Standing Dumbbell Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Standing Dumbbell Press
- Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, take a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells to head height, the elbows out and about 90 degrees. This will be your starting position.
- Maintaining strict technique with no leg drive or leaning back, extend through the elbow to raise the weights together directly above your head.
- Pause, and slowly return the weight to the starting position.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Standing Dumbbell 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
Standing Bradford Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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2
Standing Military Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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3
Seated Dumbbell Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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4
Standing Alternating Dumbbell Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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5
Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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6
Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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7
Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
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8
Anti-Gravity Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.
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9
Arnold Dumbbell Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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10
Cable Shoulder Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do standing dumbbell press work?
Standing Dumbbell Press primarily works the shoulders. The triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for standing dumbbell press?
Standing Dumbbell Press uses dumbbells.
Standing Dumbbell Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Standing Dumbbell Press 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 standing dumbbell press?
Standing Bradford Press, Standing Military Press, Seated Dumbbell Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my standing dumbbell press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; standing dumbbell 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 Standing Dumbbell Press with AI
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