Shoulders
Lateral raise
- Kit
- Dumbbells
- Works
- side delts
- Also
- front delts · traps · upper back
The lateral raise lifts the dumbbells out to the sides, isolating the middle of the shoulder with almost no help from the chest or triceps. It builds shoulder width and control at the top of the arm's range, and it is the simplest way to train the side delts at home. Light weight is enough here, so it suits anyone with a modest pair of dumbbells.
Form
How to do lateral raise
- 1Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, palms facing your thighs, feet about hip width apart.
- 2Keep a soft bend in the elbows and lift both dumbbells out to the sides until your hands are level with your shoulders, leading with the elbows rather than the hands.
- 3Pause briefly at the top with the wrists flat, neither cocked up nor drooping, then lower under control until your arms are back at your sides.
- 4Breathe out as you lift and in as you lower, and keep the ribs down so the lower back does not arch.
- 5Keep going at a steady pace for the effort, slowing the lowering phase rather than rushing if the shoulders start to burn.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Swinging the weights up with a bounce of the knees or a lean back.
Fix: Drop to a lighter dumbbell and keep the torso still so only the shoulders move.
Shrugging the weights so the traps take over and the neck tenses.
Fix: Think about pushing the shoulders down away from your ears before each lift.
Raising the hands far above shoulder height.
Fix: Stop when the arms reach roughly parallel to the floor, where the side delt is working hardest.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.