Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
- Sit down on the Shoulder Press Machine and select the weight.
- Grab the handles to your sides as you keep the elbows bent and in line with your torso. This will be your starting position.
- Now lift the handles as you exhale and you extend the arms fully. At the top of the position make sure that you hold the contraction for a second.
- Lower the handles slowly back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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2
Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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3
Seated Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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4
Shoulder Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a resistance band.
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5
Standing Military Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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6
Leverage Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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7
Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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8
Barbell Shoulder Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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9
Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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10
One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press To The Side
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do machine shoulder (military) press work?
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press primarily works the shoulders. The triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for machine shoulder (military) press?
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press uses machines.
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Machine Shoulder (Military) Press is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of machine shoulder (military) press?
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press, Cable Shoulder Press, Seated Cable Shoulder Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my machine shoulder (military) press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; machine shoulder (military) press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Machine Shoulder (Military) Press with AI
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