Reverse Alternating Presses

Why Is This Exercise So Effective?

This is a variation of the Dumbbell Shoulder Press that increases the duration of tension on the delts during the exercise. You may find that it also increases the amount of weight you can use and the number of reps you can do with it!

How To Do It

• Get into the regular starting position of a seated/standing dumbbell press.
  
  
• Start with both dumbbells at the top.
  
  
• Lower the left dumbbell down to your shoulder while continuing to hold the right dumbbell at the top in the locked out position.
  
  
• Press the left dumbbell back up to the top.
  
  
• Lower the right dumbbell down to your shoulder, holding the left at the top this time.
  
  
• This alternating style keeps continuous tension on the delts even while holding the dumbbells in the locked out position.
  
  
• The alternation also reduces the tendency to shrug the shoulders up during the press movement as many trainers have a tendency to do.
  
  
• You may also find with practice that you can do more reps with the same amount of weight as with the standard shoulder press.
  
  
• This is because you are focusing all your neural drive on one arm rather splitting it between two arms.

How to incorporate this exercise into your workouts:

This exercise can be done at any point in your workouts.

• I prefer to do it near the beginning as I find I am able to use more weight with this variation than with regular dumbbell shoulder presses.
  
  
• Placing it near the beginning also helps with your co-ordination.

Common Errors

1. Leaning back during the movement

This is often in an effort to get more reps or do more weight. If you start to lean back, you not only throw more of the focus of the exercise onto the chest, you do so at the expense of your lower back. Nearly all the pressure of the exercise will be placed on your lower back if you lean back.

2. Locking out the elbows at the top

Keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top of the movement. This will help you to keep constant tension on the delts, especially while you are holding one of them at the top.

3. Throwing the weights up

Press the weights in a smooth, controlled manner. If you throw the weights up, you lose the constant tension benefit of the exercise.

Tricks

1. Pinkies higher

This is a standard dumbbell shoulder press trick. During the exercise, keep the dumbbells tilted down towards your head with your pinky side higher. You will look as though you are pouring water on your head. This works to keep continuous tension on the delts, especially as you come to the top of the movement.

2. Extend one up as you bring one down

As you lower one dumbbell to the bottom, tilt your shoulder girdle down towards that side, raising the other dumbbell up.

• You can use this tilt to help give the dumbbell some added momentum on the way up.
  
  
• Use your shoulder girdle as a sort of see-saw.
  
  
• As you start to press the bottom one up, tilt your shoulder girdle back the other way, lowering the dumbbell you are holding above your head.
  
  
• Keep the top dumbbell overhead, just drop your shoulder on that side until the other dumbbell is up.
  
  
• This trick will help you to use more weight and get more reps with this exercise.