Increase Upper Body Strength with These 6 Shoulder Press Variations

The shoulder press is one of the most popular and efficient exercises for increasing your upper body strength and it’s one of the basic components of any workout program.

Over time, people have come up with numerous different ways and tools you can use to switch up your routine, so here are some of the best shoulder press variations you can include in your next upper body workout.

Resistance Band Shoulder Press

Take a long resistance band and step on it, keeping your feet at a hip-width distance. Grab the band with both hands and place them near your shoulders. Activate your core muscles and engage your legs so you’re fully grounded.

Take a big inhale and on your exhale, press up, extending your arms fully. Inhale and bend your elbows, keeping the resistance, and exhale, pressing up. Continue for eight to 12 repetitions, doing the full exercise two more times.

You can always increase or decrease your resistance intensity by changing your resistance bands. The thicker the band, the harder the resistance.

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Come into a standing position, keeping your feet at a hip distance. Grab a set of dumbbells and bring them right above your shoulders to prepare. Activate your core muscles and engage your legs, and on your inhale, lift the dumbbells and press up until your arms are straight. Exhale, bend your elbows, and bring them back to starting position.

Since you’re holding a set of weights, there’s always a risk of injury and activating your core muscles plays an even more important role. When the weight starts feeling heavy, switch for a lighter set or sit down to finish your reps. Go for eight to 12 reps and repeat the whole sequence two more times.

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

In order to protect your back and really isolate your shoulders, find a comfortable seat and separate your stance so you feel really grounded and your sitting bones are firmly glued to your seat. Grab a set of dumbbells and bring them right above your shoulders.

Activate your core muscles and close up your ribcage so you prevent your lower back from arching. Inhale and press the dumbbells up until your arms are completely straight. Exhale and bring the dumbbells back to their starting position, controlling your move with laser focus to prevent injury.

Go for eight to 12 reps and repeat the whole sequence two more times. The weight should feel comfortable and slightly challenging on the last few reps, but if you start feeling like it’s too heavy before you even count to five, switch them up for a lighter set.

Single Arm Landmine Shoulder Press

Come in front of the landmine barbell and bring your right foot close to its end and the left knee straight behind you. Grab the barbell with your left hand and on your inhale, activate your core and press the landmine up. You can leave your right hand on your right hip or stretch it out to improve your balance, but whatever you do, keep it from engaging in the movement.

This is a challenging shoulder press exercise as it’s isolating one side of your body while you’re trying to maintain a still position, balancing on your knee. After eight to 10 reps, do the same thing on the other side. If you feel comfortable, repeat the whole sequence two more times.

Single Arm Medicine Ball Shoulder Press

Come into a standing position with your stance separated at hip-width. Grab a medicine ball with your right hand and place it right above your right shoulder. Place your left hand on your left hip or extend it out to improve your balance.

Inhale, activate your core and your legs and lift the ball up, extending your right arm. Slowly, and with control, bring the ball back down on your inhale. Exhale and press up. Repeat eight to 10 times and then do the same thing on the other side.

The danger with isolating movements like this single-arm shoulder press is that after a few reps when the weight becomes a bit more challenging, you’ll start sacrificing your form for the weight and compensating with other muscle groups. The goal is to stay as still as possible and only use the working shoulder and arm to perform the movement.

That’s why it’s always best to start with a lighter weight and slowly build up over time.

Barbell Military Press

Start in a standing position, feet separated at hip width. Grab a barbell with both arms and bring it up to your shoulders. Inhale, activate your core and legs, and press the barbell up over your head. Exhale, and slowly bring it back down to starting position.

Sometimes it might be tempting to push your entire upper body through your arms as you lift them, but that might create a large arch in your lower back so avoid the temptation. You can keep the barbell empty or add a set of weights on each side to increase the resistance. Do eight to 12 reps and if you feel comfortable, repeat the whole sequence two more times.

---

Add these creative shoulder press variations to your next workout, but don’t forget to add a variety of shoulder exercises for a more well-rounded upper body routine.