10 Best Seated Side Lateral Raise Alternatives for Wider Shoulders

The Seated Side Lateral Raise is done seated with dumbbells. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Dumbbell Scaption, the Dumbbell Standing Around World and the Smith Incline Shoulder Raise. Five harder versions, among them the Front Incline Dumbbell Raise and the One-arm Incline Lateral Raise, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Seated Side Lateral Raise pins you to a bench so your hips and torso cannot help the lift. The closest pick is the Side Lateral Raise, the same raise out to the side done standing instead of braced by a seat, with the Dumbbell Scaption next as a straight-arm raise about 30 degrees forward of the side and a lighter pair of dumbbells. To stay seated, the Cable Seated Lateral Raise puts you on a flat bench between two low pulleys.

Seated Side Lateral Raise

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Seated Side Lateral Raise

The steps for the Seated Side Lateral Raise itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Delts · Dumbbell · Beginner · Isolation

  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.

The 10 Best Seated Side Lateral Raise Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Seated Side Lateral Raise on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Dumbbell Scaption

    1. Dumbbell Scaption

    91% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    The same equipment, done standing instead.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    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.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Body position: standing, not seated
  2. Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

    Progression

    2. Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

    95% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the delts.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on an incline bench with the incline set anywhere between 30 to 60 degrees while holding a dumbbell on each hand. Tip: You can change the angle to hit the muscle a little differently each time.
    2. Extend your arms straight in front of you and have your palms facing down with the dumbbells raised about 1 inch above your thighs. This will be your starting position.
    3. Slowly raise the dumbbells straight up until they are slightly above your shoulders, while keeping your elbows locked. Squeeze at the top for a second and make sure you breathe out during this portion of the movement. Tip: Keep your head resting down against the bench and your legs on the floor at all times.
    4. Lower the arms back to the starting position as you inhale.
    5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Body position: seated, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
  3. One-arm Incline Lateral Raise

    Progression

    3. One-arm Incline Lateral Raise

    92% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder single-arm version that still works the delts.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    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.
    6. Switch arms and repeat the movement.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise
    • Body position: seated, the same as the Seated Side Lateral Raise

Why You Might Need a Seated Side Lateral Raise Alternative

You reach for an alternative to the Seated Side Lateral Raise when the bench is in someone else's superset, when you train from a home rack with no bench at all, or when you want to hit the same shoulder from a different angle. The Seated Side Lateral Raise removes hip and torso swing by pinning you to a seat. The swaps keep the dumbbells and change what your body rests against: standing free, reclining on an incline bench, or lying on your side with one dumbbell. A home gym with no bench still has an answer: the Side Lateral Raise is the seated lift done standing, and the Dumbbell Scaption, Side Laterals To Front Raise and Dumbbell Standing Around World also need only floor space and the dumbbells.

How to Choose the Right Seated Side Lateral Raise Substitute

If you have a bench, the Front Incline Dumbbell Raise has you recline against the pad, head resting on it, and raise the dumbbells straight up in front instead of out to the side. The One-arm Incline Lateral Raise uses the same bench lying sideways, one arm at a time. With two low pulleys, the Cable Seated Lateral Raise keeps you seated, bent forward with your torso on your thighs, raising the handles out to the sides. If your bench is busy, the Dumbbell Scaption needs only floor space and the same two dumbbells, standing in place of sitting, and the Side Laterals To Front Raise adds a front raise before the lateral one.

Seated Side Lateral Raise FAQ

Can I do the Seated Side Lateral Raise at home?

Yes, if you have a pair of dumbbells. Without any bench, the Side Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Scaption, Side Laterals To Front Raise and Dumbbell Standing Around World need only floor space. The Front Incline Dumbbell Raise and One-arm Incline Lateral Raise need an incline bench.

Which alternative should I try first?

The Side Lateral Raise. It is the seated lift done standing: same dumbbells, same path out to the side until the arms are parallel to the floor, with you holding the torso still instead of the seat doing it. If you want a change of angle as well, the Dumbbell Scaption raises straight arms about 30 degrees forward of the side with thumbs up; go lighter than your lateral raise weight.

Can I train the raise one arm at a time?

Yes. The One-arm Incline Lateral Raise has you lie sideways on an incline bench with the shoulder pressed against it, then raise the top arm until it points at the ceiling before switching sides. The Front Dumbbell Raise alternates arms too, lifting one dumbbell to the front while the other comes down.

How do I move the dumbbells at a different angle from the seated version?

The Dumbbell Scaption raises straight arms about 30 degrees forward of the side, the Front Incline Dumbbell Raise reclines you on the bench for a front raise, and the Dumbbell Standing Around World carries straight arms in a circle from the sides to overhead.

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