders for you, too.

Does the Arnold press target my rear deltoids?

It absolutely does. It hits all three sections of your deltoids in order to give you the big, broad shoulders you’ve always wanted.

What are the best exercises for shoulders?

This is definitely something that’s up for debate, but typically anything that works your delts is a good place to start. Depending on your individual weight capacity and workout lengths, the right shoulder exercise for someone else might not have the same benefits for you.

Can I build a big chest with an overhead press?

While working on your shoulders and biceps with an overhead press will definitely help fill out your proportions, for a big chest you’ll definitely need to be hitting the bench press. If a bench press isn’t something you can access, wide push-ups are a good alternative for at home working out, while there are additional dumbbell workouts you can do to work your pectorals. Overall, the overhead press definitely is is a great choice for people trying to find easier ways to workout from home.

Can I overhead press behind my neck?

While older style workout buffs loved to break out this move for the cameras, no. Don’t overhead press behind your neck – it really has much more dangers than benefits, and even a minor shoulder or neck injury can inhibit fitness progress for months and months on end.

What are the most effective dumbbell workouts?

Again, this is all up for opinion, but classic dumbbell curls paired with negative reps are one of the best and easiest dumbbell workouts for beginners trying to get their biceps noticed.

Are Arnold presses better than regular shoulder presses?

It depends on what look you’re going for. Being a part of body-building competitions, Arnold needed to work out as many different muscle groups as possible. If you’re just trying to get your glamor muscles popping, then the Arnold press might be a bit too tedious for you. However, if you’re actually interested in fitness and improving all your individual muscle groups, then the answer is still unclear. Different body types, muscle flexibility and strength, and other factors will all help determine what the best exercises are for you specifically. What worked for Arnold might not work for you.

What exercises work the shoulders from all angles?

Exercises that work the shoulder from all angles include the many-times-mentioned Arnold press! This workout specifically targets all areas of your deltoids, including your anterior deltoids, meaning your rear and front sections of your upper body will be well-rounded and popping from all angles.

What are some good shoulder workouts?

There are a million good shoulder work outs depending on what your ideal result is. Overhead presses are fantastic for basic strength training and rudimentary ability, the Arnold press targets lesser-utilized muscles in order to more fully bring out all areas of the shoulder, and even pushups and pull-ups can bulk the triceps and areas around the shoulder, which will lead to an increase in strength and overall size. Overall, the Arnold Press is definitely one of the ideal options out there for those trying to find easy shoulder and back workouts from home. It can target areas of your body that have never been worked out before, while still being easy to do. It’s important to warm up your shoulders before engaging in the Arnold press for the first time, however, as you will be feeling strain in muscles that you might not have previously tested. It will give results that many people are probably unfamiliar with as well, which can help strengthen new types of your body and ultimately make you look like you’ve always wanted to look.

Basic Exercise Overview

To do the Arnold Press, you’ll need some dumbbell of whatever weight you feel like you can handle. You can do either a seated or standing Arnold press.

1. Hold one dumbbell in each hand while standing straight up, and twist your hands so that your palms are facing you.
2. From this point, you’re going to spread your arms out laterally, bringing them above your head while twisting your palms together till they meet facing each other. This should all be done in one smooth motion in order to maximize fluidity.
3. To make the exercise just a bit more difficult, you can start with your elbows up, so that you have a tighter range of motion carrying through and less help from your biceps.
4. Repeat this motion in whatever amount of reps and sets feels appropriate for you.

Areas that will be affected are your shoulders and upper arms. This exercise will also be hitting all of your back’s stabilization muscles, which can help make your form look more proportionate, while also making similar exercises easier. The many different areas in your upper body this exercise targets is another reason why this workout is such a contender for the “Best Shoulder Workout of All Time.” Your biceps should be by your ears at the top range of motion, just to clarify, and make sure during the exercise that you’re feeling strain in the muscles you were actually targeting. If you weren’t, then re-evaluate what you did wrong in order to pinpoint the problem. You don’t want to perform exercises incorrectly over and over again. Doing this can severely injure you and impede your ability to continue working out in the future, and how will you look like Arnold then?