How to do it
- Adjust the seat so the handles sit at roughly shoulder height.
- Press overhead until the elbows are nearly straight.
- Lower under control until the hands return to shoulder level.
Cues that matter
- Great option for pushing close to failure safely.
- Keep the lower back in contact with the pad.
Common mistakes
- Seat set too low, forcing an awkward shoulder angle.
- Bouncing out of the bottom.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Shoulders
- Front delt
- Side delt
Also works
- Triceps
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Machine Shoulder Press in a session, with 150 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 4–6 reps
- Build muscle
- 6–10 reps
- Endurance
- 12–20 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the shoulders with different equipment — for a day the machine is taken, or a gym that does not have one.
- Pike Push-UpBodyweight · Intermediate · Compound
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressDumbbell · Beginner · Compound
- Standing Overhead PressBarbell · Intermediate · Compound
- Cable Front RaiseCable · Beginner · Isolation
- Band Overhead PressResistance band · Beginner · Compound
- Kettlebell Overhead PressKettlebell · Intermediate · Compound