Dumbbell Push Press
The dumbbell push press starts with a short dip and drive of the legs, which gets the dumbbells moving before your arms finish pressing them overhead. That leg drive is what separates it from a strict press. It works the shoulders, with the triceps and abs assisting.
How to do the Dumbbell Push Press
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders.
- Dip a few inches by bending your knees, keeping your torso upright.
- Drive straight up through your legs and use that push to press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders under control.
Muscles worked
Common mistakes
- Dipping too deep — it is a short knee bend, not a squat; a deep dip slows the drive.
- Leaning back — keep your torso upright so the dumbbells travel straight up.
- Pressing before the legs finish — let the leg drive start the press, then the arms finish it.
Where it fits in a workout
Do it early in an upper-body or full-body session, while you are fresh.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Logging the Dumbbell Push Press in SetGrip
SetGrip logs the Dumbbell Push Press as weight and reps; log one dumbbell's weight and note in the routine that it is per dumbbell.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without dumbbell
Easier and harder
- EasierNo Back Support Dumbbell Seated Shoulder PressDumbbell
- EasierAlternating Neutral Grip Dumbbell Seated Shoulder PressDumbbell
- EasierStanding Neutral Grip Dumbbell Shoulder PressDumbbell
- HarderBehind Neck Standing Barbell Shoulder PressBarbell
- HarderBehind Neck Seated Smith Machine Shoulder PressSmith Machine
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.
Track the Dumbbell Push Press in SetGrip
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- 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. Text: SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.