Cuban Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Cuban Press
- Take a dumbbell in each hand with a pronated grip in a standing position. Raise your upper arms so that they are parallel to the floor, allowing your lower arms to hang in the "scarecrow" position. This will be your starting position.
- To initiate the movement, externally rotate the shoulders to move the upper arm 180 degrees. Keep the upper arms in place, rotating the upper arms until the wrists are directly above the elbows, the forearms perpendicular to the floor.
- Now press the dumbbells by extending at the elbows, straightening your arms overhead.
- Return to the starting position as you breathe in by reversing the steps.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Cuban Press
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Alternating Kettlebell Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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2
Barbell Shoulder Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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3
Bench Press
The bench press is the most popular upper body exercise for building chest strength and muscle mass. It's a compound movement that also develops the triceps and anterior deltoids.
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4
Clean and Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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5
Double Kettlebell Push Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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6
Kettlebell Arnold Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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7
Kettlebell Seated Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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8
Kettlebell Seesaw Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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9
One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press To The Side
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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10
One-Arm Kettlebell Para Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do cuban press work?
Cuban Press primarily works the shoulders. The traps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for cuban press?
Cuban Press uses dumbbells.
Cuban Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Cuban Press is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.
What can I do instead of cuban press?
Alternating Kettlebell Press, Barbell Shoulder Press, Bench Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my cuban press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; cuban press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Cuban Press with AI
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