10 Best Cable Lateral Raise Alternatives for Shoulder Presses and Raises

The Cable Lateral Raise is done standing with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Dumbbell Alternate Side Press, the Cable Forward Raise and the Cable Front Raise. Three harder versions, the Cable One Arm Lateral Raise, the Cable Shoulder Press and the Cable Alternate Shoulder Press, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Dumbbell Alternate Side Press is the first swap to try for the Cable Lateral Raise: it keeps you standing, moves one arm at a time, and needs only a pair of dumbbells most home lifters own, though it presses overhead rather than raising to the side. The Cable Lateral Raise raises the arms to shoulder height, a straight-arm raise rather than a press. If the cable station is free and you just want a change from the two-handed version, the Cable One Arm Lateral Raise runs it one arm at a time.

Cable Lateral RaiseWatch the Cable Lateral Raise

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Cable Lateral Raise

The steps for the Cable Lateral Raise itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Delts, with traps, triceps · Cable · Beginner · Isolation

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grasp the cable handles with an overhand grip.
  2. Keep your arms straight and your core engaged.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Cable Lateral Raise Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cable Lateral Raise on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Dumbbell Alternate Side PressPlay demonstration

    1. Dumbbell Alternate Side Press

    71% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that works the delts one side at a time.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
    2. Press one dumbbell overhead while keeping the other dumbbell at shoulder height.
    3. Lower the pressed dumbbell back to shoulder height while pressing the other dumbbell overhead.
    4. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: free weights, not a cable
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Cable Lateral Raise
  2. Cable One Arm Lateral RaisePlay demonstration

    Progression

    2. Cable One Arm Lateral Raise

    85% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder single-arm version that still works the delts.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the cable machine.
    2. Hold the cable handle with one hand, palm facing down, and stand far enough away from the machine so that there is tension on the cable.
    3. Keep your arm straight and slowly raise it out to the side until it is parallel to the ground.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arm back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: lateral raise, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Cable Lateral Raise
  3. Cable Shoulder PressPlay demonstration

    Progression

    3. Cable Shoulder Press

    80% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the delts.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the cable machine so that the handles are at shoulder height.
    2. Stand facing away from the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and bring them up to shoulder level, with your elbows bent and pointing outwards.
    4. Press the handles upwards until your arms are fully extended overhead.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the handles back down to shoulder level.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
  5. Cable Forward RaisePlay demonstration

    5. Cable Forward Raise

    71% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want to work the delts one side at a time.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
    2. Hold the cable handle with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and your arms fully extended in front of you.
    3. Keeping your arms straight, raise the cable handle up to shoulder level.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the cable handle back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Cable Lateral Raise
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Cable Lateral Raise

Why You Might Need a Cable Lateral Raise Alternative

The Cable Lateral Raise needs a cable machine, and that requirement is why it is hard to replace on the spot: the stack is busy, your gym has no cable station, or you train from home with only dumbbells. Swapping to dumbbells trades the pulley for a pair of weights you hold and raise by hand. The alternatives split by movement more than by equipment. The Cable One Arm Lateral Raise, the Cable Forward Raise, the Cable Front Raise and the Dumbbell Standing Alternate Raise keep the straight-arm raise, one arm at a time or to the front. The Cable Shoulder Press, the Cable Alternate Shoulder Press, the Dumbbell Alternate Side Press, the Dumbbell Arnold Press and the Dumbbell Standing Palms In Press turn the raise into an overhead press, standing or, for the Arnold Press, seated on a bench.

How to Choose the Right Cable Lateral Raise Substitute

Match the equipment you have first. With a cable station open, the Cable One Arm Lateral Raise keeps the straight-arm line of the original, one side at a time, so it is the smallest change to make. Without a cable, the Dumbbell Standing Alternate Raise keeps you standing and raising with a dumbbell in each hand instead. If you would rather build overhead strength than isolate the delts, the Dumbbell Alternate Side Press alternates arms standing while the Dumbbell Arnold Press seats you and presses both dumbbells together, and both only need a pair of dumbbells. Staying on the cable but wanting a different angle, the Cable Forward Raise and the Cable Front Raise move the straight-arm raise to the front on the same pulley.

Cable Lateral Raise FAQ

Can I do the Cable Lateral Raise at home?

Not with a true cable version, but the Dumbbell Standing Alternate Raise stands in for it with a dumbbell in each hand instead of a pulley, raising one arm out to the side at a time instead of both together. The Dumbbell Standing Palms In Press and the Dumbbell Alternate Side Press also work from home, though both move into a press instead of a raise.

Which swap turns the raise into a press?

Five of them turn it into a press. The Cable Shoulder Press and the Cable Alternate Shoulder Press keep the cable; the Dumbbell Alternate Side Press, the Dumbbell Arnold Press and the Dumbbell Standing Palms In Press ask for a pair of dumbbells instead.

Which cable swap works one arm at a time?

The Cable One Arm Lateral Raise if you want to keep the raise: it holds the cable and the straight-arm line of the Cable Lateral Raise, one side at a time instead of both. The Cable Alternate Shoulder Press also alternates arms on the cable, but it presses overhead instead of raising.

Which cable swap only changes the angle?

The Cable Forward Raise, the Cable Front Raise and the Cable Front Shoulder Raise. All three stay on the same pulley and raise the handle in front of you to shoulder height instead of out to the side, and none of them turns the lift into a press.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.