Power Partials
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Power Partials
- Stand up with your torso upright and a dumbbell on each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso.
- The palms of the hands should be facing your torso. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your arms straight and the torso stationary, lift the weights out to your sides until they are about shoulder level height while exhaling.
- Feel the contraction for a second and begin to lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling. Tip: Keep the palms facing down with the little finger slightly higher while lifting and lowering the weights as it will concentrate the stress on your shoulders mainly.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Power Partials
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
Push-Ups
The push-up is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders while engaging the core. It's one of the most effective exercises for building upper body strength without equipment.
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2
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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3
Anti-Gravity Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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4
Back Flyes - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a resistance band.
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5
Band Pull Apart
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a resistance band.
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6
Barbell Incline Shoulder Raise
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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7
Barbell Rear Delt Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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8
Battling Ropes
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders.
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9
Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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10
Bradford/Rocky Presses
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do power partials work?
Power Partials primarily works the shoulders.
What equipment do I need for power partials?
Power Partials uses dumbbells.
Power Partials: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Power Partials is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of power partials?
Push-Ups, Alternating Cable Shoulder Press, Anti-Gravity Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my power partials reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; power partials 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 Power Partials with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.