Try the Z press to build bigger shoulders and unlock superior core strength

A man performing Z press with a kettlebell — (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Z press often gets forgotten about in shoulder workouts, overshadowed by more popular moves like the Arnold press or traditional shoulder press. However, this underrated exercise can unlock impressive shoulder and core strength.

Unlike your traditional shoulder press performed on a weight bench, the Z press takes things to the ground, literally. Instead, you sit on the floor with your legs extended out in front of you, and proceed to press the dumbbells or barbell up overhead.

You may be thinking, ‘that doesn’t sound too bad’; however, don’t be fooled. By removing your legs from the equation, your shoulders are left to do all the work – as you’re unable to push through your lower body – and having no backrest means your core has to work extra hard to help your body remain upright and stable. You’ll quickly discover how much your traditional presses rely on those extra assists.

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If you’re wondering where the exercise got its name from, we’re not entirely sure. Some people thought it was created by former four-time World’s Strongest Man, Žydrūnas Savickas, who was nicknamed ‘Big Z’. However, he confirmed in an interview that – as much as he likes the fact that the exercise is called the Z press, and has even tried it himself – that it’s not down to him.

Either way, whoever came up with it created a humbling exercise, that’s for sure. Add them to your next push day if you’re looking to switch things up and get ready for your shoulders and core to be challenged by this no-cheat exercise.

How to do the Z press

How To Do A Z Press - YouTube

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You can do the Z press with a variety of equipment: dumbbells, kettlebells and even a barbell. You can also make it a bilateral exercise – pressing overhead with both arms at the same time – or unilateral – using one arm at a time. The latter is particularly good for suffer from any strength imbalances.

Whatever you choose to use, just make sure you have enough space around you so that you can safely drop your equipment, if you need to.

Here's how to master the Z press using dumbbells:

Sit on the floor with a dumbbell either side of you and your legs outstretched in front and parted to create a 'V-shape'.
Pick up your dumbbells and curl them up to shoulder height (if struggle with painful wrists, opt for a neutral grip with your palms facing inwards)
Take a deep breath in and push your stomach out to brace your core, then lower your dumbbells down to your shoulders.
Hold here for a second, then push the dumbbells back up overhead, breathing out as you do so, and repeat for your desired reps.

Bryony is a former Staff Writer in T3’s Active vertical. She is a certified personal trainer and part-time fitness instructor. In her spare time, she could usually be found in her natural habitat – the gym – where her training combined bodybuilding and powerlifting. She used to write about accessible workouts, nutrition and innovative fitness products that could help people reach their fitness goals and take their training to the next level.