10 Best Push Press Alternatives for Explosive Shoulder Power

The Push Press is done standing with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw, the EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press and the Kettlebell Double Push Press. Three harder versions, the Push Press - Behind The Neck, the Bradford/rocky Presses and the Clean And Press, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Push Press asks your legs to dip and drive so a barbell can travel from your shoulders to a locked-out arm overhead. The Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw keeps the explosive whole-body effort with a medicine ball instead: take it behind your head with a slight knee bend, then throw it forward at a wall or a partner. If you only have kettlebells, the Kettlebell Double Push Press keeps the same leg dip with a bell in each hand, and the Kettlebell One Arm Push Press covers a single bell.

Push Press

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

How to Do the Push Press

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

Delts, with quadriceps, triceps · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

The 10 Best Push Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the 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. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

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

  1. Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw

    1. Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw

    99% 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 Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push Press
  2. Push Press - Behind The Neck

    Progression

    2. Push Press - Behind The Neck

    97% match

    Delts · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the delts.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Standing with the weight racked on the back of the shoulders, begin with the dip. With your feet directly under your hips, flex the knees without moving the hips backward. Go down only slightly, and reverse direction as powerfully as possible. Drive through the heels create as much speed and force as possible, moving the bar in a vertical path.
    2. Using the momentum generated, finish pressing the weight overhead be extending through the arms.
    3. Return to the starting position, using your legs to absorb the impact.

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

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

    3. 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 Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push Press
  5. Kettlebell Double Push PressPlay demonstration

    5. Kettlebell Double Push Press

    95% 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. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in each hand at shoulder height.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
    3. Initiate the movement by explosively extending your hips, knees, and ankles, driving the kettlebells overhead.
    4. As the kettlebells reach the top, press them fully overhead, locking out your arms.
    5. Lower the kettlebells back to the starting position by bending your elbows and bringing them back down to shoulder height.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: overhead push press, the same as the Push Press
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push Press
  7. Barbell SkierPlay demonstration

    7. Barbell Skier

    95% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the delts.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
    3. Simultaneously lift the barbell up towards your shoulders while jumping slightly off the ground.
    4. As you reach the top of the movement, quickly reverse the motion and lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Push Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Push Press
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Push Press

Why You Might Need a Push Press Alternative

A barbell and space to dip and drive are not always available: the rack might be busy or home gyms skip a bar. The Push Press pairs a barbell with a leg dip into an overhead lockout, and that pairing is hard to copy exactly. Three of the alternatives keep the leg dip and drive to lockout while changing what you hold: a kettlebell or two pressed from the shoulders, or the bar racked across the back of your shoulders instead of the front. The Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw keeps the explosive whole-body effort but throws a medicine ball forward from behind your head instead of pressing it. The EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press trades the drive for a strict standing press, useful if your gym has an EZ bar and you would rather skip the leg dip.

Push Press FAQ

Can I do the Push Press at home?

Yes, with a kettlebell or two. The Kettlebell Double Push Press keeps the same leg dip and drive into lockout, just with a pair of bells instead of a bar. The Kettlebell One Arm Push Press does the same job one side at a time, which suits a single kettlebell and a lighter load.

Which swaps trade the barbell for something else?

Four do. The EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press swaps in an EZ bar for a strict standing press with no dip. The Standing Two-arm Overhead Throw swaps the bar for a medicine ball thrown forward from behind your head, so the explosive effort stays but the press does not. The Kettlebell Double Push Press and Kettlebell One Arm Push Press swap in one or two kettlebells, keeping the leg dip and drive without a bar.

How do I make the Push Press drive even harder?

The Push Press - Behind The Neck keeps the same dip and drive but starts with the bar racked across the back of your shoulders, so the press travels straight up from behind your head. The Clean And Press pulls the bar from the floor into a full clean before the same overhead lockout, adding a lift in front of it.

Is there a version of the Push Press without the leg dip?

Yes. The Barbell Shoulder Press seats you on a bench and presses the bar from your shoulders with no dip and no drive from your legs, so you get the same overhead lockout on a strict path. Take it when your legs are cooked from squats or you would rather isolate the shoulders.

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