Many would argue that the shoulder press is the king of the shoulder-builders. And dumbbells are a great variation of this exercise. But how much weight is considered good for a dumbbell shoulder press?
On average, a good dumbbell shoulder press weight is above 160-lbs standing or 176-lbs seated. This weight is for two dumbbells combined and for a single repetition. However, a person’s shoulder press weight will be strongly affected by their training level and bodyweight.
When I was a skinny beginner, I knew I was making gains.
But how was I performing compared to all the other guys at the gym?
If this is something you find yourself wondering, then you might want to keep reading.
This article will give you benchmarks for comparison, as well as provide tips to improve a sub-par shoulder press.
Let’s jump right in.
- Average Male Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight
- Beginner Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
- Intermediate Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
- Advanced Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
- How Good Is Your Dumbbell Shoulder Press Vs Others?
- Why People Struggle With The Shoulder Press
- Ways To Make Your Shoulder Press Stronger
- How I Calculated These Standards
- Conclusion
Average Male Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight
The average US male weighs 197.9-lbs.
To find out how much the average man can dumbbell shoulder press, I turned to the Strength Level database of 122,000 standing shoulder presses and 247 seated shoulder presses.
Here’s how much weight the average 200-lb man should be able to dumbbell shoulder press:
Training Level | 1-rep max | 6-rep max | 7-rep max | 8-rep max | 9-rep max | 10-rep max |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beginner (standing) | 56lb 25kg | 47lb 21kg | 46lb 21kg | 45lb 20kg | 44lb 20kg | 41lb 19kg |
Beginner (seated) | 84lb 38kg | 71lb 32kg | 69lb 31kg | 67lb 30kg | 66lb 30kg | 61lb 28kg |
Intermediate (standing) | 160lb 73kg | 134lb 61kg | 131lb 60kg | 128lb 58kg | 125lb 57kg | 117lb 53kg |
Intermediate (seated) | 176lb 80kg | 148lb 67kg | 144lb 65kg | 141lb 64kg | 137lb 62kg | 128lb 58kg |
Advanced (standing) | 214lb 97kg | 180lb 82kg | 175lb 80kg | 171lb 78kg | 167lb 76kg | 156lb 71kg |
Advanced (seated) | 234lb 106kg | 197lb 89kg | 192lb 87kg | 187lb 85kg | 183lb 83kg | 171lb 77kg |
Note: X-rep max is the maximum amount of weight you can do for x-number of reps.
4 factors affect how much weight you can shoulder press.
The weight standards above are highly generalized.
In reality, your dumbbell shoulder press weight will be affected by 4 factors:
- Training level. The longer you’ve been practicing the shoulder press the more weight you should be able to lift. Beginners have been practicing for up to 1 month, intermediates up to 2 years, and advanced lifters up to 5 years.
- Bodyweight. The heavier you are the more muscle mass you have and the heavier you can press.
- Rep number. The more the reps you perform the less weight you can press and vice versa. How many shoulder press reps should you be doing? 3-12 reps is the recommended rep range for building shoulder strength and size.
- Shoulder press variation. In general, the average person can shoulder press more weight when seated compared to standing. But people under 150-lbs bodyweight can shoulder press more weight when standing compared to seated.
Next, you’ll find out how bodyweight affects your dumbbell shoulder press weight at different training levels.
Beginner Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
If you’ve been doing the dumbbell shoulder press for up to 1 month, then you’re a beginner.
Here are some good standards for beginners to dumbbell shoulder press at different bodyweights:
Bodyweight | Variation | 1-rep max | 6-rep max | 7-rep max | 8-rep max | 9-rep max | 10-rep max |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
120lb 54kg | Standing | 30lb 14kg | 25lb 11kg | 25lb 11kg | 24lb 11kg | 23lb 11kg | 22lb 10kg |
120lb 54kg | Seated | 18lb 8kg | 15lb 7kg | 15lb 7kg | 14lb 9kg | 14lb 8kg | 13lb 6kg |
150lb 68kg | Standing | 48lb 22kg | 40lb 18kg | 39lb 18kg | 38lb 17kg | 37lb 17kg | 35lb 16kg |
150lb 68kg | Seated | 42lb 19kg | 35lb 16kg | 34lb 16kg | 34lb 15kg | 33lb 15kg | 31lb 14kg |
200lb 91kg | Standing | 56lb 25kg | 47lb 21kg | 46lb 21kg | 45lb 20kg | 44lb 20kg | 41lb 19kg |
200lb 91kg | Seated | 84lb 38kg | 71lb 32kg | 69lb 31kg | 67lb 30kg | 66lb 30kg | 61lb 28kg |
250lb 113kg | Standing | 104lb 47kg | 87lb 40kg | 85lb 39kg | 83lb 38kg | 81lb 37kg | 76lb 34kg |
250lb 113kg | Seated | 128lb 58kg | 108lb 49kg | 105lb 48kg | 102lb 46kg | 100lb 45kg | 93lb 42kg |
300lb 136kg | Standing | 130lb 59kg | 109lb 50kg | 107lb 48kg | 104lb 47kg | 101lb 46kg | 95lb 43kg |
300lb 136kg | Seated | 170lb 77kg | 143lb 65kg | 139lb 63kg | 136lb 62kg | 133lb 60kg | 124lb 56kg |
The average beginner should be able to dumbbell shoulder press 18-43% of their bodyweight (standing) or 10-57% of their bodyweight (seated).
The exact percentage will depend on your bodyweight and rep number (as per the table above).
So if you’re a beginner and you’re shoulder pressing above these averages, then you’re doing a good job.
And if you’re below average, then you can try some of my tips to improve your dumbbell shoulder press (see below).
Intermediate Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
If you’ve been doing the dumbbell shoulder press for up to 2 years, then you’re an intermediate.
Here are some good standards for intermediates to dumbbell shoulder press at different bodyweights:
Bodyweight | Variation | 1-rep max | 6-rep max | 7-rep max | 8-rep max | 9-rep max | 10-rep max |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
120lb 54kg | Standing | 88lb 40kg | 74lb 34kg | 72lb 33kg | 70lb 32kg | 69lb 31kg | 64lb 29kg |
120lb 54kg | Seated | 70lb 32kg | 59lb 27kg | 57lb 26kg | 56lb 25kg | 55lb 25kg | 51lb 23kg |
150lb 68kg | Standing | 118lb 54kg | 99lb 45kg | 97lb 44kg | 94lb 43kg | 92lb 42kg | 86lb 39kg |
150lb 68kg | Seated | 110lb 50kg | 92lb 42kg | 90lb 41kg | 88lb 40kg | 86lb 39kg | 80lb 36kg |
200lb 91kg | Standing | 160lb 73kg | 134lb 61kg | 131lb 60kg | 128lb 58kg | 125lb 57kg | 117lb 53kg |
200lb 91kg | Seated | 176lb 80kg | 148lb 67kg | 144lb 65kg | 141lb 64kg | 137lb 62kg | 128lb 58kg |
250lb 113kg | Standing | 198lb 90kg | 166lb 75kg | 162lb 74kg | 158lb 72kg | 154lb 70kg | 145lb 66kg |
250lb 113kg | Seated | 236lb 107kg | 198lb 90kg | 194lb 88kg | 189lb 86kg | 184lb 83kg | 172lb 78kg |
300lb 136kg | Standing | 232lb 105kg | 195lb 88kg | 190lb 86kg | 186lb 84kg | 181lb 82kg | 169lb 77kg |
300lb 136kg | Seated | 292lb 132kg | 1245lb 11kg | 239lb 109kg | 234lb 106kg | 228lb 103kg | 213lb 97kg |
The average intermediate should be able to dumbbell shoulder press 53-80% of their bodyweight (standing) or 43-97% of their bodyweight (seated).
Again, the percentage will depend on your body weight and rep number.
So if you’re an intermediate and you’re shoulder pressing above these averages, then you’re doing a good job.
Conversely, If you’re a beginner, then these targets are a very respectable standard to reach for.
And if you’re below average, then you can try some of my tips to improve your dumbbell shoulder press (see below).
Advanced Dumbbell Shoulder Press Weight Standards
If you’ve been doing the dumbbell shoulder press for up to 5 years, then you’re an advanced lifter.
Here are some good weight standards for advanced lifters to dumbbell shoulder press at different bodyweights:
Bodyweight | Variation | 1-rep max | 6-rep max | 7-rep max | 8-rep max | 9-rep max | 10-rep max |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
120lb 54kg | Standing | 130lb 59kg | 109lb 50kg | 107lb 48kg | 104lb 47kg | 101lb 46kg | 95lb 43kg |
120lb 54kg | Seated | 92lb 42kg | 77lb 35kg | 75lb 34kg | 74lb 33kg | 72lb 33kg | 67lb 30kg |
150lb 68kg | Standing | 164lb 74kg | 138lb 62kg | 134lb 61kg | 131lb 60kg | 128lb 58kg | 120lb 54kg |
150lb 68kg | Seated | 158lb 72kg | 133lb 60kg | 130lb 59kg | 126lb 57kg | 123lb 56kg | 115lb 52kg |
200lb 91kg | Standing | 214lb 97kg | 180lb 82kg | 175lb 80kg | 171lb 78kg | 167lb 76kg | 156lb 71kg |
200lb 91kg | Seated | 234lb 106kg | 197lb 89kg | 192lb 87kg | 187lb 85kg | 183lb 83kg | 171lb 77kg |
250lb 113kg | Standing | 256lb 116kg | 215lb 98kg | 210lb 95kg | 205lb 93kg | 200lb 91kg | 187lb 85kg |
250lb 113kg | Seated | 304lb 138kg | 255lb 116kg | 249lb 113kg | 243lb 110kg | 237lb 108kg | 222lb 101kg |
300lb 136kg | Standing | 296lb 134kg | 249lb 113kg | 243lb 110kg | 237lb 107kg | 231lb 105kg | 216lb 98kg |
300lb 136kg | Seated | 368lb 167kg | 309lb 140kg | 302lb 137kg | 294lb 134kg | 287lb 130kg | 269lb 122kg |
The average advanced lifter should be able to dumbbell shoulder press 72-109% of their bodyweight (standing) or 56-123% of their bodyweight (seated).
The exact percentage will depend on your body weight and rep number.
So if you’re at the advanced stages of training and you’re shoulder pressing above these averages, then you’re doing a very respectable job.
Don’t fret if you haven’t reached these standards though.
It takes many years of consistent and dedicated training to attain these levels.
Indeed, many people never reach these standards and plateau at the intermediate standards instead.
That’s not a bad achievement for the majority of people.
My best advice is to keep persevering and maybe try the tips I share below.
If you’re a skinny guy trying to build a stronger physique, there are some essential tips you should know to avoid cycles of failed attempts. Check out my other article to learn how to build your first 10 pounds of muscle!
How Good Is Your Dumbbell Shoulder Press Vs Others?
Calculating your dumbbell shoulder press as a fraction of your bodyweight is another way to judge your performance.
To do this, simply divide the total weight of both dumbbells by your body weight.
This method allows you to fairly compare your shoulder press numbers with other people.
In general, being able to shoulder press your bodyweight is a good target to aim for. People who can shoulder press their own bodyweight represent the upper quartile of weight lifters and it is a very good level to attain.
Here are the percentages of males who can dumbbell shoulder press their own body weight:
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press (1RM As Fraction Of Bodyweight) | % Of People Who Can Do It | Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (1RM As Fraction Of Bodyweight) | % Of People Who Can Do It |
---|---|---|---|
0.10x | 100% | 0.10x | 100% |
0.20x | 100 | 0.20x | 100% |
0.30x | 98% | 0.30x | 99% |
0.40x | 94% | 0.40x | 96% |
0.50x | 87% | 0.50x | 91% |
0.60x | 77% | 0.60x | 82% |
0.70x | 64% | 0.70x | 72% |
0.80x | 50% | 0.80x | 59% |
0.90x | 37% | 0.90x | 47% |
1.00x | 26% | 1.00x | 36% |
1.10x | 17% | 1.10x | 26% |
1.20x | 11% | 1.20x | 18% |
1.30x | 7% | 1.30x | 12% |
1.40x | 4% | 1.40x | 8% |
1.50x | 2% | 1.50x | 5% |
1.60x | 1% | 1.60x | 3% |
1.70x | 0.7% | 1.70x | 2% |
1.80x | 0.3% | 1.80x | 1% |
1.90x | 0.2% | 1.90x | 0.5% |
2.00x | 0.1% | 2.00x | 0.3% |
- 75% of men can dumbbell shoulder press 0.62x their bodyweight (standing) and 0.65x their bodyweight (seated). If you’ve reached this point, then you’re in the lower quartile of people who do the dumbbell shoulder press. This is an acceptable weight for beginners, but you can also probably do much better with training!
- 50% of men can dumbbell shoulder press 0.80x their bodyweight (standing) and 0.93x their bodyweight (seated). If you’ve reached this point, then you’re in the median quartile of people who do the dumbbell shoulder press. This is very respectable target for beginners to aim for.
- 25% of men can dumbbell shoulder press 1.00x their bodyweight (standing) and 1.10x their bodyweight (seated). If you’ve reached this point, then you’re in the upper quartile of people who do the dumbbell shoulder press! This is a very respectable target for intermediates to aim for.
Note: these standards are for a single repetition.
If you’re interested in buying dumbbells for home training, then you can find out how much dumbbells should cost in my other post!
Why People Struggle With The Shoulder Press

There are various reasons why people struggle to progress and find the dumbbell shoulder press difficult:
1) A weak grip can limit your capacity to hold the dumbbells.
A strong wrist is important in the dumbbell shoulder press for 2 reasons:
- Dumbbell stabilisation. You need wrist strength to stabilise the dumbbells as you go through the shoulder press movement.
- Dumbbell setup. Wrist strength is required to stabilise the dumbbells as you kick them into the air during the initial setup. If you can’t stabilise the dumbbells, you won’t be able to set yourself up for reps.
Therefore weak wrists can present a major chokepoint in your progression.
2) Untrained stabilisers make it difficult to shoulder press.
The shoulder press is primarily driven by the deltoids and triceps. But stabilizing activity also comes from the biceps, core, and upper back to help you maintain balance.
If these muscles are weak, then you won’t be able to shoulder press as much weight.
Therefore weak stabilizers also serve as a chokepoint in your progression.
3) Improper form and technique can impact your shoulder pressing.
The dumbbell shoulder press is a technical move and requires a good form to build maximum strength.
Here are some good dumbbell shoulder press form tips:
- Press with a full range of motion. Do this by allowing the dumbbells to reach the upper pecs on the downward phase.
- Brace your core. Do this by contracting your abs to form a sturdy foundation to press from.
- Don’t lock your elbows. Do this by stopping the upward phase just before your elbows lock. This will maintain consistent tension in the deltoids and triceps, thereby building more strength.
- Keep your back straight. A straight back focuses muscle activation on the primary target muscle, the deltoids. If you lean backwards whilst performing the press, it begins to emphasise less of the deltoids and more of the upper pecs.

Top tip: a vertically inclining weight bench is an affordable way to help you keep a straight back during the dumbbell shoulder press.
I use the Flybird adjustable bench (link for cheapest price).
Whilst it doesn’t have the same quality as a commercial gym bench, it does provide good value, is versatile, and is comfortable for shoulder pressing at home.
You can also use it to bench press at home. The best thing about this bench is that it can be folded, making it perfect for small home gyms!
4) Naive primary drivers prevent you from shoulder pressing heavy loads.
If you’re a beginner, your primary drivers (deltoids and triceps) may just simply need more training.
It can take absolute beginners a few weeks before any strength gains are noticeable.
Don’t forget that the shoulder press is a compound exercise, meaning it recruits multiple muscles simultaneously.
Here are the muscles activated by the dumbbell shoulder press:
- Posterior/medial/anterior deltoids (primary driver).
- Triceps (primary driver)
- Biceps (stabiliser).
- Trapezius (stabiliser).
- Rhomboids (stabiliser).
- Upper pectorals (stabiliser).
- Abdominals (stabiliser).
If any of these muscles are weak, they can impact your shoulder press progression.
5) Shoulder press strength plateaus can occur at all training levels.
A strength plateau describes when you get stuck at a certain weight and can’t seem to progress despite your best efforts.
It’s a common occurrence in beginners, intermediates, and advanced lifters alike.
The main causes of strength plateaus are:
- Not lifting heavy enough. The more weight you lift, the stronger you get.
- Training in the same rep range for too long. Lifting the same number of reps for 3+ months can cause your muscles to stop adapting and stop growing.
- Changing your exercises too quickly. If you switch your exercises too quickly, you don’t give your muscles enough time to adapt and grow. If you want your shoulder press to get significantyl stronger, stick with it for at least a month (preferably 3+ months).
- Poor nutrition. A calorie/protein deficiency means your body doesn’t have the energy to fuel the muscle growth process.
As a result of the above points, your dumbbell shoulder press progression may stagnate.
Ways To Make Your Shoulder Press Stronger
Here are some ways you can make your dumbbell shoulder press stronger:
1) Eat a proper bulking diet with enough protein and calories.
A good nutrition plan will fuel the growth of your deltoids, triceps, and stabilizer muscles.
Aim to eat at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight and a 5-15% caloric surplus every day.
When you combine this with regular progressive overload, you have the perfect recipe for shoulder strength gains!

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2) Progressive overload every 1-2 weeks.
Aim to increase each dumbbell by 2.5-5-lbs whenever you can do the shoulder press with good form at your current poundage.
This will force your muscles to keep adapting and growing.
It will also minimize the chances of your strength plateauing.
A beginner should aim to increase dumbbell weight at least once every 1-2 weeks.

Top tip: If you’re training to get big at home, then a pair of heavy and durable adjustable dumbbells are well worth the investment. Ideally, they should go up to 90-lbs with 2.5-5-lb increments.
This allows you to progressive overload effectively.
I use the Powerblock Elites (find the cheapest price here) with the stage 2 (70lb) and stage 3 (90lb) add-on kits. They are the most affordable and reputable dumbbells that fit these criteria (based on personal research and experience).
If you’re on a tight budget, then the Yes4All spinlock dumbbells are a more affordable alternative.
They’re as heavy as the Powerblocks, but their weight increments are quite large making them troublesome for consistent progressive overload (especially on isolation exercises like the lateral raise).
3) Press slow for maximal muscle recruitment.
Apply time under tension (TUT) principles to your dumbbell shoulder press.
Count for 4 seconds on the downward phase, another 4 seconds on the upward phase, and a pause in between.
This may mean you have to reduce the weight by 10-20%.
But it allows you to slow down your lifting tempo and really feel your shoulder muscles contract and get pumped.
As a result, you’ll also give your muscles an entirely new stimulus to adapt to.
I like to dedicate 1 entire week per month to TUT training.
4) Change your rep range every month.
Try working in the strength rep range (2-6 reps per set) for one month, and then switch to a hypertrophy rep range (7-10 reps per set) next month.
This is called periodization.
When you combine periodization with progressive overload, your shoulder pressing strength will increase much quicker.
If you like, you can check out my other post for a full dumbbell bodybuilding workout program.
5) Don’t hold the dumbbells too wide in the shoulder press.
Remember when I said form is paramount to making shoulder press gains?
Well, another important way to maintain good form is by not flaring the elbows.
When your elbows go too wide, there’s a tendency for the dumbbells to also sit wide.
“A grip that is too wide can reduce your power output from the set as you’re essentially taking the prime movers and putting them into disadvantageous positions.”
Jake Boly, C.S.C.S
Instead, keep your elbows tucked towards your torso.
When done correctly, the dumbbells should sit directly above your elbows as they travel up and down in the shoulder press.
If you’re in the market for a new pair of dumbbells, check out my other article to find out what dumbbell weight you should buy!
How I Calculated These Standards
Here’s how I got the numbers for this study.
Average dumbbell shoulder press standards.

Dumbbell shoulder press 1RMs were taken from the Strength Level database.
These were then multiplied by different fractions to get the 6-10RM weights, as follows:
- x0.84 for 6RM.
- x0.82 for 7RM.
- x0.80 for 8RM.
- x0.78 for 9RM.
- x0.73 for 10RM.
% of people who can dumbbell shoulder press a fraction of their body weight

The Strength Level database also allows for different dumbbell shoulder press weights to be sampled against their total population.
I sampled a variety of dumbbell shoulder press weights for a 200-lb male beginner aged 24-39
Conclusion
Different factors including your training level, bodyweight, and rep number will determine what’s a good dumbbell shoulder press weight for your personal circumstances.
I’ve shared with you the average based on these 3 metrics.
They were calculated from the Strength Level database of dumbbell shoulder presses.
If you’re pressing above average for your training level and bodyweight, then you’re doing good!
But if you’re performing sub-par, then you can try my tips to improve your numbers.
How much weight do you currently shoulder press with dumbbells?
Let me know in the comments!
Or check out my other posts to find out how much you should be dumbbell bench pressing, rowing, and bicep curling.
Thanks for reading guys!
Peace Out,
Kal
(Biochemistry BSc, Biomedical Sciences MSc, Ex-Skinny Guy)