10 Best Straight Raises On Incline Bench Alternatives for Limited Equipment

Straight Raises On Incline Bench are done lying on your back with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Front Plate Raise, the Weighted Front Raise and the Dumbbell Incline Raise. Two harder versions, the Smith Incline Shoulder Raise and the Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Straight Raises On Incline Bench

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

How to Do Straight Raises On Incline Bench

The steps for Straight Raises On Incline Bench themselves, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Delts, with traps · Barbell · Beginner · Isolation

  1. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.
  2. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor, keeping your arms straight. Allow the bar to hang straight down. This will be your starting position.
  3. To begin, raise the barbell out in front of your head while keeping your arms extended.
  4. Return to the starting position.

The 10 Best Straight Raises On Incline Bench Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches Straight Raises On Incline Bench 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. Front Plate Raise

    1. Front Plate Raise

    87% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    A straight swap when you want to keep working the delts.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    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.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Body position: standing, not lying on your back
  3. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

    Progression

    3. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

    87% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

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

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    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.
    6. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Body position: lying face down, not lying on your back
  4. Dumbbell Incline RaisePlay demonstration

    4. Dumbbell Incline Raise

    85% match

    Delts · Intermediate · Isolation

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
    2. Lean back on the bench and raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, palms facing forward.
    3. Keeping your back against the bench, exhale and raise the dumbbells above your head, fully extending your arms.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
  5. Band Front RaisePlay demonstration

    5. Band Front Raise

    81% match

    Delts · Beginner · Isolation

    A good swap when you have a band to work with, and it still works the delts.

    • Band
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the band in front of your thighs with your palms facing down.
    2. Keep your arms straight and slowly raise them forward until they are parallel to the ground.
    3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
    4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: raise, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Primary muscle: delts, the same as Straight Raises On Incline Bench
    • Equipment: a band, not free weights
    • Body position: standing, not lying on your back

Why You Might Need a Straight Raises On Incline Bench Alternative

You might substitute Straight Raises On Incline Bench because you lack a barbell or incline bench, feel anterior shoulder pain, or want different loading patterns. Alternatives change the plane or scapular mechanics to reduce impingement and shift activation; for example, single-arm cable raises keep continuous tension and allow scapular retraction to lower GH joint compression. Use a controlled 2–3 second eccentric and stop at eye level to limit superior humeral translation. Different tools alter stabilizer demand, dumbbells require more rotator cuff control, while cables maintain constant muscle tension, so pick a variant that fits your pain profile and training goal.

How to Choose the Right Straight Raises On Incline Bench Substitute

Choose a substitute by matching goal, equipment, and shoulder health. If you have only dumbbells, pick seated or standing front raises and hinge slightly at the hips to isolate the anterior deltoid; cue a neutral spine and 20–30° elbow bend. If you want continuous tension and finer load adjustments, use single-arm cable raises. For unilateral imbalances pick single-arm variations and work 8–15 reps with a 1–2 second peak hold for hypertrophy. If impingement limits range, stop short of end range and slightly externally rotate to shift load off the subacromial space.

Straight Raises On Incline Bench FAQ

What muscles does Straight Raises On Incline Bench work?

Straight Raises On Incline Bench primarily targets the anterior deltoid with secondary involvement from the clavicular head of the pecs and shoulder stabilizers. Cue a slight elbow bend and lead with the elbow to keep the anterior delt doing most of the work and limit biceps or trap assistance.

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