Single Arm Dumbbell Overhead Carry

In SetGrip: Dumbbell Overhead Carry (Single Arm)

Secondary muscles
Traps, Abs
Body part
Shoulders
Position
Standing
Laterality
Unilateral (one arm at a time)
Category
Strength

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Holding one dumbbell overhead while the opposite hand swings free loads your body off-center, so the obliques and hip on the empty side work continuously to keep you vertical. That asymmetry is exactly what the two-hand overhead kettlebell carry cannot give you. Switch arms each length and let the weaker side dictate the dumbbell you use.

How to do the Single Arm Dumbbell Overhead Carry

  1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
  2. Raise the dumbbell overhead, fully extending your arm.
  3. Engage your core and keep your back straight as you walk forward, maintaining the dumbbell overhead.
  4. Continue walking for the desired distance or time.
  5. Switch hands and repeat the exercise.

Tip: Stand tall, brace the abs and look straight ahead rather than at the floor.

Muscles worked

Primary

Delts · Shoulders

On overhead carries the delts hold the weight locked out and should burn steadily by the end of the walk.

Secondary

  • Traps — The traps hold the shoulders in place under a heavy farmer's carry and get a lot of work.
  • Abs — The obliques and abs brace the trunk against the load, especially on single arm carries where they resist side bending.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the weight — on single arm carries the torso should stay upright, not tilted to the free side; if you cannot, lighten the load.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up — keep the shoulders pulled down and back on farmer's carries so the traps and upper back hold the load, not the neck.
  • Rushing the steps — take short, controlled steps and keep the core braced; speed is not the point.
  • Losing the overhead lockout — on overhead carries keep the elbow locked and the weight stacked over the shoulder, and put it down as soon as it starts to drift.

Where it fits in a workout

Carries go at the end of a session as a finisher or between main lifts as active work. Pair a farmer's carry with a set of swings or a sled push for a strongman-style circuit.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without dumbbell

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.