Dumbbell Overhead Carry

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Overhead Carry

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSide DeltsLateral Deltoid

Secondary

ObliquesOblique AbdominalsQuadratus LumborumSerratusSerratus AnteriorDeep CoreTransversus AbdominisTrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, side deltoid, lateral delt.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Overhead Carry

1. Clean or press a dumbbell to a locked-out position directly above your shoulder.
2. Push the arm all the way up so the elbow is straight and the biceps is close to your ear.
3. Brace your ribs down rather than letting your lower back arch to hold the weight up.
4. Walk forward with controlled strides, keeping the dumbbell stacked over your shoulder and hip.
5. Keep your eyes forward — tipping your head back to watch the weight drags your posture with it.
6. Carry for the desired distance, lower under control, then repeat with the other arm.

Form tips

• Match the distance on both arms so the asymmetric load does not become an asymmetric adaptation.
• A locked elbow is not optional. A soft elbow puts the whole load on the muscle instead of the skeleton and the set ends early.
• If your ribs flare and your back arches, the weight is too heavy for your current overhead position — fix the position before adding load.

At a glance

Dumbbell Overhead Carry in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Banded Shoulder Stretch
• Barbell Front Raise
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Barbell Upright Row
• Behind the Neck Press
• Bodyweight Lateral Raise
• Bodyweight Overhead Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "db-overhead-carry",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Overhead Carry",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel-Überkopftragen",
  "name_es": "Paseo con Mancuerna sobre la Cabeza",
  "description_en": "A loaded walk with a single dumbbell locked out overhead, demanding shoulder stability and an upright trunk over every step.",
  "description_de": "Ein Tragegang mit einer einzelnen Kurzhantel im gestreckten Arm über dem Kopf, der über jeden Schritt Schulterstabilität und einen aufrechten Rumpf verlangt.",
  "description_es": "Un paseo cargado con una sola mancuerna bloqueada por encima del hombro, que exige estabilidad de hombro y un tronco erguido en cada paso.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "obliques",
    "quadratus_lumborum",
    "serratus_anterior",
    "transverse_abdominis",
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "strength",
    "endurance"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_focus",
    "shoulder_stability",
    "core",
    "full_body"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Clean or press a dumbbell to a locked-out position directly above your shoulder.",
    "Push the arm all the way up so the elbow is straight and the biceps is close to your ear.",
    "Brace your ribs down rather than letting your lower back arch to hold the weight up.",
    "Walk forward with controlled strides, keeping the dumbbell stacked over your shoulder and hip.",
    "Keep your eyes forward — tipping your head back to watch the weight drags your posture with it.",
    "Carry for the desired distance, lower under control, then repeat with the other arm."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Bring eine Kurzhantel im Umsetzen oder Drücken in die gestreckte Position direkt über der Schulter.",
    "Streck den Arm ganz durch, sodass der Ellenbogen gestreckt ist und der Bizeps nah am Ohr liegt.",
    "Zieh die Rippen nach unten, statt ins Hohlkreuz zu gehen, um das Gewicht oben zu halten.",
    "Geh mit kontrollierten Schritten vorwärts und halt die Hantel über Schulter und Hüfte gestapelt.",
    "Schau nach vorn — den Kopf in den Nacken zu legen, um das Gewicht zu beobachten, zieht die ganze Haltung mit.",
    "Trag die gewünschte Distanz, setz kontrolliert ab und wiederhol mit dem anderen Arm."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Lleva una mancuerna, en cargada o press, hasta quedar bloqueada justo encima del hombro.",
    "Estira el brazo del todo, con el codo bloqueado y el bíceps cerca de la oreja.",
    "Lleva las costillas hacia abajo en lugar de arquear la zona lumbar para sostener el peso arriba.",
    "Camina hacia delante con zancadas controladas, manteniendo la mancuerna alineada sobre hombro y cadera.",
    "Mira al frente — echar la cabeza atrás para vigilar el peso arrastra contigo toda la postura.",
    "Carga la distancia deseada, baja de forma controlada y repite con el otro brazo."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Match the distance on both arms so the asymmetric load does not become an asymmetric adaptation.",
    "A locked elbow is not optional. A soft elbow puts the whole load on the muscle instead of the skeleton and the set ends early.",
    "If your ribs flare and your back arches, the weight is too heavy for your current overhead position — fix the position before adding load."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Geh mit beiden Armen dieselbe Strecke, damit aus der einseitigen Last keine einseitige Anpassung wird.",
    "Der gestreckte Ellenbogen ist Pflicht. Ein weicher Ellenbogen legt die ganze Last auf den Muskel statt aufs Skelett, und der Satz ist früh vorbei.",
    "Wenn die Rippen aufklappen und der Rücken ins Hohlkreuz geht, ist das Gewicht für deine aktuelle Überkopfposition zu schwer — korrigier erst die Position, dann die Last."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Iguala la distancia con ambos brazos para que la carga asimétrica no se convierta en una adaptación asimétrica.",
    "El codo bloqueado no es opcional. Con el codo blando toda la carga recae en el músculo en lugar del esqueleto y la serie se acaba enseguida.",
    "Si las costillas se abren y la espalda se arquea, el peso excede tu posición actual por encima de la cabeza — corrige la posición antes de añadir carga."
  ],
  "met": 5.5,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/db-overhead-carry-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "db-overhead-carry");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.