10 Best Dumbbell Upright Row Alternatives for Shoulder Training

You can swap the Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov) for movements that load the delts without risky vertical adduction. Use standing dumbbell lateral raises, bent-over reverse flyes, high pulls, or single-arm cable upright rows. Cue: lead with the elbow, not the wrist, to maximize lateral delt activation.

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 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.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Dumbbell Upright Row Alternatives

Best Match
Dumbbell Upright Row

1. Dumbbell Upright Row

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.
  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.
Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

2. Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

90.7% 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

3. Kettlebell Pirate Supper Legs

90.1% 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.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

4. Side Laterals To Front Raise

87% 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.
Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

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

87% 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

6. Front Dumbbell Raise

86.4% 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

7. Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

86.4% 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.
Shoulder Raise

8. Shoulder Raise

86.4% 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

9. Side Lateral Raise

86.4% 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.
Front Plate Raise

10. Front Plate Raise

86.4% 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 Upright Row Alternative

You may replace the dumbbell upright row because it concentrates force through a narrow shoulder position that can provoke impingement or AC joint irritation. The movement often combines internal rotation with high-elbow elevation, compressing the subacromial space and over-recruiting upper traps. You might also lack the right equipment or want a different loading pattern to emphasize a specific delt head. Safer substitutes separate lateral abduction from excessive vertical pull, for example, perform lateral raises with a slight torso lean and soft elbow to isolate the lateral deltoid, or face pulls with external rotation to strengthen posterior delts and scapular stabilizers. Cue: avoid shrugging and keep the scapula packed to limit trap dominance.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute by matching the primary movement pattern, joint angles, and desired muscle emphasis. If you want lateral-delt hypertrophy, pick single- or double-arm lateral raises with a controlled 1–2 second eccentric and a 0–1 second pause at 30–45 degrees of abduction; cue: lead with the elbow to shift load onto the lateral head. If you need posterior delt work and scapular control, use face pulls or bent-over reverse flyes with external rotation. Account for pain history, ROM, available equipment, and whether you need unilateral correction. Progress with load, tempo changes, and set volume rather than forcing upright-row mechanics that exacerbate symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov) work?

The exercise primarily targets the lateral and anterior heads of the deltoid and recruits the upper trapezius as a strong secondary mover. Biceps and scapular stabilizers assist; driving the elbows high increases upper-trap activation. Cue: pull elbows up and out to emphasize lateral delt over wrist-dominant movement.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov)?

A pike push-up or incline pike push-up is the best bodyweight option to load the delts in a vertical plane while avoiding the inward wrist mechanics of an upright row. Set your hips high, lower with controlled shoulder flexion, and stop before pinching; cue: keep scapula packed and lead with the forehead to maintain delt activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Upright Row (back Pov)?

Yes. You can target the same deltoid fibers with lateral raises, high pulls, face pulls, and single-arm cable variations using progressive overload and adequate volume. Focus on movement quality, lead with the elbow, control the eccentric, and manage scapular position, to ensure correct muscle activation and continual growth.

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