Lateral Raise
Muscles worked
Instructions
- 1Pick 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.
- 2While 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.
- 3Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
- 4Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
About Lateral Raise
The dumbbell lateral raise is the reference exercise for the side head of the deltoid, responsible for shoulder width and the famous V-taper. Elbows slightly bent, you raise the dumbbells out to the sides to horizontal, elbows leading the movement, then lower slowly. It is an essential isolation move. The most common mistake is going too heavy and swinging the torso: the side delt is a small muscle that responds better to a moderate load, clean execution and high time under tension than to jerky reps with dumbbells that are too heavy.
check_circleBenefits
- check_circleDirectly targets the lateral delt for shoulder width
- check_circleImproves the V-taper and upper-body aesthetics
- check_circleSimple isolation exercise, scalable to any load
lightbulbExecution tips
- lightbulbKeep the elbows slightly bent and leading the movement
- lightbulbRaise only to horizontal, not above
- lightbulbThink of pouring a bottle, pinkies tilted up
- lightbulbControl the descent without dropping the dumbbells
warningCommon mistakes
- warningUsing body momentum to swing the dumbbells up
- warningShrugging and shifting the load to the traps
- warningRaising too far above the horizontal
- warningGoing too heavy and losing control
helpFrequently asked questions
What weight for lateral raises?expand_more
Light to moderate: the lateral delt is small and responds better to good form and higher reps than to heavy load.
How many reps should I do?expand_more
Sets of 12 to 20 controlled reps work very well for this small muscle that thrives on volume.
Should I raise the arms above the shoulders?expand_more
No: stop at horizontal. Beyond that, the traps take over and tension leaves the side delt. Horizontal, elbow a touch higher than the wrist, is the ideal position.
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