How to do an Arnold bench press to build your shoulders, not kill them

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This is an effective exercise that may not work for everyone and requires special attention to technique and weight selection.

What is an Arnold press

This is a modification of the upward dumbbell press developed by Arnold Schwarzenegger and named after him. The exercise combines a bench press with an arm spread. In the initial position, the forearms are in front of the body, which provides additional load on the front of the shoulders.

Opinions about the Arnold bench press are contradictory: some consider it effective, others - useless and even dangerous. We will try to figure out who is right.

Why Arnold's bench press is good

This exercise is aimed at pumping the deltoid muscles that cover the shoulder joint.

The deltas consist of three heads, and each of them performs its own function: the front one is included in the work when you raise your hand forward, the middle one - when you spread your arms to the sides, and the back one - when you move your hand back from the side.

Presses and push-ups work well on the front delts, while the middle and back delts are often overlooked. At the same time, the middle deltas largely determine the appearance of your shoulders, and the rear deltas provide stabilization of the shoulder joint, affect posture and reduce the risk of injury.

The Arnold press engages all the deltoid heads. Moreover, this exercise loads the middle and especially the front delts better than just overhead dumbbell press.

Why is Arnold's bench press bad

The movement is primarily criticized for stressing the anterior deltoid muscles. Compared to the middle and even more so the hind heads, these bundles are already well developed, since they work during the bench press and standing - basic movements that are always present in a strength training program.

Proceeding from this, it is more rational to carry out the spreading of the dumbbells to the sides and in the slope in order to pump up the lagging bundles of deltas, without loading the already strong and developed front heads.

In addition, the Arnold bench press is considered potentially hazardous to the shoulder joints.

By itself, this movement - raising the arm up through the side - does not harm the shoulder joint. But when you move the limb clearly to the side and raise it above the level of the shoulders, the space between the acromion (the bony prominence of the scapula) and the tendons of the muscles (the supraspinatus and long head of the biceps) narrows.

In combination with other factors (you work with large weights, you have a special structure of the acromion, you already have shoulder problems, poor posture, imbalance in the development of the muscles of the shoulder girdle), this can provoke impingement syndrome - inflammation of the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles.

The video below shows an excerpt from a video by physiotherapist and trainer Jeff Cavalier, where he talks about the dangers of such movements. Notice how the red muscle rubs against the bony protrusion above it - this is the acromion.

However, if you have healthy shoulders, good technique and no reckless ambitions about working weights, Arnold's bench press is unlikely to hurt.

Who should try the Arnold bench press

We can recommend this exercise for those who want to build their shoulders and at the same time do not have a big difference in the volume of the front and middle deltas.

It is also useful if you are pressed for time, if you need only one universal movement to maintain the volume and strength of the shoulders.

You should definitely not do the Arnold bench press for problems with the shoulder joints: injuries, pains or heavy loads in your sport (swimming, weightlifting, functional all-around).

How to do the Arnold bench correctly

Take dumbbells in your hands, stand up straight, place your legs slightly narrower than your shoulders. Squeeze your abs and glutes to maintain a firm core and maintain tension until the end of the exercise.

Raise your arms with dumbbells in front of you, bend to a right angle at the elbows and turn your palms towards you - this is the starting position.

Spread your elbows to the sides, while simultaneously turning your arms, palms forward, and squeeze the dumbbells over your head. Do this in one continuous movement, without stopping.

Lower your arms back along the same path, returning to the starting position.

What mistakes in the Arnold bench should be avoided

These mistakes can damage the shoulders and lower back, so be careful with your technique.

Lower back deflection

In the dumbbell press phase, it is important to bend in the thoracic region, not in the lumbar. To avoid unnecessary bending and undue stress on the lower back, keep your torso stiff - tighten your abs and glutes constantly.

Excessive shoulder turn

When you raise your arms above your head, your palms should be facing forward, as if you were doing a standing barbell press.

Make sure that the hands do not turn with the palms of each other. Otherwise, the shoulders will rotate further inward, which increases the risk of joint injury.

Flick

Doing the exercise abruptly or letting your arms fall back without controlling their position increases the risk of injury and prevents you from properly pumping muscles.

Move smoothly and under control - two seconds up, two seconds down.

How else can you do the Arnold press

The Arnold press can be done while sitting, on one or two knees, with dumbbells or kettlebells.

At the same time, the technique of the press itself practically does not change, but changing positions and shells gives some advantages: it protects the lower back, provides more load on the core muscles, or pumps balance.

Sitting on a bench

This variation relieves the load on the lower back and excludes the muscles of the legs and buttocks from the work. As a result, you will have more strength on the bench itself.

Set the back of the bench at a 90 ° angle, firmly press your lower back against the back, your feet against the floor. Perform the Arnold press, observing all the technical points described above.

On my knees

This option also removes the load from the lower back, but unlike the bench press, it puts more stress on the core muscles. Working in this position, you need to really strain your abs and buttocks so as not to lose balance.

In addition, this variation will require less weight, which will protect your shoulders from overloading.

With one weight

Working with a kettlebell pumps the stabilizers of the shoulder and core muscles well - they will strain a lot to keep the body from twisting to one side.

Take a kettlebell and turn your wrist so that your thumb is pointing towards your body. Straighten your other hand to the side to maintain balance. Do it an equal number of times with each hand.

On one knee

This variation is also great for boosting your sense of balance, loading your core muscles and shoulder stabilizers.

Get on your right knee, take a dumbbell in your right hand, and extend your left to the side to maintain balance.

Perform the Arnold Press with one hand, keeping your torso firm and your lower back neutral. Do an equal amount with both hands.

How to add the Arnold bench press to your program

Perform the exercise once a week at the end of your workout, alternating with other shoulder-building movements - standing and bent-over dumbbell strokes.

Do three sets of six to eight times. Be careful with your choice of weight - you shouldn't perform this movement until the muscles fail. Select the dumbbells so that the last repetitions in the set are heavy, but at the same time you can perform them with the perfect technique - without body swing, unnecessary bends and jerks.

If you develop shoulder pain during exercise, stop immediately and replace the Arnold bench press with a safer alternative.