10 Best Dumbbell Push Press Alternatives for Overhead Power

The Dumbbell Push Press is done standing with dumbbells. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Double Kettlebell Push Press, the EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press and the Bradford/rocky Presses.

The Dumbbell Push Press pairs a short leg dip with an explosive drive that sends both dumbbells overhead. Swap to the Double Kettlebell Push Press and you keep that dip and drive: clean two kettlebells to your shoulders, dip, then reverse hard to lock them out above your head. With only one kettlebell, the One-arm Kettlebell Push Press moves that same drive to one side at a time.

Dumbbell Push PressWatch the Dumbbell Push Press

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Dumbbell Push Press

The steps for the Dumbbell Push Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Delts, with triceps, core · Dumbbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and dip your body down, then explosively extend your legs and press the dumbbells overhead.
  3. Lock out your arms at the top of the movement, then lower the dumbbells back to shoulder level.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Dumbbell Push Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Dumbbell Push Press on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Double Kettlebell Push Press

    1. Double Kettlebell Push Press

    99% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a kettlebell to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders.
    2. Squat down a few inches and reverse the motion rapidly. Use the momentum from the legs to drive the kettlebells overhead.
    3. Once the kettlebells are locked out, lower the kettlebells to your shoulders and repeat.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: overhead push press, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
  2. EZ Barbell Anti Gravity PressPlay demonstration

    2. EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press

    95% match

    Delts · Advanced · Compound

    A good swap when you have an EZ bar to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Ez-barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and holding the ez barbell with an overhand grip.
    2. Raise the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing forward.
    3. Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
    4. Lower the barbell back to shoulder height and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
  3. Bradford/rocky Presses

    3. Bradford/rocky Presses

    95% match

    Delts · Advanced · Compound

    A good swap when you have a barbell to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. 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.
    2. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms.
    3. Now lower the bar down to the back of the head slowly as you inhale.
    4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
    5. Lower the bar down to the starting position slowly as you inhale. This is one repetition.
    6. Alternate in this manner until you complete the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
  6. Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw

    6. Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw

    92% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a medicine ball to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Medicine-ball
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding a medicine ball in both hands. To begin, reach the medicine ball deep behind your head as you bend the knees slightly and lean back.
    2. Violently throw the ball forward, flexing at the hip and using your whole body to complete the movement.
    3. The medicine ball can be thrown to a partner or to a wall, receiving it as it bounces back.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
  7. One-arm Kettlebell Para Press

    7. One-arm Kettlebell Para Press

    91% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the delts one side at a time.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Clean a kettlebell to your shoulder. 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. Hold the kettlebell with the elbow out to the side, and press it up and out until it is locked out overhead.
    3. Lower the kettlebell back to your shoulder under control and repeat. Make sure to contract your lat, butt, and stomach forcefully for added stability and strength.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Dumbbell Push Press
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Dumbbell Push Press

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Push Press Alternative

You reach for a swap when the dumbbells are taken, your gym only stocks kettlebells or a barbell, or you train at home with kettlebells instead of a full dumbbell run. The Dumbbell Push Press needs a pair of dumbbells and room to dip and drive, so a swap has to match that same effort. Kettlebells stand in cleanly: both the Double Kettlebell Push Press and the One-arm Kettlebell Push Press start with a clean to the shoulder, then dip and drive the weight overhead. A barbell or EZ bar lets both hands share one load instead, while the Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw is a different effort altogether: you take a medicine ball behind your head, lean back, then throw it forward at a wall or a partner, so it trains explosive work without ever pressing a weight overhead.

How to Choose the Right Dumbbell Push Press Substitute

The Double Kettlebell Push Press is closest: clean to your shoulders, dip and drive send the weight overhead. With one kettlebell, the One-arm Kettlebell Push Press moves the drive to one side, while a barbell lets you load more weight. Bradford/rocky Presses swaps in a seated bar press that lowers behind your head between reps instead of a leg-driven lockout, so save it until you already press overhead confidently, while the EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press is a strict standing press with no leg drive, so it trains the lockout without the dip. If you want a throw rather than a press, the Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw has you lean back with a medicine ball behind your head and hurl it forward into a wall or to a partner; it is explosive, but it is not a Push Press.

Dumbbell Push Press FAQ

Can I do the Dumbbell Push Press at home?

Yes, with a pair of dumbbells, since the lift needs nothing else; with only kettlebells, you can still do the lift. The Double Kettlebell Push Press keeps the same dip and leg drive, just cleaning two kettlebells to your shoulders first. The Dumbbell Cuban Press keeps your dumbbells, but it is a strict press with a wrist turn at the top and no leg dip, training the lockout rather than the drive.

Which alternative uses the same movement as the Dumbbell Push Press?

The Double Kettlebell Push Press is the nearest of these. You clean two kettlebells to your shoulders, dip your knees, then reverse hard to send them overhead, the same rhythm the dumbbell version trains, just with a different tool in your hands. The One-arm Kettlebell Push Press keeps that same clean-dip-drive but moves it to one side, which also asks more of your core.

Which alternative works one arm at a time?

The One-arm Kettlebell Push Press dips and drives a single kettlebell overhead per side, the same leg-driven motion as the two-handed versions. The One-arm Kettlebell Para Press also loads one side, but you hold the elbow out and press the kettlebell up and out with no leg dip, so it is a strict single-arm press rather than a driven one. Either way, your core has to stop you leaning toward the working side.

Which alternative asks for the most overhead experience?

Clean And Press asks the most: you pull the bar off the floor into a full clean before you ever press it overhead, so add it once you already own the lockout. Bradford/rocky Presses also takes practice, since you press the bar up, then lower it behind your head under control before pressing again. Start with the Double Kettlebell Push Press or the One-arm Kettlebell Push Press instead, since both keep the same dip-and-drive rhythm as the Dumbbell Push Press.

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