10 Best Barbell Skier Alternatives for Shoulder Strength
If you can't do the Barbell Skier, use presses and unilateral shoulder variations that reproduce its deltoid demand. Effective options include barbell or dumbbell overhead presses, landmine press, upright row, and single-arm lateral raises. Cue: brace your core, lead with the elbows, and keep scapulae stable to load the lateral delts.
Original Exercise: Barbell Skier
How to Perform Barbell Skier
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Simultaneously lift the barbell up towards your shoulders while jumping slightly off the ground.
- As you reach the top of the movement, quickly reverse the motion and lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Barbell Skier Alternatives
1. Ez Barbell Anti Gravity Press
90.4% 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.
2. Bradford/Rocky Presses
90.2% 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.
3. Clean And Press
90.1% 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.
4. Barbell Seated Bradford Rocky Press
87.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a bench with your back straight and feet flat on the ground.
- Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and pointing forward.
- Press the barbell overhead, fully extending your arms.
- Lower the barbell back to shoulder height and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Double Kettlebell Push Press
86.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders.
- Squat down a few inches and reverse the motion rapidly. Use the momentum from the legs to drive the kettlebells overhead.
- Once the kettlebells are locked out, lower the kettlebells to your shoulders and repeat.
6. Barbell Standing Bradford Press
86% 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.
7. Barbell Shoulder Press
80.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- 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.
8. Barbell Thruster
80.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell at shoulder height with an overhand grip.
- Lower into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
- As you reach the bottom of the squat, explosively drive through your heels to stand up, simultaneously pressing the barbell overhead.
- Lower the barbell back to shoulder height as you lower back into the squat position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Anti-Gravity Press
80.4% 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.
10. Barbell Standing Close Grip Military Press
80.4% 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.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Skier Alternative
You may need substitutes due to shoulder pain, poor shoulder mobility, lack of a barbell, or a training goal shift from power to hypertrophy. Some athletes feel anterior shoulder discomfort with the Barbell Skier; switching to a neutral-grip landmine or dumbbell press reduces humeral internal rotation and lowers impingement risk. Substitutes also let you emphasize different deltoid heads—for example, upright rows increase lateral deltoid and trapezius recruitment, while single-arm lateral raises isolate the lateral head. Cue: control the eccentric and stop where you feel stable to protect the glenohumeral joint.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute based on goal, equipment, and joint health. For maximal strength, pick bilateral presses (barbell or heavy dumbbell) and cue full scapular upward rotation and a tight core. For hypertrophy with less joint stress, choose landmine or neutral-grip dumbbell presses and emphasize time under tension with a 2–3 second eccentric. If you lack equipment, use unilateral bodyweight or cable variations to control load and ensure even activation across delts. Always assess pain during movement and reduce range or switch to neutral-grip options if you feel anterior shoulder strain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell Skier work?
The Barbell Skier primarily targets the deltoids, especially the lateral and anterior heads, with secondary recruitment from the upper trapezius and triceps. It loads the glenohumeral joint in a horizontal and vertical plane, so scapular stabilizers and rotator cuff muscles also engage to maintain shoulder mechanics.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Skier?
A strong bodyweight alternative is the pike push-up variation; it loads the shoulders vertically and emphasizes the anterior and lateral delts. Cue: elevate your feet on a box, tuck the chin, and drive the elbows back to increase vertical deltoid activation while protecting the rotator cuff.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Skier?
Yes. You can stimulate deltoid hypertrophy with presses, rows, and isolation raises that provide adequate load and volume. Prioritize progressive overload, varied planes (vertical and horizontal), and strict technique—keep elbows aligned with target deltoid fibers to maximize muscle activation.
More Exercise Alternatives
Find Alternatives for Any Exercise
Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.
Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →