10 Best Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise Alternatives for Shoulder Strength

If you can't do one-arm lateral raises, use seated two-arm lateral raises, single-arm cable lateral raises, band lateral raises, leaning one-arm raises, or a machine lateral raise. Keep a 10–20° elbow bend, lift to shoulder height, and hold briefly to load the lateral deltoid while keeping the scapula stable.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise

Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Trapezius, Triceps
How to Perform Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise
  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.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

Ranked Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise Alternatives

Best Match
Landmine Lateral Raise

1. Landmine Lateral Raise

98.9% 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.
Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support

2. Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support

98.7% 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

98.7% 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.
One-Arm Side Laterals

4. One-Arm Side Laterals

93.1% 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.
Dumbbell Scaption

5. Dumbbell Scaption

92.2% 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

91.7% 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.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

7. Side Laterals To Front Raise

91.4% 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.
One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

8. One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

91.2% 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.
Shoulder Raise

9. Shoulder Raise

90.9% 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

10. Side Lateral Raise

90.9% 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.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise Alternative

You might substitute the dumbbell one-arm lateral raise because of pain, limited equipment, or different training goals. Shoulder impingement or rotator cuff irritation often requires lower load and a narrower range of motion; for example, switch to a cable lateral raise and cue a slightly higher elbow to reduce supraspinatus compression. If you lack dumbbells, resistance bands replicate progressive tension while maintaining lateral deltoid activation. For hypertrophy, choose exercises that let you use controlled eccentric tempo and full scapular control to keep the lateral head under constant tension.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on available equipment, pain response, and your desired stimulus. For constant tension and smooth loading choose a cable single-arm lateral raise; cue a soft elbow and lead with the elbow to bias the lateral deltoid. If you need lower joint stress, use a band lateral raise with a slower eccentric and limited range to reduce torque at the glenohumeral joint. For stability training or higher load capacity, use the seated two-arm lateral raise to remove torso momentum and target pure shoulder abduction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise work?

The primary target is the lateral (middle) deltoid, with secondary involvement from the anterior deltoid and supraspinatus during initial abduction. Keep a 10–20° elbow bend and lift to shoulder height to maximize lateral deltoid activation while minimizing trapezius compensation.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise?

True bodyweight lateral abduction is limited, but the best option is the side-lying lateral raise or elevated T holds to target the lateral delts. Lie on your side and lift your arm with a slight elbow bend to shoulder height, focusing on scapular retraction and slow eccentrics to increase time under tension.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise?

Yes, you can build the lateral delts with many exercises like seated two-arm lateral raises, cable laterals, and band raises by controlling load, range, and tempo. Prioritize progressive overload, maintain a pause at shoulder height, and cue an elbow-led movement to consistently target the lateral head.

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