Tom's Guide

I did 50 floor-seated shoulder presses every day for a week — and it wasn’t just my arms that got a workout

By Lucy Gornall,

1 day ago

If you want to work your shoulders and help build muscle in the upper body, then the overhead shoulder press is a must-do move. But have you ever taken this move a step further, and opted for the floor-seated shoulder press, using a set of the best adjustable dumbbells or barbells?

As the name suggests, this exercise variation is done sitting on the floor. If you haven’t tried it, let me introduce you, as this move will quite literally set your shoulders alight. But first, a quick note on the shoulder press. There are different types, and while they all target the shoulders and upper body, each provides its own set of benefits.

Naturally, I decided to challenge myself by doing 50 of these shoulder-screaming floor-seated shoulder presses every day for a week. This is what happened.

What are the benefits of the floor-seated shoulder press?

Obi Vincent , fitness coach and Pliability athlete, explains the seated bench press provides better stability, allowing for heavier weights, but involves less core activation and has less impact on mobility.

“When it comes to the standing shoulder press , this one involves the entire body, including the legs and core, enabling the use of heavier weights and working on your overall strength.” However, Vincent adds that the floor-seated shoulder press should be part of your routine if you want to focus on isolating your muscles and practicing core engagement.

How to perform a floor-seated dumbbell shoulder press

For this, you’ll need a set of dumbbells or a barbell. I would suggest starting with dumbbells for ease.

Sit on the floor and create a V-shape with your legs apart
Make sure your legs are pressed into the ground and engage your glutes
Keep your chest proud and spine long. Engage your core to help maintain a flat back
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, with your palms facing forward, or opt for a neutral grip (as shown above)
Avoid your torso leaning forward or backward as you extend your arms upward and press the dumbbells overhead in one powerful move
Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and repeat.

Here’s what happened after a week of 50 floor-seated shoulder presses.

My core was put through its paces

During a regular shoulder press, such as on a bench or standing, there’s either a bench offering back support, or if you’re standing, you can use your lower body to help power the dumbbells up overhead. When seated on the floor with zero support, your core has to work overtime to stay upright.

Obi explains: “This exercise can really improve your core strength because it lacks back support, which requires your core muscles to work harder to maintain proper posture. It focuses on isolating the shoulder muscles by minimizing leg and back involvement, leading to shoulder development.”

Essentially, my core muscles were firing up to help me stay upright. Who needs crunches ?

I had to steady myself a lot

This exercise tests your balance. After all, with two weights pressing overhead and no support except from your core, it’s only natural to feel a bit wobbly. Because of this, the floor-seated shoulder press is a great move to help improve your balance and stability.

If you’re really struggling, decrease the weight and work on controlling your balance before increasing the weight again.

Tight hips will feel this

Because I sat upright, with my legs flat on the ground, I noticed how hard my hip flexors had to work. These are a small muscle group found towards the front of the hips and support movements like raising your legs. If your hip flexors are tight — as mine often are from running — then movement can be tricky.

But, Obi adds the floor-seated shoulder press is a good move for improving hip flexibility. I certainly noticed that by the end of the week’s challenge, I could sit on the floor with my legs out straight far more comfortably than at the start.

My shoulders felt the burn

As you’d expect from a shoulder press, my shoulders faced the wrath of this exercise. However, as my arms were totally isolated without support, my shoulders felt the burn more than ever. It was a nice feeling, but equally, my muscles were crying out in pain. I pulled some seriously questionable faces as I worked my way through the reps.

You can challenge each arm independently

Working one side of the body at a time is known as unilateral exercise, and it’s a useful way of correcting any imbalances and ensuring muscles are equally strong on both sides of the body. Imbalances can lead to injury, which is something we all want to avoid.

Doing the floor-seated shoulder press with a set of dumbbells also meant I could alternate presses between the left and right arm to ensure both were being worked equally. As I’m left-handed, my right arm is often weaker, and I noticed it with this exercise; I had to grit my teeth far more when pressing the right dumbbell overhead.

In fact, I kept my left arm straight out by my side to help retain balance. If anything, this made me realize I need to pay some more attention to my right side to keep up with my left.

I did 50 floor-seated shoulder presses every day for a week: my verdict

I have zero doubt this move needs to be added to your routine. Not only does it offer upper body benefits, helping to strengthen the shoulders and triceps, but the lack of support means the core has to work extra hard to keep the torso upright.

This is one of those exercises that ticks several boxes and you just need a set of dumbbells. I’m already looking forward to my next upper body day.