Strict seated pressing for boulder shoulders.
Keep your back against the pad and core braced, don't arch to push the weight up.
Two independent dumbbells pressed overhead from a supported seat make each shoulder lift and stabilise its own load, with the triceps finishing the lockout. Unlike a bar, the bells can drift, so your delts control the path as well as the weight, which is why dumbbell pressing exposes side-to-side gaps a barbell hides. The upright pad keeps everything strict.
Dumbbells give a longer range of motion, a more natural wrist position, and force each arm to work alone, which balances out weaker sides. The barbell lets you load heavier overall. Many lifters press the bar for strength and dumbbells for shoulder growth.
They can come close, but clanging them together usually means you are cutting the lockout short or drifting the bells inward with momentum. Press to a full lockout with the dumbbells roughly over your shoulders and leave a small gap.
Your core is giving way so your chest can join in. Plant your feet, brace before the first rep, and keep your upper back glued to the pad. If you cannot, the dumbbells are heavier than your strict press deserves right now.
