How to do a Dumbbell Punches
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Punches
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Dumbbell Punches are a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and arms. By incorporating dumbbells, you add resistance to the punching motion, which helps to build strength and endurance in your upper body. This exercise is great for improving functional strength, particularly for sports that require quick, explosive arm movements. Additionally, using dumbbells can help to address imbalances between the sides.
- Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and hold them at chest height, palms facing each other.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees into a quarter squat.
- Engage your core, keep your back straight, and look forward to maintain proper posture throughout this exercise.
- Fully extend your arm forward, parallel to the ground, by engaging your shoulder.
- As your arm extends forward, turn your wrist over — your palm should face down at the end of the movement.
- Reverse the movement with control.
- Do not move at the same speed you would throw an unweighted punch.
- Repeat the movement on the opposite side.
- Continue alternating sides for the rest of the set.
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Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Punches
1. Dumbbell Front Raise
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 149 TIMESDumbbell Front Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise, and can work well to isolate the shoulders to build strength and muscle mass. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
2. Dumbbell Shoulder Raise
97.8 mSCORESWAPPED 104 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, more specifically the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder). This is a very common shoulder exercise and can work well for building muscle mass and strengthening the shoulders. By using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
3. Dumbbell Standing Front Press
64.1 mSCORESWAPPED 104 TIMESDumbbell Standing Front Press is a variation on the more standard Shoulder Press. Similar to other Shoulder Press variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your shoulders. The standing position helps improve overall balance and functional strength by engaging your core and stabilizing muscles more than a seated version. Using dumbbells ensures that each side of the body works equally, preventing compensating for any strength imbalances between sides.
4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
99.5 mSCORESWAPPED 95 TIMESDumbbell Shoulder Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for slightly more instability than with equipment like barbells. This can help you recruit and develop stabilizing muscles around the shoulders. In addition, by using dumbbells, you can help identify and address any strength imbalances between sides.
5. Dumbbell Lateral Raise To Front Raise
78.6 mSCORESWAPPED 83 TIMESDumbbell Lateral Raise to Front Raise is a combination of both Shoulder Raise, and Front Raise. Both movements in this exercise are isolation movements that primarily target the shoulder. By performing these exercises together, you can more completely target your shoulders than by using one of these two movements.
6. Elbows Out Bent Over Dumbbell Row
67.2 mSCORESWAPPED 73 TIMESElbows Out Bent Over Dumbbell Row is a variation on the more standard Bent Over Row. Like other row variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your back. By keeping your elbows flared out, you can better emphasize muscle activation across a wider area of your back muscles, especially the upper back. This variation's unique arm positioning helps recruit more of your rear deltoids and rhomboids, making it a great complementary exercise.
7. Dumbbell Cuban Shoulder Rotations
43.6 mSCORESWAPPED 69 TIMESDumbbell Cuban Shoulder Rotation is a shoulder exercise that involves holding a dumbbell just above your head with your elbows out to each side, and then rotating your forearms forwards. It’s a great exercise for gaining strength and improving mobility in your shoulders, especially your rotator cuff.
8. Standing Single Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press
65.4 mSCORESWAPPED 61 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the more standard Shoulder Press. Similar to other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your shoulders. By performing this exercise one side at a time, you add some instability to the movement, as well as ensuring that you aren’t compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides. Performing this exercise while standing can help make this exercise more functional, as well as force you to further recruit your core to maintain good form and posture.
9. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
95.5 mSCORESWAPPED 57 TIMESAn isolation exercise using dumbbells to raise the arms sideways, targeting the deltoid muscles.
10. Arnold Dumbbell Press
93.2 mSCORESWAPPED 56 TIMESArnold Dumbbell Press is a compound movement that primarily targets the shoulders. The difference between the Arnold Press and a standard Shoulder Press is that you bring the dumbbells in front of you at the bottom of the movement rather than stopping when they reach your shoulders. Bringing the dumbbells in front of you can be more a comfortable movement as well as improve muscle activation.