Q: When your workouts call for a standing dumbbell military presses can I do them like an arnold press. Basically just starting at the clean position and going up and down from there, or would it be more beneficial to do them as a normal press?

A: I do not really like the Arnold press for overhead pressing. The problem with it is that it does not require much from the upper back in order to stabilize the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint is prone to injuries as is so promoting imbalances that are usually already present is not the best idea.

By doing them the way I explain on the videos you force your shoulder joint to work in a more balanced manner. However, you have to make sure that you have the upper back mobility to get yourself into the exact position I demonstrate and be able to maintain that position for the entire rep before you want to add a lot of load.

If you lean back or can not keep your elbows pushed forward so that they are directly under the wrists then you need to work more on your mobility than you strength for that area. Check out the Shoulder Press video to see what I am talking about.

-James Wilson