Dumbbell W-Press

Setup

1. 01Stand or sit tall holding a dumbbell in each hand.
2. 02Tuck the elbows down near the ribs and rotate the forearms up and out so the arms form a W.
3. 03Turn the palms to face forward.
4. 04Brace the trunk and set the shoulder blades down.

Execution

1. 01Press the dumbbells up and slightly out from the W position.
2. 02Stop just short of full lockout, keeping tension on the delts.
3. 03Lower under control back until the elbows return to the ribs.
4. 04Re-form the W shape at the bottom of every rep.

Checkpoints

• -Elbows come all the way back down to the ribs each rep.
• -Forearms stay angled out, not collapsing inward, in the bottom position.
• -Torso stays upright with no rocking.
• -The dumbbells move on matching paths on both sides.

Common mistakes

• -Turning it into a full overhead press and resting at lockout.
• -Letting the elbows drift forward off the ribs at the bottom.
• -Loading too heavy for the restricted range.
• -Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears during the press.