The barbell overhead press and its variations are the gold standard lift for building strong, boulder-like shoulders. Overhead presses are raw, powerful, and fundamental for enhancing upper-body strength, but the move isn’t for everyone.
The barbell’s greatest strengths and weaknesses are its stability and fixed movement path. For many lifters, pressing a barbell overhead isn’t the shoulder-friendliest of moves because of mobility restrictions, joint discomfort, poor mechanics, and the locking of your joints into a fixed range of motion, which can transform this classic delt-builder into a painful grind.
But here’s the good news: You can still grow boulder shoulders without this lift.
Here, I’ll explain why the barbell overhead press is so effective, what to look for in an alternative, and five overhead press substitutes to help you build size and strength without upsetting your shoulders.
What Makes The Barbell Overhead Press Effective?
There’s a reason the barbell overhead press is a staple in many strength programs: It works. It’s an outstanding lift for building muscle and increasing upper-body pressing power.
Here’s why it works.
Maximizes Shoulder Muscle: It trains all three deltoid heads, especially the anterior and medial delts, while engaging the triceps, upper traps, and core.
Allows You to Go Heavy: The barbell’s stability makes it easy to overload, helping you progressively build strength over time.
Direct Carryover to Other Lifts: Overhead pressing strength translates into enhanced bench press performance and improved performance in overhead movements.
Reinforces Core Stability: To get the barbell overhead, it is all you without help from a spotter; this lift encourages you to brace your core, maintain an upright posture, and develop overall body tension.
But if pain or mobility limitations are holding you back, smart alternatives can offer similar benefits, without the drawbacks. Here’s what to look for in a viable alternative to the overhead press.
What to Look For in a Good Barbell Overhead Press Alternative
The key to replacing the barbell overhead press isn’t just finding a different exercise; it’s finding one that checks the same boxes without the baggage.
Here’s what makes a great alternative.
Trains the Same Muscles: A solid alternative should still target the delts, especially the front and lateral heads, while engaging the triceps and upper traps.
Mimics the Same Pressing Pattern: The alternative should mimic the barbell’s overhead path or be close to it to maintain shoulder strength and muscle.
Reduces Joint Strain: A good alternative offers a range of motion and shoulder-friendly angles, which is significant for lifters with pain or limited thoracic or shoulder mobility.
Offers progression: Like the barbell press, it should allow for consistent overload by adding weight, increasing reps, adjusting tempo, or increasing time under tension.
The following five alternatives do that, and may even become your new go-to shoulder builders.
5 Barbell Overhead Press Alternatives
Ok, the wait is over. Here are five excellent alternatives to swell your shoulders with muscle and strength.
Seated Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Overhead Press
This pressing variation is performed with a neutral grip, keeping the elbows closer to the body and shoulders in a stronger and safer position. Being seated also removes lower-body involvement and requires more pure upper-body effort, and the grip allows a safer pressing path, reducing joint stress compared to the barbell’s fixed, externally rotated position. Keep your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders at the bottom and press straight up, not out.
Sets & Reps: 2 to 4 sets of 8-15 reps
Half-Kneeling Landmine Press
You perform this overhead pressing variation in a half-kneeling stance, with the barbell anchored in a landmine. Instead of pressing vertically, you press along an arcing diagonal path, which puts less stress on the shoulder joint while training vertical pressing strength. The half-kneeling position promotes anti-rotational core stability and unilateral strength, making it ideal for individuals with shoulder mobility restrictions who still want to get after it. Brace your core and press the bar slightly forward, keeping your rib cage down and avoiding over-arching your lower back.
Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 6-12 reps per side
Dumbbell Z Press
The Dumbbell Z Press is a strict overhead press performed while seated on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you. There is no back support or lower body involvement; it focuses solely on pressing strength, eliminating cheating and requiring core engagement and shoulder mobility, with a reduced support base. It develops upper-body pressing power while strengthening your core and reinforcing upright posture. Sit upright, brace your abs as if you were about to take a punch, push your arms straight overhead, and avoid over-arching your lower back.
Sets & Reps: 3 to 4 sets of 6-12 reps
Arnold Press
The Arnold press starts with your palms facing you, rotating them outward as you press overhead, and finishes in a palms-forward position. This variation covers a greater range of motion and involves more shoulder rotation, effectively targeting all three deltoid heads more than a standard barbell press. It increases time under tension while adding a rotational component that enhances muscle engagement and shoulder mobility. Start with the dumbbells at your collarbone, rotate slowly as you press, and slowly reverse the motion.
Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 8-15 reps
Unilateral Kettlebell Overhead Press
You perform the single-arm kettlebell overhead press while standing with the bell in the rack position. The offset load challenges your grip, shoulder stability, and core in ways that a barbell cannot, helping to balance out strength imbalances. The kettlebell’s center of mass is positioned behind the wrist and closer to the body, making it more shoulder-friendly and easier to stabilize overhead than a barbell. This adjustment enables a smoother movement path and applies less torque to the shoulder joint, which is beneficial for lifters with mobility issues or pain when performing overhead lifts. Keep your forearm vertical and your wrist neutral as you press.
