Cuban press

It chains an upright row, an external rotation and a press: it trains the rotator cuff inside a loaded pattern. This is shoulder-health work, so the weight is low by design.

• Compound
• Dumbbell
• Intermediate

How to do it

• Light dumbbells: 2–5 kg is usually enough
• Upright row until the elbows reach shoulder height
• Rotate the forearms up without moving the elbows
• Press, then undo the path in the same order

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 10–15 reps · 0–2 RIR

Tempo: 2 s on the way down, squeeze 1 s at the peak and stay in control, no swinging

Common mistakes

• Loading it like a lateral raise and losing the rotation
• Moving the elbows during the rotation phase
• Chaining the three phases with momentum

Muscles worked

Primary

• Anterior deltoid

Secondary

• Traps
• Rear delt

Alternatives

• Cable shoulder external rotation
• Band shoulder external rotation
• Face Pull