10 Best Dumbbell Incline Raise Alternatives for Shoulders

If you can’t perform the dumbbell incline raise, use exercises that load the lateral and anterior deltoids while protecting the scapula. Try a standing bent-over lateral raise (hinge at the hips, 15° elbow bend, lift to shoulder height) or a cable lateral in the scapular plane. Keep a slight forward tilt to bias the delts.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Incline Raise

Dumbbell Incline Raise
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Trapezius, Triceps
How to Perform Dumbbell Incline Raise
  1. Sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
  2. Lean back on the bench and raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, palms facing forward.
  3. Keeping your back against the bench, exhale and raise the dumbbells above your head, fully extending your arms.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Dumbbell Incline Raise Alternatives

Best Match
Straight Raises On Incline Bench

1. Straight Raises On Incline Bench

94.7% Match
Delts Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.
  2. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor, keeping your arms straight. Allow the bar to hang straight down. This will be your starting position.
  3. To begin, raise the barbell out in front of your head while keeping your arms extended.
  4. Return to the starting position.
Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

2. Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

91.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit down on an incline bench with the incline set anywhere between 30 to 60 degrees while holding a dumbbell on each hand. Tip: You can change the angle to hit the muscle a little differently each time.
  2. Extend your arms straight in front of you and have your palms facing down with the dumbbells raised about 1 inch above your thighs. This will be your starting position.
  3. Slowly raise the dumbbells straight up until they are slightly above your shoulders, while keeping your elbows locked. Squeeze at the top for a second and make sure you breathe out during this portion of the movement. Tip: Keep your head resting down against the bench and your legs on the floor at all times.
  4. Lower the arms back to the starting position as you inhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

3. Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

90.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing your thighs.
  2. Keep your arms straight with a slight bend at the elbows but keep them locked. This will be your starting position.
  3. Raise the dumbbells in a semicircular motion to arm's length overhead as you exhale.
  4. Slowly return to the starting position using the same path as you inhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

4. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

90.4% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place an incline bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the incline bench and make sure your shoulders are aligned right under the barbell.
  2. Using a shoulder width pronated (palms forward) grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with a slight bend at the elbows. This will be your starting position.
  3. As you breathe out, lift the bar up until your arms are fully extended. Note: The contraction should be felt around the shoulders.
  4. After a second pause, bring the bar back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
  5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Front Dumbbell Raise

5. Front Dumbbell Raise

89.9% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells on front of your thighs at arms length with the palms of the hand facing your thighs. This will be your starting position.
  2. While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the left dumbbell to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hands always facing down. Continue to go up until you arm is slightly above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this portion of the movement and pause for a second at the top. Inhale after the second pause.
  3. Now lower the dumbbell back down slowly to the starting position as you simultaneously lift the right dumbbell.
  4. Continue alternating in this fashion until all of the recommended amount of repetitions have been performed for each arm.
Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

6. Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

89.9% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells on front of your thighs at arms length with the palms of the hand facing your thighs. This will be your starting position.
  2. While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the dumbbells to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hands always facing down. Continue to go up until you arms are slightly above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this portion of the movement and pause for a second at the top.
  3. As you inhale, lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Front Plate Raise

7. Front Plate Raise

89.9% Match
Delts Other Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. While standing straight, hold a barbell plate in both hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Your palms should be facing each other and your arms should be extended and locked with a slight bend at the elbows and the plate should be down near your waist in front of you as far as you can go. Tip: The arms will remain in this position throughout the exercise. This will be your starting position.
  2. Slowly raise the plate as you exhale until it is a little above shoulder level. Hold the contraction for a second. Tip: make sure that you do not swing the weight or bend at the elbows. Your torso should remain stationary throughout the movement as well.
  3. As you inhale, slowly lower the plate back down to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Weighted Front Raise

8. Weighted Front Raise

89.9% Match
Delts Weighted Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your thighs.
  2. Keeping your arms straight, exhale and lift the dumbbells in front of you until they are at shoulder level.
  3. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Seated Side Lateral Raise

9. Seated Side Lateral Raise

86.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pick a couple of dumbbells and sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet firmly on the floor. Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing in and your arms straight down at your sides at arms' length. This will be your starting position.
  2. While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and the hands slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass. Continue to go up until you arms are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this movement and pause for a second at the top.
  3. Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

10. Side Laterals To Front Raise

86.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. In a standing position, hold a pair of dumbbells at your side. This will be your starting position.
  2. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, raise the weights directly in front of you to shoulder height, avoiding any swinging or cheating.
  3. At the top of the exercise move the weights out in front of you, keeping your arms extended.
  4. Lower the weights with a controlled motion.
  5. On the next repetition, raise the weights in front of you to shoulder height before moving the weights laterally to your sides.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Incline Raise Alternative

You may swap the dumbbell incline raise for several reasons: shoulder pain with overhead positions, no incline bench available, or a desire to use heavier loads. Substitutes let you change lever arms, reduce impingement risk by working in the scapular plane, or increase time under tension with cables or bands. For rehab, choose variations with neutral grips and short lever arms to limit external rotation torque on the glenohumeral joint. For hypertrophy, pick movements that maintain lateral deltoid activation, keep the elbow slightly bent and lift to at least shoulder height to maximize cross‑sectional loading.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Prioritize plane of motion, load type, and scapular stability when selecting an alternative. If your goal is lateral-head hypertrophy, choose an abduction-focused movement (lateral raises or single-arm cables) and cue a 15° elbow bend to keep tension on the deltoid rather than the forearm. For limited equipment, use bands and emphasize slow eccentrics (2–3 seconds) to increase time under tension. For pain or rehab, work in the scapular plane (about 30° forward) with neutral grip and limit ROM to pain-free range to reduce subacromial compression. Track progressive overload by increasing reps, sets, or time under tension.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Incline Raise work?

The dumbbell incline raise primarily targets the lateral deltoid with secondary activation of the anterior deltoid and supraspinatus. When you perform the lift with a slight forward tilt and a 15° elbow bend, you place load on shoulder abduction and forward flexion, increasing lateral-head recruitment while minimizing biceps involvement.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Incline Raise?

The pike push-up is the best bodyweight substitute to load the delts in a vertical plane: assume a pike position, hips high, lower your head toward the floor and press up. This shifts load to the deltoids and rotator cuff; cue a controlled 2‑second eccentric and keep scapulae depressed to maximize delt activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Incline Raise?

Yes, you can develop the delts using other abduction and vertical-press movements like cable lateral raises, single-arm dumbbell laterals, or overhead presses. Focus on progressive overload, maintain a 15° elbow bend during lateral variations to target the lateral head, and use controlled eccentrics to increase muscle tension and hypertrophy.

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