10 Best Barbell Shoulder Press Alternatives for Limited Equipment
If you can’t perform the Barbell Shoulder Press, use dumbbell presses, the seated dumbbell press, Arnold press, landmine press, or push press to target the delts. Pick a variation that preserves a vertical pressing line, keep your scapula stabilized, and press with elbows slightly in front of the body to emphasize anterior and lateral deltoid activation.
Original Exercise: Barbell Shoulder Press
How to Perform Barbell Shoulder Press
- Sit on a bench with back support in a squat rack. Position a barbell at a height that is just above your head. Grab the barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing forward).
- Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip width, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms. Hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. This is your starting position.
- Lower the bar down to the shoulders slowly as you inhale.
- Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Barbell Shoulder Press Alternatives
1. Anti-Gravity Press
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.
- Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor. Flex the elbows, performing a reverse curl to bring the bar near your chest. This will be your starting position.
- To begin, press the barbell out in front of your head by extending your elbows. Keep your arms parallel to the ground throughout the movement.
- Return to the starting position and repeat to complete the set.
2. Barbell Standing Close Grip Military Press
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
- Lower the barbell back to shoulder height.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Barbell Standing Wide Military Press
98% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Lift the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly in front of the bar.
- Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
- Lower the barbell back to shoulder height and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Barbell Standing Bradford Press
90.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell in front of your shoulders with an overhand grip.
- Press the barbell overhead, fully extending your arms.
- Lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Dumbbell Scott Press
90% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, with your elbows bent and palms facing forward.
- Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Ez Barbell Anti Gravity Press
90% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and holding the ez barbell with an overhand grip.
- Raise the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing forward.
- Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
- Lower the barbell back to shoulder height and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Bradford/Rocky Presses
88.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a Military Press Bench with a bar at shoulder level with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Tip: Your grip should be wider than shoulder width and it should create a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm as the barbell goes down. This is your starting position.
- Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms.
- Now lower the bar down to the back of the head slowly as you inhale.
- Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
- Lower the bar down to the starting position slowly as you inhale. This is one repetition.
8. Band Shoulder Press
88.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band under your feet.
- Hold the band with your palms facing forward and raise your hands to shoulder height, elbows bent.
- Press the band overhead, fully extending your arms.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the band back to shoulder height.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Clean And Press
88.5% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Assume a shoulder-width stance, with knees inside the arms. Now while keeping the back flat, bend at the knees and hips so that you can grab the bar with the arms fully extended and a pronated grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width. Point the elbows out to sides. The bar should be close to the shins. Position the shoulders over or slightly ahead of the bar. Establish a flat back posture. This will be your starting position.
- Begin to pull the bar by extending the knees. Move your hips forward and raise the shoulders at the same rate while keeping the angle of the back constant; continue to lift the bar straight up while keeping it close to your body.
- As the bar passes the knee, extend at the ankles, knees, and hips forcefully, similar to a jumping motion. As you do so, continue to guide the bar with your hands, shrugging your shoulders and using the momentum from your movement to pull the bar as high as possible. The bar should travel close to your body, and you should keep your elbows out.
- At maximum elevation, your feet should clear the floor and you should start to pull yourself under the bar. The mechanics of this could change slightly, depending on the weight used. You should descend into a squatting position as you pull yourself under the bar.
- As the bar hits terminal height, rotate your elbows around and under the bar. Rack the bar across the front of the shoulders while keeping the torso erect and flexing the hips and knees to absorb the weight of the bar.
10. Dumbbell W-press
86.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, elbows bent and palms facing forward.
- Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended overhead.
- Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Shoulder Press Alternative
You may need alternatives because of shoulder pain, a missing barbell, poor overhead mobility, or to correct strength imbalances. Substitutes let you alter grip, range of motion, and loading patterns to reduce impingement risk and maintain deltoid hypertrophy. For example, a neutral-grip dumbbell press reduces external rotation demand on the glenohumeral joint; a landmine press shortens the lever arm and lowers shear on the shoulder. Use unilateral presses to reveal and correct left-right strength asymmetries, and choose variations that let you progressively overload while maintaining scapular upward rotation and core bracing.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Decide based on equipment, shoulder health, and training goals. If you lack a barbell but have dumbbells, choose seated or standing dumbbell presses to preserve bilateral loading and allow independent wrist rotation; cue a vertical forearm at lockout to maximize delt recruitment. If you have impingement, use neutral-grip presses or the landmine press to reduce external rotation and overhead torque. For power development pick the push press and emphasize hip drive; for pure hypertrophy slow the eccentric to 3–4 seconds to increase time under tension and recruit more motor units in the anterior and lateral delts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell Shoulder Press work?
The barbell shoulder press primarily targets the anterior and lateral deltoids while recruiting the upper trapezius and triceps for lockout. The lift demands scapular upward rotation and overhead stability, so you also engage the serratus anterior and core for bracing—cue packed ribs and scapular control to optimize force transfer.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Shoulder Press?
Pike push-ups (progressing to handstand push-ups) are the best bodyweight alternative because they load the shoulders on a vertical plane, increasing anterior and lateral delt activation. Cue hips high, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and descend until your head lightly touches the floor to mimic overhead pressing biomechanics.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Shoulder Press?
Yes. You can develop shoulder mass using dumbbell presses, Arnold presses, landmine variations, and high-quality isolation work like lateral raises, combined with progressive overload. Emphasize full range of motion, controlled eccentrics, and gradual load increases to recruit the motor units responsible for hypertrophy.
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