Shoulder press weight by brand: stacks, increments and what the pin means

What the number under the pin means on a shoulder press

The stack weight is the total of the plates in the stack, and the number under the pin is how many of them you lift. Between the stack and the handles there are cables, pulleys, a cam or a lever arm, and the handles may move in a straight line, on an arc or converge towards each other. Each of these changes how much of the pinned weight reaches your hands, and how it changes from the bottom of the press to lockout.

So the same pin number on two brands, or on a converging and a straight-line shoulder press of the same brand, is not always the same load. Set the seat so the handles start near shoulder height, as the manufacturer's placard says, before you compare settings.

Converting a load between two of these machines needs a force curve for both. None has one yet, so the comparator answers "No data yet" for every pair.

Selectorized shoulder presses, brand by brand

Stack weights and, where the manufacturer publishes it, the weight increment, quoted word for word with the link and the date we read it. When a machine is sold with a standard and a heavier optional stack, the manufacturer's own label under each row says which one it is: ask your gym which stack is fitted.

Atlantis Strength

Cybex

Exigo

gym80

Hammer Strength

Hoist Fitness

Life Fitness

Matrix Fitness

Nautilus (commercial)

Panatta

Precor

Technogym

Most manufacturers do not state the increment between pins on their product page; where no increment row is shown, it is not stated (no data yet).

No data yet Brands in the catalog without a selectorized shoulder press (no data yet):

Prime FitnessArsenal StrengthWatson Gym Equipment

Pin setting versus the load in your hands

No data yet No shoulder press has an estimated or measured force curve yet, and none has a mechanical model yet (no data yet). Until one is measured, compare these machines by feel: start light on a new brand and work up.

Plate-loaded shoulder presses

No stack here: you load plates on a lever arm, often one per side (iso-lateral). What the manufacturer may state is the starting resistance of the empty arm and the maximum plate load, quoted below with the link and the date.

No data yet Plate-loaded shoulder presses whose manufacturer states neither a starting resistance nor a maximum load (no data yet):

Cybex Plate Loaded Overhead PressExigo Plate Loaded 2.0 ISO Front Pivot Shoulder PressExigo Plate Loaded 2.0 ISO Shoulder PressNautilus (commercial) Leverage Shoulder PressPrime Fitness Shoulder Press

How every figure is labelled

MachineConvert never invents a number. Each figure carries one of three levels, with its source link and the date it was read:

Measured

Read on the machine itself with a force gauge, following the measurement protocol, with a proof (continuous video or photos) and the date.

Manufacturer

Quoted word for word from the manufacturer's official page or document, in the units printed there, with the link and the date it was read. A stack weight says what the plates weigh, not what you feel at the handle.

Estimated

Computed from a mechanical model of the machine (lever, cam or pulley) built from sourced inputs. Each estimate shows its method, its error band and a derivation page, and is marked as not verified by measurement.

MethodologyData rules

Help fill the gaps

If you train on one of these machines and have a force gauge or a luggage scale, a measurement is the fastest way to turn "No data yet" into a real comparison. Every submission is reviewed before it is published.

Share a measurementOpen the comparatorAll brandsCoverage by machine group

Shoulder presses in the catalog

Arsenal Strength Reloaded Iso Shoulder PressAtlantis Strength Converging shoulder pressAtlantis Strength Converging Shoulder Press MachineAtlantis Strength Viking pressCybex Eagle NX Overhead PressCybex Plate Loaded Overhead PressCybex Prestige Strength VRS Overhead PressExigo Plate Loaded 2.0 ISO Front Pivot Shoulder PressExigo Plate Loaded 2.0 ISO Shoulder PressExigo Shoulder Pressgym80 Dual Shoulder Pressgym80 Pure Kraft-Strong Shoulder Press Dualgym80 Shoulder PressHammer Strength Iso-Lateral Shoulder PressHammer Strength MTS Iso-Lateral Shoulder PressHammer Strength Select Shoulder PressHoist Fitness Shoulder PressHoist Fitness Shoulder PressLife Fitness Axiom Series Shoulder PressLife Fitness Insignia Series Shoulder PressLife Fitness Plate Loaded Shoulder PressMatrix Fitness Aura Shoulder PressMatrix Fitness Magnum Shoulder PressMatrix Fitness Ultra Converging Shoulder PressNautilus (commercial) Impact Shoulder PressNautilus (commercial) Inspiration Shoulder PressNautilus (commercial) Instinct Shoulder PressNautilus (commercial) Leverage Shoulder PressPanatta Deltoid PressPrecor Converging Shoulder PressPrecor Shoulder PressPrecor Shoulder PressPrime Fitness Shoulder PressTechnogym Artis Shoulder PressTechnogym Pure Strength Shoulder PressTechnogym Selection 900 Shoulder PressWatson Gym Equipment Plate Loaded Shoulder Press

Related guides

Technogym weight stacks: Selection, Artis, Pure Strength and moreHammer Strength starting weight and weight stacks: every catalogued machinePanatta starting weight: what every catalogued machine weighs emptyWatson Gym Equipment weight stacks: chest press, leg press, lat pulldown and moreChest press weight stacks by brand: Technogym vs Life Fitness vs Hammer StrengthIncline press weight by brand: stacks, starting weight and what the pin meansLat pulldown weight by brand: stacks, increments and what the pin meansPlate-loaded machine starting weight by brand: what the empty machine weighsHow to convert machine weight between gyms and brandsPlate-loaded vs selectorized machines: why the numbers differ