10 Best Dumbbell Lateral Raise Alternatives for Shoulder Growth

If you can’t perform dumbbell lateral raises, use cable lateral raises, band lateral raises, machine shoulder abductions, upright rows, or side-lying raises to target the lateral deltoid. Cue: keep a slight elbow bend and lead with the elbow to emphasize the lateral head during abduction; this preserves scapular rhythm and lateral deltoid activation.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Traps
How to Perform Dumbbell Lateral Raise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
  2. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  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.

Ranked Dumbbell Lateral Raise Alternatives

Best Match
Dumbbell Lateral To Front Raise

1. Dumbbell Lateral To Front Raise

99.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate 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 body.
  2. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  3. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Next, raise your arms in front of you until they are parallel to the ground, again keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

2. Side Laterals To Front Raise

95% 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.
Shoulder Raise

3. Shoulder Raise

94.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Relax your arms to your sides and raise your shoulders up toward your ears, then back down.
Side Lateral Raise

4. Side Lateral Raise

94.4% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells by your side at arms length with the palms of the hand facing you. This will be your starting position.
  2. While maintaining the torso in a stationary position (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.
Dumbbell Scaption

5. Dumbbell Scaption

94.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This corrective exercise strengthens the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blade. Hold a light weight in each hand, hanging at your sides. Your thumbs should pointing up.
  2. Begin the movement raising your arms out in front of you, about 30 degrees off center. Your arms should be fully extended as you perform the movement.
  3. Continue until your arms are parallel to the ground, and then return to the starting position.
Dumbbell Standing Around World

6. Dumbbell Standing Around World

93.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Extend your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height, palms facing down.
  3. Keeping your arms straight, slowly rotate your arms in a circular motion, bringing the dumbbells in front of your body and then overhead.
  4. Continue the circular motion, bringing the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

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

91% 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.
Front Dumbbell Raise

8. Front Dumbbell Raise

90.4% 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

9. Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

90.4% 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

10. Front Plate Raise

90.4% 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.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Lateral Raise Alternative

You might substitute lateral raises for joint pain, limited equipment, or to change stimulus for growth. Shoulder impingement often stems from poor scapular control; switching to cables or machines lets you alter line of pull and reduce painful end-range abduction. Bands and leaning cable variations let you bias the lateral deltoid through constant tension and a controlled eccentric, while upright rows and handstand work increase overall deltoid loading when isolation is impractical. Cue: externally rotate the humerus slightly and stop around shoulder height to maintain medial deltoid emphasis and limit trap oversharing.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Pick a substitute based on available equipment, pain profile, and training goal. For strict lateral deltoid isolation choose cables or bands and use single-arm sets with a controlled 2–3 second negative; this maintains constant tension and isolates humeral abduction. If you need to limit shoulder abduction, use machine shoulder abduction or side-lying raises to reduce scapular motion. For strength and mass prioritize variants that allow progressive overload (heavier cables or higher-resistance bands) and ensure you can cue a neutral spine and slight elbow bend so the lateral head, not the traps, does the work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Lateral Raise work?

The dumbbell lateral raise primarily targets the lateral (middle) head of the deltoid through humeral abduction. The supraspinatus assists the initial lift while the upper trapezius and anterior deltoid assist if you shrug or externally rotate; cue: lead with the elbow and stop at shoulder height to maximize lateral deltoid activation.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Lateral Raise?

Pure bodyweight options cannot fully isolate the lateral head, but handstand holds or pike push-ups provide heavy, shoulder-dominant loading that builds deltoid size and strength. Cue: perform handstand holds with elbows slightly out and controlled scapular positioning to increase overall deltoid recruitment when isolation isn’t available.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Lateral Raise?

Yes. You can build the lateral deltoid using progressive compound and alternative isolation movements, cable lateral raises, band work, upright rows, and machine abductions, so long as you progressively overload and maintain proper form. Cue: prioritize full ROM, a slight elbow bend, and scapular stabilization to ensure the medial deltoid, not the traps, receives the stimulus.

More Exercise Alternatives

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Use the exercise substitution finder to compare ranked alternatives for your available equipment and training preference.

Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →