Shoulders · Dumbbell
Arnold Press
How to do the arnold press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Vertical Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you. As you press up, rotate your palms to face forward at the top of the movement. Reverse the motion as you lower the weights.
- 1Feel your front and side delts working as you rotate and press the weights overhead
- 2Keep your core engaged and glutes tight to feel stable during the rotation
- 3Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back to support the movement
Common mistakes
- Avoid over-arching your lower back; keep ribs tucked
- Don't allow your wrists to collapse; keep them neutral
- Avoid rushing through the rotation; control the transition
Muscles worked
The arnold press mainly works the front delts, triceps, and side delts, with the forearms, upper chest, upper traps, and upper abs assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Side DeltsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Arnold Press strength standards
See how your arnold press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM22.5 lb
Silvere1RM37.5 lb
Golde1RM60 lb
Platinume1RM82.5 lb
Diamonde1RM95 lb
Champione1RM107.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the arnold press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
- How to do the resistance band pull-aparts
Last reviewed April 2026.