10 Best Seated Side Lateral Raise Alternatives for Wider Shoulders

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.

Original Exercise: Seated Side Lateral Raise

Seated Side Lateral Raise
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
How to Perform Seated Side Lateral Raise
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Isolation

Ranked Seated Side Lateral Raise Alternatives

Best Match
Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

1. Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

95.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

2. One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

92.2% 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.
Side Laterals To Front Raise

3. Side Laterals To Front Raise

92% 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.
Side Lateral Raise

4. Side Lateral Raise

91.4% 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.
Dumbbell Scaption

5. Dumbbell Scaption

91.2% 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

90.7% 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.
Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head

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

88% 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.
Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

8. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

88% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place an incline bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the incline bench and make sure your shoulders are aligned right under the barbell.
  2. Using a shoulder width pronated (palms forward) grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with a slight bend at the elbows. This will be your starting position.
  3. As you breathe out, lift the bar up until your arms are fully extended. Note: The contraction should be felt around the shoulders.
  4. After a second pause, bring the bar back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
  5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Cable Seated Lateral Raise

9. Cable Seated Lateral Raise

87.9% Match
Delts Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand in the middle of two low pulleys that are opposite to each other and place a flat bench right behind you (in perpendicular fashion to you; the narrow edge of the bench should be the one behind you). Select the weight to be used on each pulley.
  2. Now sit at the edge of the flat bench behind you with your feet placed in front of your knees.
  3. Bend forward while keeping your back flat and rest your torso on the thighs.
  4. Have someone give you the single handles attached to the pulleys. Grasp the left pulley with the right hand and the right pulley with the left after you select your weight. The pulleys should run under your knees and your arms will be extended with palms facing each other and a slight bend at the elbows. This will be the starting position.
  5. While keeping the arms stationary, raise the upper arms to the sides until they are parallel to the floor and at shoulder height. Exhale during the execution of this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
Front Dumbbell Raise

10. Front Dumbbell Raise

87.4% 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.

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 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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