10 Best Dumbbell Upright Row Alternatives for Shoulder Safety

If you need an alternative to the Dumbbell Upright Row, use lateral raises, face pulls, single-arm high pulls, overhead presses, or shrugs. For example, perform lateral raises with a soft elbow bend and lift to ear level to maximize lateral deltoid activation; control the lowering phase to limit trapezius dominance and protect the rotator cuff.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Upright Row

Dumbbell Upright Row
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Traps, Biceps
How to Perform Dumbbell Upright Row
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang in front of your thighs, with your arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, exhale and lift the dumbbells straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Dumbbell Upright Row Alternatives

Best Match
Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

1. Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

99.2% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. To begin, stand straight with a barbell in your hands. You should grip the bar with palms facing down and a closer than shoulder width grip apart from each other.
  2. Your feet should be shoulder width apart from each other. Your elbows should be slightly bent. This is the starting position.
  3. Lift the barbell up until it is directly over your head while exhaling. Make sure to keep your elbows slightly bent when performing each repetition.
  4. Once you feel the contraction, begin to lower the barbell back down to the starting position as you inhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Kettlebell Pirate Supper Legs

2. Kettlebell Pirate Supper Legs

94.7% Match
Delts Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Raise the kettlebell up to shoulder height, keeping your elbow close to your body.
  4. Extend your arm fully overhead, straightening your elbow.
  5. Lower the kettlebell back down to shoulder height, then return to the starting position.
Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

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

94.4% 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.
Front Dumbbell Raise

4. Front Dumbbell Raise

93.9% 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

5. Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

93.9% 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

6. Front Plate Raise

93.9% 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

7. Weighted Front Raise

93.9% 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.
Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov)

8. Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov)

91.4% 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 an overhand grip.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang in front of your thighs, with your arms fully extended and your palms facing your body.
  3. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, exhale and lift the dumbbells straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.
  4. Continue lifting until the dumbbells are at shoulder height, with your elbows pointing out to the sides.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

9. Side Laterals To Front Raise

90.4% 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.
Dumbbell Standing Around World

10. Dumbbell Standing Around World

90.2% 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.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Upright Row Alternative

You may substitute the upright row because it can provoke shoulder impingement for some lifters, equipment may be limited, or you may want different muscle emphasis. Upright rows commonly combine humeral internal rotation with scapular elevation, which narrows the subacromial space; choosing movements that promote external rotation and scapular upward rotation reduces impingement risk (cue: lead with the elbows and avoid pulling elbows above shoulder height if painful). Equipment choices, dumbbell, cable, or bodyweight, also change muscle activation: cables sustain tension through range, while dumbbells demand more stabilizer recruitment. Finally, pick a substitute that either isolates the lateral deltoid (for shape) or uses compound loading (for mass).

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute by prioritizing joint health, target muscle, and available equipment. If you feel anterior shoulder pain, pick face pulls or external-rotation drills that bias posterior delts and rotator cuff (cue: pull elbows high and squeeze the scapula). To target the lateral head, use strict lateral raises with a 30° torso lean and a slight elbow bend to keep tension on the lateral deltoid. For overall shoulder mass, use overhead presses with a vertical path to evenly load anterior and lateral delts while reducing scapular elevation. Consider progression: cables and dumbbells allow progressive overload, while bodyweight options improve motor control, monitor movement quality and switch if pain or compensation appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Upright Row work?

The dumbbell upright row primarily targets the lateral deltoid and upper trapezius while also recruiting the anterior deltoid and biceps as stabilizers. Biomechanically it combines shoulder abduction with scapular elevation; a narrow grip shifts more load to the traps while a wider path emphasizes the delts.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Upright Row?

A strict pike push-up is the best pure bodyweight alternative to load the delts and simulate a vertical press pattern. Cue a hip hinge, keep the head between the arms, and drive the crown of the head toward the floor to increase deltoid activation while minimizing unwanted scapular elevation.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Upright Row?

Yes, you can build shoulder muscle with alternatives like overhead presses, lateral raises, face pulls, and single-arm high pulls that target the deltoids and traps. Prioritize progressive overload, proper range of motion, and exercises that load the targeted head (cue: emphasize controlled eccentrics and full tension at the top) to ensure consistent hypertrophy.

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