StrengthIn review

Dumbbell Push Press

An overhead dumbbell press started by a short knee dip and leg drive.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern: Vertical push
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mechanic: Unknown
Force: Unknown
Laterality: Bilateral
Impact: Low
Trains where: Gym, Home
At home: Yes

How to do it

Set up

Stand with the feet about hip-width apart and a dumbbell at each shoulder.
Keep the torso upright and the feet flat.

Do the rep

Bend the knees in a short dip without folding forward.
Straighten the legs and use the drive to press both dumbbells overhead.
Finish with the knees, hips and elbows straight. Lower the dumbbells back to the shoulders under control.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when a short dip and leg drive lead to a standing overhead lockout with straight knees, hips and elbows, then both dumbbells return to the shoulders.

Breathing

Exhale as you lift; inhale as you lower.

Cues

Dip straight down.
Drive before you press.
Finish with straight legs.

Common mistakes

Pressing before the drive
What you seeThe elbows extend before the legs start to straighten.
FixUse a lighter load and let the leg drive start the press.
The timing of the dip and drive defines the push press.

Stop the set if

Stop if you feel sharp pain.
Stop if the dumbbells drift out of control or you cannot finish with stable legs.
End the set when you cannot meet the stated rep standard under control.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

Muscles worked

Prime movers

Front deltoids · moderate confidence
Triceps · moderate confidence

Assisting

Side deltoids · moderate confidence
Deep core / trunk stabilizers · moderate confidence
Upper back · moderate confidence

Equipment

Dumbbell

Stand with the feet about hip-width apart and a dumbbell at each shoulder. Keep the torso upright and the feet flat.

In the app

You log this by hand. The camera coach does not watch this movement yet.

Tracking: Camera candidate

How this page was checked

Draft. A coach reviewer has not signed this off yet.

Draft text is original copy for Wave 2 batch 9, written from the blueprint CSV row and the owner rules approved 2026-10-12 in #340. No human review is complete.
Technique, cues, rep standard, breathing, stop cues, and error corrections need independent sources and the assigned review tier (blueprint two-source rule).
Programming roles, skill tier, failure cost, timed use, goal fit, and equipment follow the owner rules; the switch-on PR must confirm them.
Legacy relations and engine edges stay empty until the progression ladder lane and S2-CAT-005.
Timed use and goal fit copy ex_dumbbell_shoulder_press. The copied timed-use state is disallowed; no review evidence is claimed for this draft.
Rule 1 gives home yes because every required picker item is a dumbbell or bench. The CSV says home false. Environment and programming location constraints include gym and home.
Dumbbell load uses kg with load-and-reps and the allowed metrics of ex_dumbbell_shoulder_press (rule 1).
Rule 2 gives this movement primary_vertical_push + secondary_push.
Failure cost moderate: the user must control the dumbbells at the stop, as ex_dumbbell_shoulder_press (rule 3).
Skill tier intermediate: dip and leg-drive timing. The CSV says beginner (rule 3).
Two dumbbells move together and count as bilateral_rep, as ex_dumbbell_shoulder_press (rule 1).
The CSV optional bench is removed because the movement is standing or seated on the floor (rule 1).
Anatomy uses the CSV planning hints; the assigned review tier must confirm it.
Dip depth and the finish with no second knee dip are draft standards; coach review must confirm them.

All instruction and editorial text in this record is original draft copy written for Allena. Planning metadata comes from the internal Wave-2 blueprint CSV.

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