What is the Scott press named after?

The Scott press is named after Larry Scott, the first Mr. Olympia, who used this shoulder pressing variation to build his wide, capped deltoids.

How is the Scott press different from a regular shoulder press?

The Scott press uses a slightly different pressing arc that keeps more constant tension on the lateral deltoid through the full range of motion.

Seated is preferred to eliminate momentum and isolate the shoulders. A bench with back support helps maintain strict form.

Target Muscle

Shoulders

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Intermediate

The dumbbell Scott press is a shoulder exercise performed while seated, pressing dumbbells overhead to target the deltoid muscles.

TricepsChest

1
Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
2
Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, with your elbows bent and palms facing forward.
3
Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

•Start with the dumbbells at shoulder height with palms forward, then press upward while keeping your elbows in the frontal plane.
•Focus on a smooth, arcing press path rather than a straight vertical line to maximize delt activation.
•Use moderate weight and higher reps (10-15) since the Scott press is a precision movement, not a max-effort lift.

•Pressing the dumbbells straight up like a standard press, missing the unique arcing path that distinguishes the Scott press.
•Using too heavy a weight, which forces compensatory shoulder shrugging and reduces the targeted delt work.
•Flaring the elbows behind the body, which places excessive stress on the front of the shoulder joint.

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