What is the difference between an alternating press and a seesaw press?

In an alternating press, one dumbbell waits at the shoulder until the other has been pressed and lowered all the way back. In a seesaw press, one dumbbell goes up while the other comes down, so both are always moving and neither arm gets a pause at the shoulder.

Should I alternate arms or press both dumbbells together?

Pressing both together, as in the Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press, gets more pressing done in less time. Alternating gives each arm a short pause between reps, keeps the resting shoulder working to hold its dumbbell, and makes the trunk resist an uneven load, so it is a good choice when control and balance between the sides matter more than total weight.

How does it compare with pressing one dumbbell at a time?

A single-arm press puts all of the load on one side, so the trunk works harder to stay upright. In a study of healthy men pressing standing, external oblique activity was about 68% lower when both dumbbells were pressed together than when one was pressed alone. The alternating press was not tested, but because its resting dumbbell stays at the shoulder, the load is less lopsided than in a true single-arm press.

Is it better to press standing or seated?

Standing makes the legs, hips and trunk keep the body still, which turns the press into a more complete strength exercise. Seated with a back rest, as in the Dumbbell Shoulder Press, removes most of that balance demand and usually allows more weight, so it suits lifters who want to focus on the shoulders alone.

How heavy should the dumbbells be?

Start lighter than you would for a two-arm press, because the resting shoulder holds its dumbbell for the whole set. Pick a weight you can press for all your reps on both sides without leaning or arching, often 8 to 12 reps per arm.

Alternating Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press

What Is the Alternating Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press?

Alternating Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, upper chest, upper back and core. It is a beginner-level movement, because the dumbbells can start very light and each arm presses on its own while the other simply holds its dumbbell at the shoulder.

The exercise builds overhead pressing strength and shoulder muscle one side at a time. Because only one arm moves at once, each shoulder has to press its own weight along its own path, which makes a weaker or less mobile side easy to see and hard to hide. It usually sits early in an upper-body or shoulder session as a main or secondary press, and it works well in home and hotel workouts where a pair of dumbbells is all the equipment available.

The deltoids do most of the work, with the triceps finishing the press as the elbow straightens and the upper trapezius and serratus anterior rotating the shoulder blade so the arm can reach overhead. The resting arm is not idle: its deltoid holds the dumbbell at shoulder height for the whole set. Standing also hands the trunk and hips the job of keeping the body still, and the uneven load pulls the torso toward a lean that the core has to resist. In a study of healthy men, the standing two-arm dumbbell press produced the most deltoid activity of four seated and standing barbell and dumbbell presses, even though it was the one in which they could lift the least weight. Pressing both dumbbells together, as in the Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press, trades the one-sided trunk challenge for more total work per rep, while the Alternating Cable Shoulder Press keeps the same alternating pattern with constant cable tension.

This variation suits beginners learning to press overhead, lifters who want to even out a side-to-side difference, and anyone who wants shoulder work that also trains standing posture. If keeping the torso still is too hard, start with the seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press, where a back rest takes over the stabilizing. If raising the arm fully overhead is uncomfortable, the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press presses on an angle that asks for less shoulder mobility.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
External Oblique: Medium
Pectoralis Major: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Medium
Upper Trapezius: Medium
Erector Spinae: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low

Instructions

Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Raise both dumbbells to shoulder height, palms facing forward and elbows bent beneath the wrists, with the elbows slightly in front of the body.
Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes and keep your ribs down so your lower back stays neutral.
Press one dumbbell straight up until the arm is fully extended overhead, with the upper arm close to the ear.
Keep the other dumbbell still at its shoulder and keep your torso from leaning to either side.
Lower the pressed dumbbell under control back to shoulder height.
Press the other dumbbell overhead the same way while the first one waits at the shoulder.
Keep alternating arms for the prescribed reps, breathing out as you press and in as you lower.

Common Mistakes

Arching the lower back
Letting the ribs flare and the hips push forward to get the dumbbell overhead turns the press into a lean-back and loads the lower back.
Leaning away from the pressing arm
Bending the torso to the side to help the dumbbell up hides a weak shoulder and removes the core work the alternating pattern is meant to provide.
Letting the resting dumbbell drift
Allowing the waiting dumbbell to sag below the shoulder or wander forward takes tension off that shoulder and throws the body off balance.
Flaring the elbows straight out
Pressing with the elbows pointed directly out to the sides can pinch the front of the shoulder, so keep them slightly in front of the body.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the arm is straight overhead or not lowering the dumbbell back to shoulder height shortens the work each shoulder does.
Using a two-arm pressing weight
Picking the dumbbells you use for a two-arm press often leads to leaning and arching, because the resting shoulder has to hold its weight for the whole set.

Injuries

Alternating Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulder joint and rotator cuff carry the dumbbell at the top of each press, the lower back is stressed when the ribs flare and the spine arches to get the weight overhead, and the elbows and wrists hold the load for the whole set.

To stay safe, keep the elbows slightly in front of the body rather than flared straight out to the sides, and press the dumbbell up in line with the shoulder instead of far out to the side or behind the head. Brace the abs and squeeze the glutes before each rep so the torso stays tall, and keep it from leaning away from the pressing arm. Choose a weight you can press on both sides for every rep without arching or leaning, and warm up the shoulders with a few light sets first.

If you cannot get the arm straight overhead without arching the lower back, press seated with back support in the Dumbbell Shoulder Press or on an angle with the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press while mobility improves. Once the alternating version is solid, progress by adding weight or by pressing both dumbbells together in the Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press.

Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the front or top of the shoulder, pain, numbness or tingling that travels down the arm, or pain in the lower back, and have persistent shoulder pain checked by a qualified professional before pressing overhead again.

Overview

Primary Focus: Shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between an alternating press and a seesaw press?: In an alternating press, one dumbbell waits at the shoulder until the other has been pressed and lowered all the way back. In a seesaw press, one dumbbell goes up while the other comes down, so both are always moving and neither arm gets a pause at the shoulder.
Q: Should I alternate arms or press both dumbbells together?: Pressing both together, as in the Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press, gets more pressing done in less time. Alternating gives each arm a short pause between reps, keeps the resting shoulder working to hold its dumbbell, and makes the trunk resist an uneven load, so it is a good choice when control and balance between the sides matter more than total weight.
Q: How does it compare with pressing one dumbbell at a time?: A single-arm press puts all of the load on one side, so the trunk works harder to stay upright. In a study of healthy men pressing standing, external oblique activity was about 68% lower when both dumbbells were pressed together than when one was pressed alone. The alternating press was not tested, but because its resting dumbbell stays at the shoulder, the load is less lopsided than in a true single-arm press.
Q: Is it better to press standing or seated?: Standing makes the legs, hips and trunk keep the body still, which turns the press into a more complete strength exercise. Seated with a back rest, as in the Dumbbell Shoulder Press, removes most of that balance demand and usually allows more weight, so it suits lifters who want to focus on the shoulders alone.
Q: How heavy should the dumbbells be?: Start lighter than you would for a two-arm press, because the resting shoulder holds its dumbbell for the whole set. Pick a weight you can press for all your reps on both sides without leaning or arching, often 8 to 12 reps per arm.