10 Best Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support Alternatives for Shoulder Pain

If you can’t do the Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support, use exercises like seated dumbbell lateral raises, cable lateral raises, band lateral raises, incline lateral raises, or single-arm machine raises. Cue: keep a 10–20° elbow bend, lift to shoulder height, and pause to emphasize lateral deltoid activation and reduce momentum.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support

Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Trapezius, Rotator Cuff
How to Perform Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support
  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.
  6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Ranked Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support Alternatives

Best Match
Single Dumbbell Raise

1. Single Dumbbell Raise

99.9% 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

2. Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise

98.7% 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

3. Landmine Lateral Raise

97.6% 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.
One-Arm Side Laterals

4. One-Arm Side Laterals

94.4% 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

92.4% 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.
Shoulder Raise

6. Shoulder Raise

92.2% 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

7. Side Lateral Raise

92.2% 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 Standing Around World

8. Dumbbell Standing Around World

91.9% 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

9. Side Laterals To Front Raise

91.7% 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

10. One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

91.4% 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.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support Alternative

You might swap the Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support because of shoulder impingement, lack of a support surface, or weak stabilizers. Substitutes let you alter load vectors, reduce joint shear, or change range of motion to avoid pain. For example, switching to a cable lateral raise keeps constant tension and better isolates the lateral deltoid, stand upright, abduct with a soft elbow, and stop at 90° to limit supraspinatus involvement. If bench support aggravates the rotator cuff, use a standing or band option to preserve scapular control and maintain targeted lateral head activation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute by matching movement pattern, loading style, and pain tolerance. If you want identical lateral deltoid isolation, pick cable lateral raises and cue ‘lead with the elbow, stop at shoulder height’ to maintain lateral head activation. If equipment is limited, bands provide progressive tension, anchor low, drive the elbow up, and avoid scapular elevation. For rehab use lighter loads with strict tempo (2 seconds up, 3 seconds down) to focus on eccentric control and avoid impingement. Consider unilateral vs bilateral training for balancing strength and the degree of stabilization required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise With Support work?

The exercise primarily targets the lateral (middle) deltoid, with secondary contribution from the anterior deltoid and supraspinatus. Maintain a slight elbow bend and lift to shoulder height to emphasize lateral head activation and limit upper-trapezius shrugging.

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

True bodyweight isolates the lateral deltoid poorly, but the pike push-up is a solid free option to load the shoulder complex; set hips high, hands shoulder-width, and lower the head between the hands to emphasize deltoid load. Focus on controlled descent to maximize eccentric shoulder work and scapular stability.

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

Yes. You can build lateral deltoid mass using alternatives like cable lateral raises, band raises, incline supported raises, or overhead pressing variations, ensure progressive overload and strict form. Cue: prioritize controlled range, stop at 90°, and keep the elbow slightly bent to maintain tension on the lateral head.

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 →