10 Best Dumbbell Scott Press Alternatives for Shoulder Hypertrophy

If you can’t or don’t want to do the Dumbbell Scott Press, use other vertical and angled pressing movements that load the delts similarly. Top swaps include seated dumbbell press, barbell overhead press, landmine press, Arnold press, and pike push-ups. Cue: brace your core, retract the scapula, and control the eccentric to maximize delt activation.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Scott Press

Dumbbell Scott Press
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Triceps, Chest
How to Perform Dumbbell Scott Press
  1. Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, with your elbows bent and palms facing forward.
  3. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Dumbbell Scott Press Alternatives

Best Match
Anti-Gravity Press

1. Anti-Gravity Press

99.9% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat to complete the set.
Barbell Shoulder Press

2. Barbell Shoulder Press

99.9% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. Lower the bar down to the shoulders slowly as you inhale.
  4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Barbell Standing Close Grip Military Press

3. Barbell Standing Close Grip Military Press

99.9% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Lift the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  3. Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
  4. Lower the barbell back to shoulder height.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Standing Wide Military Press

4. Barbell Standing Wide Military Press

98% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Lift the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly in front of the bar.
  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.
Dumbbell Arnold Press

5. Dumbbell Arnold Press

96% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with back support and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, palms facing your body and elbows bent.
  2. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended and your palms are facing forward.
  3. Rotate your wrists as you lift, so that your palms are facing forward at the top of the movement.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press

6. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

96% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. While holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on a military press bench or utility bench that has back support. Place the dumbbells upright on top of your thighs.
  2. Now raise the dumbbells to shoulder height one at a time using your thighs to help propel them up into position.
  3. Make sure to rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward. This is your starting position.
  4. Now, exhale and push the dumbbells upward until they touch at the top.
  5. Then, after a brief pause at the top contracted position, slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
Dumbbell W-press

7. Dumbbell W-press

96% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, elbows bent and palms facing forward.
  3. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended overhead.
  4. Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Cuban Press V. 2

8. Dumbbell Cuban Press V. 2

95.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing down.
  2. Keeping your core engaged and your back straight, press the dumbbells straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended.
  3. Rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing forward.
  4. Lower the dumbbells back down to shoulder height, rotating your wrists back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Cuban Press

9. Cuban Press

95.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Take a dumbbell in each hand with a pronated grip in a standing position. Raise your upper arms so that they are parallel to the floor, allowing your lower arms to hang in the "scarecrow" position. This will be your starting position.
  2. To initiate the movement, externally rotate the shoulders to move the upper arm 180 degrees. Keep the upper arms in place, rotating the upper arms until the wrists are directly above the elbows, the forearms perpendicular to the floor.
  3. Now press the dumbbells by extending at the elbows, straightening your arms overhead.
  4. Return to the starting position as you breathe in by reversing the steps.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Dumbbell Standing Overhead Press

10. Dumbbell Standing Overhead Press

95% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with your palms facing forward.
  2. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended overhead.
  3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to shoulder level.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Scott Press Alternative

You may substitute the Dumbbell Scott Press for shoulder pain, limited equipment, or to emphasize different delt heads. Rotator cuff irritation often improves when you swap to a neutral-grip landmine press or use a partial ROM to avoid impingement; cue: stop at 90° abduction if you feel pinching. Equipment limits—no rack or bench—make barbell or pike push-up options useful because they still load the anterior and lateral deltoids while preserving scapular upward rotation. Training variety also helps hypertrophy by changing joint angles and muscle activation, so choose moves that target the same movement pattern (vertical press) or complement it (transverse abduction).

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Pick a substitute based on equipment, shoulder health, and which delt head you want to emphasize. If you have cuff issues, favor neutral-grip presses like landmine or dumbbell presses and cue: keep the thumb slightly up to reduce internal rotation. For maximal medial-delt stress, choose strict vertical presses with controlled tempo and elbows slightly out. If you train at home, use pike push-ups or elevated feet to increase vertical load; cue: drive through the crown of your head while maintaining scapular stability. Match load, range of motion, and progressive overload to replicate the original exercise’s stimulus.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Scott Press work?

The Dumbbell Scott Press primarily targets the anterior and lateral deltoids, with the triceps acting as secondary extensors and the upper chest assisting at the start of the press. Scapular stabilizers engage to control upward rotation; cue: press in a vertical plane to bias the delts over the chest.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Scott Press?

A pike push-up (progressing to elevated pike or handstand push-up) best replicates the vertical pressing pattern and loads the anterior and medial delts. Cue: tuck the chin slightly, drive the crown of your head toward the floor, and keep elbows at a 45° angle to maintain shoulder-safe mechanics.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Scott Press?

Yes — you can build shoulder mass using other vertical presses, landmine variations, and targeted lateral raises while applying progressive overload and sufficient volume. Use tempo control and full but pain-free range of motion, and cue: maintain scapular retraction and a neutral spine to ensure proper delt activation.

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