10 Best Circus Bell Alternatives for Shoulder Strength

If you can’t perform the Circus Bell, use compound presses and angled pushes that load the delts similarly. Try a single-arm dumbbell overhead press with a vertical forearm cue: brace your core, drive the weight up while externally rotating the shoulder to maximize anterior and lateral delt activation.

Original Exercise: Circus Bell

Circus Bell
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Other
Difficulty
Advanced
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Forearms, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Traps, Triceps
How to Perform Circus Bell
  1. The circus bell is an oversized dumbbell with a thick handle. Begin with the dumbbell between your feet, and grip the handle with both hands.
  2. Clean the dumbbell by extending through your hips and knees to deliver the implement to the desired shoulder, letting go with the extra hand.
  3. Ensure that you get one of the dumbbell heads behind the shoulder to keep from being thrown off balance. To raise it overhead, dip by flexing the knees, and the drive upwards as you extend the dumbbell overhead, leaning slightly away from it as you do so.
  4. Carefully guide the bell back to the floor, keeping it under control as much as possible. It is best to perform this event on a thick rubber mat to prevent damage to the floor.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strongman
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Compound

Ranked Circus Bell Alternatives

Best Match
Car Drivers

1. Car Drivers

93% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. While standing upright, hold a barbell plate in both hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Your palms should be facing each other and your arms should be extended straight out in front of you. This will be your starting position.
  2. Initiate the movement by rotating the plate as far to one side as possible. Use the same type of movement you would use to turn a steering wheel to one side.
  3. Reverse the motion, turning it all the way to the opposite side.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Weighted Kneeling Step With Swing

2. Weighted Kneeling Step With Swing

87.4% Match
Delts Weighted Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start in a kneeling position with your knees hip-width apart and your back straight.
  2. Hold a weight in each hand, with your arms extended straight down in front of you.
  3. Engage your core and swing the weights up and overhead, keeping your arms straight.
  4. Lower the weights back down to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Rack Delivery

3. Rack Delivery

86.3% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This drill teaches the delivery of the barbell to the rack position on the shoulders. Begin holding a bar in the scarecrow position, with the upper arms parallel to the floor, and the forearms hanging down. Use a hook grip, with your fingers wrapped over your thumbs.
  2. Begin by rotating the elbows around the bar, delivering the bar to the shoulders. As your elbows come forward, relax your grip. The shoulders should be protracted, providing a shelf for the bar, which should lightly contact the throat.
  3. It is important that the bar stay close to the body at all times, as with a heavier load any distance will result in an unwanted collision. As the movement becomes smoother, speed and load can be increased before progressing further.
Left Hook. Boxing

4. Left Hook. Boxing

84.7% Match
Delts Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Keep your left hand up to protect your face and your right hand by your chin.
  3. Rotate your hips and pivot on your left foot as you extend your left arm forward in a punching motion.
  4. Twist your torso and engage your core muscles to generate power in the punch.
  5. Snap your arm back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Single-Arm Linear Jammer

5. Single-Arm Linear Jammer

84.7% Match
Delts Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Position a bar into a landmine or securely anchor it in a corner. Load the bar to an appropriate weight.
  2. Raise the bar from the floor, taking it to your shoulders with one or both hands. Adopt a wide stance. This will be your starting position.
  3. Perform the movement by extending the elbow, pressing the weight up. Move explosively, extending the hips and knees fully to produce maximal force.
  4. Return to the starting position.
Medicine Ball Scoop Throw

6. Medicine Ball Scoop Throw

84.2% Match
Delts Medicine-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Assume a semisquat stance with a medicine ball in your hands. Your arms should hang so the ball is near your feet.
  2. Begin by thrusting the hips forward as you extend through the legs, jumping up.
  3. As you do, swing your arms up and over your head, keeping them extended, releasing the ball at the peak of your movement. The goal is to throw the ball the greatest distance behind you.
Backward Medicine Ball Throw

7. Backward Medicine Ball Throw

83.4% Match
Delts Medicine-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This exercise is best done with a partner. If you lack a partner, the ball can be thrown and retrieved or thrown against a wall.
  2. Begin standing a few meters in front of your partner, both facing the same direction. Begin holding the ball between your legs.
  3. Squat down and then forcefully reverse direction, coming to full extension and you toss the ball over your head to your partner.
  4. Your partner can then roll the ball back to you. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Standing Bent Over One Arm Triceps Extension

8. Dumbbell Standing Bent Over One Arm Triceps Extension

78.7% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and parallel to the ground.
  3. Extend your arm straight back, keeping your elbow close to your body.
  4. Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.
Kettlebell One Arm Jerk

9. Kettlebell One Arm Jerk

78.1% Match
Delts Kettlebell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand at shoulder height.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
  3. Press the kettlebell overhead in a straight line, fully extending your arm.
  4. As you press the kettlebell overhead, simultaneously dip your knees and quickly straighten them to generate momentum.
  5. As the kettlebell reaches its highest point, quickly drop underneath it by bending your knees and hips.
One-Arm Kettlebell Split Jerk

10. One-Arm Kettlebell Split Jerk

78.1% Match
Delts Kettlebell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Hold a kettlebell by the handle. Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebell towards your shoulder. Rotate your wrist as you do so, so that the palm faces forward. This will be your starting position.
  2. Dip your body by bending the knees, keeping your torso upright.
  3. Immediately reverse direction, driving through the heels, in essence jumping to create momentum. As you do so, press the kettlebell overhead to lockout by extending the arms, using your body's momentum to move the weight.
  4. Receive the weight overhead by returning to a squat position underneath the weight, positioning one leg in front of you and one leg behind you.
  5. Keeping the weight overhead, return to a standing position and bring your feet together. Lower the weight to perform the next repetition.

Why You Might Need a Circus Bell Alternative

You might substitute the Circus Bell for several reasons: limited access to specific equipment, a shoulder injury that restricts range of motion, or programming needs like progressive overload. Choose alternatives that replicate the Circus Bell’s deltoid loading pattern, overhead and diagonal pressing, so you keep similar muscle activation in the anterior and lateral heads. For example, the landmine press preserves a forward plane and reduces shear on the glenohumeral joint; cue a slight trunk lean and press along the bar path to bias the anterior delt while limiting external rotation stress.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Assess load, range of motion, and stability demands when choosing a substitute. If you want heavy compound loading, pick a barbell push press and use hip drive with a short dip to protect the shoulder while recruiting delts and traps. For unilateral control, use a single-arm kettlebell or dumbbell press, keep the scapula retracted and press through a vertical forearm to emphasize lateral delt activation. If joint pain limits overhead work, choose a landmine press with a neutral grip and stop just shy of full lockout to reduce impingement torque.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Circus Bell work?

The Circus Bell primarily targets the deltoids, especially the anterior and lateral heads, while recruiting the upper trapezius, triceps, and core stabilizers. It uses an overhead or angled pressing pattern that loads shoulder flexion and abduction, so scapular control matters for efficient force transfer.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Circus Bell?

The best bodyweight substitute is the pike push-up or elevated pike push-up; position your hips high, block the scapula, and drive the crown of your head toward the floor to load the anterior and lateral delts. Progress by elevating feet or adding paused reps to increase vertical pressing demand.

Can I build muscle without doing Circus Bell?

Yes, you can build shoulder muscle with other compound presses and angled pushes that replicate delt loading, such as dumbbell overhead presses, landmine presses, and push presses. Focus on progressive overload, controlled eccentric tempo, and full scapular stability to ensure consistent delt hypertrophy.

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