10 Best Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear Alternatives for Home Workouts

If you can’t perform the Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear, choose movements that isolate the posterior deltoid and drive scapular retraction. Effective swaps include prone T-raises, bent-over reverse flyes, band pull-aparts, supported single-arm rear delt rows, and face pulls. Cue: hinge at the hips, keep a soft elbow, and squeeze the rear delt at peak contraction.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear

Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Trapezius, Rhomboids
How to Perform Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear
  1. Lie face down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand, palm facing inwards.
  2. Extend your arm straight down towards the floor, keeping it close to your body.
  3. Raise your arm up and back, squeezing your shoulder blade towards your spine.
  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 arms.

Ranked Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear Alternatives

Best Match
One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

1. One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

89.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie down sideways on an incline bench press with a dumbbell in the hand. Make sure the shoulder is pressing against the incline bench and the arm is lying across your body with the palm around your navel.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in your uppermost arm while keeping it extended in front of you parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
  3. While keeping the dumbbell parallel to the floor at all times, perform a lateral raise. Your arm should travel straight up until it is pointing at the ceiling. Tip: Exhale as you perform this movement. Hold the dumbbell in the position and feel the contraction in the shoulders for a second.
  4. While inhaling lower the weight across your body back into the starting position.
  5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support

2. Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support

89.1% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand, with your palm facing your body.
  2. Place your other hand on a stable surface, such as a bench or wall, for support.
  3. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  4. Raise the dumbbell out to the side, keeping your arm straight and your palm facing down.
  5. Continue lifting until your arm is parallel to the ground.
Single Dumbbell Raise

3. Single Dumbbell Raise

89.1% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. With a wide stance, hold a dumbell with both hands, grasping the head of the dumbbell instead of the handle. Your arms should be extended and hanging at the waist. This will be your starting position.
  2. Raise the weight until it is above shoulder level, keeping your arms extended. Your torso and hips should remain stationary throughout the movement.
  3. Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise

4. Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise

88.9% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing your body.
  2. Keep your back straight and your core engaged throughout the exercise.
  3. Raise the dumbbell to the side, keeping your arm straight and your palm facing down.
  4. Continue lifting until your arm is parallel to the ground.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
Landmine Lateral Raise

5. Landmine Lateral Raise

87.8% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, resting it on the front of your shoulders.
  3. Keeping your core engaged and back straight, lift the barbell up and away from your body, raising it to shoulder height.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

6. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

87.4% 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.
Dumbbell Incline One Arm Lateral Raise

7. Dumbbell Incline One Arm Lateral Raise

87% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in one hand, resting it on your thigh.
  2. Lean forward and position your upper arm against the inside of your thigh.
  3. Raise the dumbbell to the side, keeping your arm slightly bent and your palm facing down.
  4. Continue lifting until your arm is parallel to the floor.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
One-Arm Side Laterals

8. One-Arm Side Laterals

86.7% Match
Delts Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pick a dumbbell and place it in one of your hands. Your non lifting hand should be used to grab something steady such as an incline bench press. Lean towards your lifting arm and away from the hand that is gripping the incline bench as this will allow you to keep your balance.
  2. Stand with a straight torso and have the dumbbell by your side at arm's length with the palm of the hand facing you. This will be your starting position.
  3. While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the dumbbell to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and your hand slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass. Continue to go up until you arm is parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this movement and pause for a second at the top.
  4. Lower the dumbbell back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Seated Side Lateral Raise

9. Seated Side Lateral Raise

83.4% 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

83.4% 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 Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear Alternative

You may substitute the lying one-arm rear delt for several reasons: shoulder impingement when lying prone, limited dumbbell availability, or a need for better scapular stability. Alternatives let you change joint angle and load paths to reduce pinching while maintaining posterior deltoid activation. For rehab, pick low-load, high-repetition options (band pull-aparts) and focus on controlled scapular retraction. For strength, choose supported single-arm rows or incline reverse flyes to increase time under tension while preserving neutral spine and preventing compensatory upper-trap elevation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on joint comfort, loading capacity, and movement pattern. If you need to reduce shoulder compression, choose horizontal-abduction variations performed prone on an incline or standing band work to keep the glenohumeral joint in a safer plane. If you need more load, use single-arm supported rows or incline reverse flyes to maintain posterior delt isolation while allowing heavier dumbbells. Prioritize exercises that let you initiate the movement from the scapula (cue: start with scapular retraction and avoid shrugging) and keep a consistent elbow bend to keep tension on the posterior deltoid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear work?

The primary mover is the posterior deltoid; secondary muscles include the infraspinatus, teres minor, rhomboids, and mid/lower trapezius. The pattern is horizontal abduction with scapular retraction, so you should feel the work at the rear shoulder and between the shoulder blades when you initiate from the scapula.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear?

Prone T-raises on the floor are the best pure bodyweight substitute: lie face down, lift your arms to form a T with thumbs up, and squeeze the scapulae at the top. Cue: keep the neck neutral, slightly bend the elbows, and emphasize a deliberate eccentric to maximize posterior deltoid activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Lying One Arm Deltoid Rear?

Yes. You can hypertrophy the posterior delts with other isolation and compound movements like bent-over reverse flyes, face pulls, and single-arm supported rows provided you apply progressive overload. Focus on maintaining tension on the posterior deltoid (cue: initiate from scapular retraction and control the eccentric) and increase load, reps, or time under tension over weeks.

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 →