10 Best Straight Raises On Incline Bench Alternatives for Limited Equipment

What can I do instead of Straight Raises On Incline Bench? Use strict dumbbell front raises, cable front raises, plate raises, or single-arm landmine lifts to target the anterior deltoid. Cue: keep a 20–30° elbow bend, lead with the elbow, and stop at eye level to minimize upper-trap recruitment and maximize deltoid activation.

Original Exercise: Straight Raises On Incline Bench

Straight Raises On Incline Bench
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Traps
How to Perform Straight Raises On Incline Bench
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Isolation

Ranked Straight Raises On Incline Bench Alternatives

Best Match
Front Plate Raise

1. Front Plate Raise

87.2% 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

2. Weighted Front Raise

87.2% 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.
Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

3. Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

86.7% 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.
Dumbbell Incline Raise

4. Dumbbell Incline Raise

85.2% Match
Delts Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Band Front Raise

5. Band Front Raise

81.2% Match
Delts Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

6. Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

80.3% 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.
Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

7. Front Incline Dumbbell Raise

78.7% 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.
Front Dumbbell Raise

8. Front Dumbbell Raise

78.5% 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

9. Front Two-Dumbbell Raise

78.5% 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.
Barbell Front Raise

10. Barbell Front Raise

78% Match
Delts Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
  2. Keep your arms straight and lift the barbell forward and upward until it reaches shoulder level.
  3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Straight Raises On Incline Bench?

The pike push-up (or elevated-feet pike) is the best bodyweight option because it puts the shoulders in a near-vertical pressing line to load the anterior delts. Cue a hip hinge, lead with the forehead toward the floor, and stop before scapular pinch to maintain deltoid emphasis over upper-trap activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Straight Raises On Incline Bench?

Yes. You can build anterior delt mass with dumbbell front raises, cable front raises, landmine presses, and pressing variations that allow progressive overload. Use strict tempo (2–3 second eccentrics, 1 second peak), track load increases, and ensure scapular control to prioritize deltoid activation.

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