What muscles does the hammer press work?

The chest does the work, with the triceps taking more than they would in a wide press because the elbows are tucked. The front of the shoulders assists. Turning the palms in does not move the target away from the chest.

Is the hammer press easier on the shoulders?

Nobody has tested it, in either direction. The tucked elbow position does keep your upper arm closer to your ribs, which is a genuine difference from a wide press, and many people find it more comfortable. That is worth trying. It is not a treatment. If something hurts and keeps hurting, that is a question for a physiotherapist.

Does a neutral grip work the chest less?

No. When grips were compared, a neutral-grip press produced more upper chest activity than a wide-grip bench press. What changes the balance is how tucked your elbows are, not which way your palms face.

Should the dumbbells touch each other during a hammer press?

Not in this version. Keep them a few inches apart and press straight up. Holding them together is a different exercise, the close chest press, where the squeeze is the point.

Why can I press less on the hammer press?

The tucked arm path shares more of the load with your triceps and travels differently at the chest. A different number here is expected. Give the movement its own weight rather than measuring it against your normal press.

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Dumbbell · beginner · chest

Dumbbell hammer press

Also called Neutral grip bench press, Neutral grip dumbbell press, Hammer grip press, Neutral grip dumbbell bench press, Hammer grip bench press.

The short answer

The hammer press is a flat dumbbell press done with the palms facing each other and the elbows tucked toward your ribs. Your chest still does the work and your triceps take a larger share than in a wide press, because a tucked arm path measures higher for the triceps. The front of the shoulder assists. The neutral grip itself does not cost the chest anything.

How to do it

Step oneLie flat on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
Step twoHold the dumbbells at chest level with your elbows at approximately a 45-degree angle from your torso.
Step threePress the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.
Step fourSlowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

What usually goes wrong

Each starts with what you would notice.

Your elbows drift out square to your body and the palms start rotating.

WhyThe tuck has been lost. Once the elbows go wide the hands want to turn with them, and you are back to a normal press with an awkward grip.

FixKeep the ends of the dumbbells pointing forward and back, and the upper arms at roughly 45 degrees from your ribs. If the palms turn, the elbows went first.

At the bottom the dumbbells are level with your shoulders rather than your chest.

WhyThe arms are traveling straight down the line of your body, which stretches the shoulder at the point where the load is heaviest.

FixBring the dumbbells down beside your lower chest, roughly level with your nipple line, and press from there.

Your shoulders come up off the bench as the dumbbells descend.

WhyNothing has anchored the upper back, so the weight pulls the shoulders forward as it lowers.

FixBefore the first rep, tuck the shoulder blades down and back so your upper back is wedged into the bench. Reset it between sets rather than mid-set.

You cannot press what you normally press.

WhyThe tucked path brings the triceps in further and gives your chest a slightly different job. The number moving is expected.

FixStart lighter and let this movement have its own weight. Comparing it to your normal press is comparing two different arm paths.

Hammer press or normal dumbbell press

Two things change: which way the palms face, and how far the elbows sit from your ribs. They matter in different ways.

The grip is the one people worry about and it turns out to be fine. In a comparison of grips, a neutral-grip press produced more upper chest activity than a wide-grip bench press did. Turning your palms in does not cost your chest anything.

The tuck is the part that actually changes the exercise. Narrower arm positions consistently measure higher for the triceps, so a tucked press asks more of your arms than a wide one and slightly less of your chest at any given weight.

Neither is the correct version. If your chest is what you want to load, a normal press with the elbows at 45 degrees does the job. The hammer press is a variation that brings the triceps further in and gives the shoulder a different arm path to work through.

The neutral grip moves your elbow, not your shoulder

This movement is nearly always described as the shoulder-friendly press, the one to switch to if your shoulders complain. We are not going to tell you that.

No study comparing shoulder loading or injury between neutral-grip and palms-forward dumbbell pressing turned up. Not one showing it helps, and not one showing it does not. The claim is being made without anything behind it, and a page cannot look at your shoulder.

What is true is positional and worth knowing on its own. The neutral grip pairs naturally with a tucked elbow, and a tucked elbow keeps your upper arm closer to your ribs rather than square out to the sides. That is a real difference in where your arm sits under load, and plenty of people find it more comfortable. Try it if a normal press bothers you.

What it is for

The dumbbell hammer press is a chest pressing exercise performed with a neutral grip to reduce shoulder stress and increase triceps involvement. It targets the pectorals with secondary emphasis on the triceps and front delts, and is a joint-friendly alternative to traditional dumbbell bench press.

Questions people ask

What muscles does the hammer press work?: The chest does the work, with the triceps taking more than they would in a wide press because the elbows are tucked. The front of the shoulders assists. Turning the palms in does not move the target away from the chest.
Is the hammer press easier on the shoulders?: Nobody has tested it, in either direction. The tucked elbow position does keep your upper arm closer to your ribs, which is a genuine difference from a wide press, and many people find it more comfortable. That is worth trying. It is not a treatment. If something hurts and keeps hurting, that is a question for a physiotherapist.
Does a neutral grip work the chest less?: No. When grips were compared, a neutral-grip press produced more upper chest activity than a wide-grip bench press. What changes the balance is how tucked your elbows are, not which way your palms face.
Should the dumbbells touch each other during a hammer press?: Not in this version. Keep them a few inches apart and press straight up. Holding them together is a different exercise, the close chest press, where the squeeze is the point.
Why can I press less on the hammer press?: The tucked arm path shares more of the load with your triceps and travels differently at the chest. A different number here is expected. Give the movement its own weight rather than measuring it against your normal press.