Machine Shoulder Press

Start

Finish

How to do it

Set the seat so the handles sit level with the tops of your shoulders, press up until the arms are nearly straight, and lower under control until the hands are back beside your ears.

Muscles worked

Primary: shoulders · Also works: triceps

Equipment

Machines

Common mistakes

• Setting the seat too low so the start position is above the head and the range is tiny
• Slamming into a hard elbow lockout instead of stopping just short
• Pulling on the handles with the traps shrugging up toward the ears

Variations

• Single-arm machine press
• Machine press with a one-and-a-half rep pattern

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
• Standing Overhead Press

Take care: ABROFIT automatically removes this movement for anyone who has flagged a shoulder problem. If that's you, use one of the swaps above and speak to a physio before loading it.

Related exercises

• Standing Overhead Pressshoulders
• Pike Push-Upshoulders
• Dumbbell Lateral Raiseshoulders
• Shoulder Controlled Rotationsshoulders
• Face Pullshoulders
• Cable Lateral Raiseshoulders