Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Alternate Shoulder Press
How to do the dumbbell alternate shoulder press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- VerticalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit or stand tall holding a dumbbell at shoulder height in each hand with palms facing forward. Press one dumbbell overhead until the arm is nearly straight, lower it back to the shoulder, then press the other side, alternating arms each rep.
- 1Front and side delts driving each dumbbell up, triceps finishing the
- 2lockout
- 3A braced trunk that stays still while the arms alternate
- 4A clean vertical path with the dumbbell stacked over the shoulder
Common mistakes
- Arching the low back or flaring the ribs to launch the weight
- Leaning toward the working side as you press
- Letting the resting dumbbell drift forward off the shoulder
Muscles worked
The dumbbell alternate shoulder press mainly works the front delts, triceps, and side delts, with the forearms, upper chest, upper traps, and upper abs assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Side DeltsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell alternate shoulder press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.