10 Best Forward Drag With Press Alternatives for Limited Equipment
If you can't do the Forward Drag With Press, use flat dumbbell presses, push-ups (incline or decline), landmine presses, cable chest presses, or single-arm dumbbell presses to target the pectorals. Keep elbows about 45° and drag the weight along your sternum line to emphasize horizontal adduction and pectoralis major activation.
Original Exercise: Forward Drag With Press
How to Perform Forward Drag With Press
- Attach a dual handled chain or rope attachment to the sled. You should be facing away from the sled, holding a handle in each hand.
- Begin the movement by moving forward for one step. Leaning forward, extend through the legs and hips to move, pausing with each step to extend through the elbows, pressing your hands forward. Step forward until you return to the start position prepared to press.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strongman
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Forward Drag With Press Alternatives
1. Chain Press
93% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin by connecting the chains to the cable handle attachments. Position yourself on the flat bench in the same position as for a dumbbell press. Your wrists should be pronated and arms perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position.
- Lower the chains by flexing the elbows, unloading some of the chain onto the floor.
- Continue until your elbow forms a 90 degree angle, and then reverse the motion by extending through the elbow to lockout.
2. Double Kettlebell Push Press
84.2% 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.
3. Dumbbell Push Press
83.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level.
- Bend your knees slightly and dip your body down, then explosively extend your legs and press the dumbbells overhead.
- Lock out your arms at the top of the movement, then lower the dumbbells back to shoulder level.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Cable Press On Exercise Ball
81.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle.
- Hold the cable handles at chest height with your palms facing down and your elbows bent.
- Engage your core and press the cable handles forward until your arms are fully extended.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly release the tension and bring the cable handles back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Bradford/Rocky Presses
80.4% 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.
6. Ez Barbell Anti Gravity Press
80.2% 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. Clean And Press
79.5% 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.
8. Chest Dip
75.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Position yourself on parallel bars with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows until your shoulders are below your elbows.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Cable Decline Press
74.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Adjust the cable machine to a decline position.
- Sit on the decline bench facing the cable machine.
- Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and position them at chest level.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground and your back firmly against the bench.
- Exhale and push the handles away from your body, extending your arms fully.
10. Dumbbell Arnold Press
74.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a bench with back support and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, palms facing your body and elbows bent.
- Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended and your palms are facing forward.
- Rotate your wrists as you lift, so that your palms are facing forward at the top of the movement.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Forward Drag With Press Alternative
You may need substitutes because of shoulder pain, limited equipment, or a desire for unilateral work. The Forward Drag With Press stresses horizontal adduction and requires scapular control; if you lack a landmine or feel anterior shoulder impingement, swap to a safer vector. For rehab, reduce range of motion and keep the scapula retracted; for hypertrophy, pause at midline and squeeze the pecs for one second to increase time under tension. Substitutes let you preserve pectoralis major activation while altering load, stability demand, or pressing angle to protect joints and achieve your training goal.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Pick a substitute by matching movement plane, stability demand, and load progression to your goal. For pure pec overload choose dumbbell or cable presses that allow full horizontal adduction and progressive loading. If you lack equipment, select push-up variations and manage intensity with tempo or elevation; keep elbows ~45° and a neutral spine. For unilateral imbalances, use single-arm presses to increase core demand and isolate the sternocostal fibers of the pectoralis. Test each option for 6–8 reps and note whether you feel targeted chest fatigue before shoulders or triceps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Forward Drag With Press work?
The exercise primarily targets the pectoralis major (sternal and clavicular heads) through horizontal adduction. It also recruits the anterior deltoid and triceps for extension, plus serratus anterior and scapular stabilizers to control the drag; cue a sternum-to-chin path and squeeze the pecs at midline.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Forward Drag With Press?
A decline push-up is the best bodyweight substitute to bias the upper chest and replicate the pressing vector—elevate your feet and keep elbows at about 45° while lowering under control. For unilateral emphasis, use archer or staggered push-ups and pause at the bottom to increase pectoral tension.
Can I build muscle without doing Forward Drag With Press?
Yes—progressive overload, proper tempo, and exercise selection matter more than that single movement. Use presses, push-ups, and single-arm variations with increasing load or slower eccentrics (3-0-1 tempo) while focusing on chest contraction to stimulate hypertrophy.
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