Shoulder Exercises Lateral Raise

One of my favorite things about this movement is the wide variety of ways they can be done (with each version creating a unique stimulus). Complete your physique with mighty delts. The information given here should not be used without any expert advice for any health related problem. Do not flare your elbows out while lifting up the weight. Using cables instead of free weights evens things out to provide smooth, consistent tension while the muscle works through its entire range of motion. Like with most exercises, be sure to maintain good posture to protect your spine, and don’t forget to breathe. Log your workouts and track your exercise progress for free. Some trainees make the mistake of raising the dumbbell slightly forward, which moves the emphasis to the front deltoid head. The general set and rep scheme for the exercise is 2-3 sets of repetitions. What the science says, when it helps, when to avoid it, and how to program it for maximum muscle growth With the Dr. Muscle app, you can automate your fitness routine, get personalized workout programs, and achieve consistent results faster. The force should be moving the weights laterally to each side, not up toward your shoulders. That’s what I’d been experiencing during lateral raises. This exercise promotes shoulder health by engaging multiple muscles, improving posture, and enhancing overall mobility. This exercise helps broaden your shoulders, improve stability, and correct strength imbalances between the right and left sides. Controlled descents build more muscle and improve joint stability. Strength training has well-documented mental health benefits, including improved mood and reduced stress. The shoulder joint is highly mobile but inherently unstable, making it prone to injuries like rotator cuff tears or impingement syndromes. This exercise may look simple, but its benefits are profound—if done correctly. Does this technique not take tension away from side delts? This also prevents shoulder injuries that may happen due to activities such as pushing, pulling, or lifting objects on a daily basis. One has to be consistent with their workouts and maintain a protein-rich diet. Make health & fitness your top priority with tips on workouts, healthy eating, wellness and more, straight from the experts. Below, BowFlex Fitness Advisor, Amy Kiser Schemper, MS, CPT, shares how you can get better workouts with less gear in 2026. With this in mind, it's true that less workout equipment can sometimes be better.

• Lateral raises in general can be performed 2-4 times per week (or more depending on your goals and experience level).
• This part of the movement is just as important as lifting.
• This extra tension may ultimately assist the delt with raising the humerus up and away during the lateral raise, even though the delt didn't directly generate the tension.
• The shoulders are one of the most complex and delicate regions of the body, which can make performing exercises like the dumbbell lateral raise difficult.
• This exercise targets the lateral deltoids effectively by keeping tension high on the muscle, which is essential for muscle recruitment and growth.
• This unilateral exercise is great for lifters who have trouble establishing a mind-muscle connection with their deltoids in the conventional dumbbell lateral raise.
• Keep alternating this movement making sure that both arms are working reciprocally.
• Diving into the world of lateral raises, beginners might find the traditional dumbbell variant a bit challenging at first.

Then as you start to go down, once again, it starts to lose tension and how hard the movement is. But as you get to the top of the raise, where your arm is parallel of the ground, there is a TON of work being done there. This essentially means how hard your muscle is working through the full range of motion. Without getting into too much detail, there is something in every exercise called the resistance profile. This exercise isn’t necessarily the best exercise you could do for your side delt.

• Performing upright rows with cables is a great way to keep tension on your muscles.
• This modification to your standard lateral raise involves adding an isometric contraction by pressing your hand into the wall while performing lateral raises on the opposite side.
• Each head has unique functions, but all three contribute to arm abduction (moving your arm away from the midline of your body).
• Get the exercise library in your pocket!
• When it comes to the lateral raise, creating and maintaining muscular tension should be top priority.
• Gripping a light dumbbell in your right hand, palm facing your thigh, slight bend in the elbow, raise the dumbbell until your hand is in line with your shoulder.
• This simple exercise can help improve range of motion in the shoulder girdle, reduce risk of injury, and strengthen the muscles that support it.

It’s not advisable to perform lateral raises every day. This is essential for various upper-body movements and exercises. It plays a crucial role during the lateral raise machine exercise by stabilizing the shoulder blades. A solid stance ensures all the tension stays on the lateral deltoid, which is the whole point of the exercise. This prevents your torso from swaying and stops the anterior deltoids or traps from jumping in to cheat the movement. Unlike dumbbells, cables provide constant tension from the bottom to the top of the lift, which means the muscle never gets a break. By dialing in form, using the right variations, and progressing with control, you make every rep count toward building stronger, more balanced shoulders.

Lateral Raise with Forced Reps

In most workout routines, 3 sets of 8-12 reps is a good place to start for hypertrophy. Years of hard work as a boxer led him to fitness and training. Rad was born and raised in the Bronx, NY in a vibrant Dominican household. This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. If you’re a beginner or new to the move, start with light weights. When it comes to sculpting strong, defined shoulders, the lateral raise is one of the most underrated exercises out there. But with isolation exercises like lateral raises, it is better to keep the body English to a minimum and concentrate on the tension. One of the biggest lateral raise mistakes in most resistance training exercises is choosing a weight you cannot handle. Besides biceps curls, many isolation exercises that target only one muscle group are underappreciated, and lateral raises fall under that umbrella. I personally would perform lateral raises when I do the most shoulders (push day) and save my bent over shoulder raises for more of my posterior (pull) day. You should always allow at least one rest day between training the same part of your body and use other moves like shoulder presses and rear delt flys to amplify your results. The difference lies in how their weight is distributed; dumbbells have a more equal weight distribution than kettlebells, which helps provide more balance when you’re lifting. All you need are dumbbells or resistance bands to provide the necessary resistance for the movement. As the name suggests, this lateral raise is done while sitting on a chair or a flat bench. In those times, mix things up and try a front lateral raise. A V-shaped torso and chiseled shoulder muscles – that’s the dream of most fitness enthusiasts, but achieving this has never been easy. This "soft lockout" position protects your joints while still fully engaging the lateral deltoids. Keep your shoulders down and back throughout the movement, creating distance between your ears and shoulders. This activates the trapezius rather than isolating the lateral deltoids.

Incline Dumbbell Front Raise

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the muscles worked It’s a go-to move for anyone looking to build strong, well-rounded shoulders. They’ll help make your shoulders more resilient, and you’ll likely find yourself lifting a lot heavier. Noelle McKenzie is an ACE-certified personal trainer, functional training specialist and level 1 Kettlebell Kings training expert. With his wife Noelle McKenzie, he co-founded Leading Edge, an in-home personal training business based in New York City. Kern Alexander is an ACE-certified personal trainer and a NASM-certified corrective exercise specialist. Make sure you don’t rock your body or move any other part of it to create momentum. Incorporating side lateral raises into your workout routine can help build the strength and endurance of your shoulder muscles. While compound exercises are great for overall strength and functional movement, isolation exercises like side lateral raises provide targeted muscle development. Side lateral raises are an effective exercise that targets the deltoid muscles, particularly the lateral deltoids. Cable exercises provide a constant and consistent resistance throughout the entire range of motion, allowing for continuous tension on the shoulder muscles during side lateral raises.

• Research using electromyography (EMG) indicates a 30.3% muscle activation rate during the lateral raise.
• Tom Daley Transformed His Workouts Post-Diving Career
• Avoid any angles that force internal rotation at the top of the movement.
• Understanding these factors will help you get the most out of every set while avoiding common training pitfalls that limit progress.
• Lateral raises get surprisingly tough pretty quickly, so put your ego to one side and choose lighter weights when you first get going (you could even opt for a resistance band).
• In this section, we’ll set you up for success with the safe an effective way to perform dumbbell lateral raises.
• Decrease the weight, slow the movement down and focus on mind-muscle connection and you’ll be happier with your effort and in less pain.

Dumbbell front raise

This way, you will exercise your core and provide additional stability and the ability to isolate your lateral deltoid muscles better with each rep. However, I suggest implementing additional exercises specifically targeting your anterior and posterior deltoid heads to protect your shoulders and stabilize them fully. Here is how to perform a seated dumbbell lateral raise properly. You raise the dumbbells until your arms reach parallel to the floor and then bring them completely overhead, then returning slowly to the starting position to complete one exercise repetition. In this version of the dumbbell lateral raise, you start with dumbbells in each hand at thigh level. (1) But if you've been doing traditional sets for months or years, your delts are due for a change-up. The decline position of the bench allows for a greater range of motion, resulting in a more intense workout. The Lever Decline Chest Press Machine is a great way to complement the exercise Dumbbell Lateral Raise. Hold the position for one second, then slowly lower the weights back down to your starting position. It is necessary to target all the body parts each day, and shoulders require attention as well as they consist of many muscles like the traps and deltoids. However, if you use too much weight or your form is wrong, leaning lateral raises could cause aches, pains, or injury, but that’s true of almost every exercise. If you want a broader upper body, you need to include lateral raises in your workouts, and leaning lateral raises are one of the best variations. While exercises like dumbbell and barbell overhead presses will make your shoulders bigger and stronger, they tend to emphasize your anterior or front deltoids. Leaning lateral raises increase the overload on your deltoids as you raise your arms away from your sides. Strengthening the shoulders through exercises like Full ROM Lateral Raises contributes to a more balanced muscular development, ensuring that the body’s kinetic chain functions harmoniously. When performed correctly and with a weight that is challenging, the medial deltoid can grow to build strong, defined, shoulders. If you want to ditch the dumbbell lateral raises completely, opt for a band or cable. Instead of lifting the weights at the same time, one will stay up and extended as you perform the lateral raise on the other side. People tend to rock their body as they get tired during lateral raises. If your chest and back are well-developed but shoulders are underdeveloped, then you should opt for specific shoulder exercises like the lateral raise. These movements help develop the lateral, front and back deltoids, upper trapezius and the rotator cuff in the shoulders, as well as the sides of the chest. Lateral exercises are designed to develop the shoulder muscles, or the lateral muscles, which also stands for the muscles on the sides of the body. Just before the dumbbells touch anything, reverse the movement and begin the next rep. Lift the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are at 90 degrees with your torso. Pick two dumbbells of appropriate weight and sit on the edge of a flat bench. Increase the intensity of your weight training by progressively adding more weight. Remember to start with lighter weights and focus on proper form before progressing to heavier weights. Instead, focus on controlled movements, lifting the weights out to the sides until they're parallel to the floor. Start with lighter weights and gradually increase the load as your strength improves. Additionally, incorporating injury prevention techniques, such as avoiding excessive weight or jerky movements, will help keep you safe and reduce the risk of injury. 'This helps control the weight through both parts of the lift and increases muscle stimulation.' Conversely, if you can't perform another rep at the end of the set and your form is greatly sacrificed, lower the weight a little. With this in mind, choose a pair of dumbbells that are lighter than you'd use for bicep curls. It's an isolation exercise, therefore it recruits less muscle groups in comparison to your big compound lifts like the bench press. But that doesn’t mean you need to limit yourself to just this exercise for building the lateral delts. It has advantages that you don’t get with free weights and if you want boulder shoulders start doing it! The following workout will target all three heads of the shoulders in a single set. Lateral raises are not meant for maximal strength training—instead, they rely on higher reps and controlled movement to fully fatigue the delts. These movements are particularly useful for lifters who struggle with overactive traps dominating their lateral raises. For beginners, it's best to start with standard dumbbell lateral raises before progressing to variations that offer greater control and resistance. This is why direct isolation work—such as lateral raises and their variations—is essential for fully developing this part of the shoulder. However, not all lateral raises are equally effective, and subtle tweaks in technique or equipment can make a significant difference in muscle activation and overall results. The shoulder joint is incredibly mobile, offering a wide range of motion, which also makes it susceptible to injury if not properly prepared for physical stress. These practices not only help in maximizing the benefits of your workouts but also significantly reduce the risk of injury. This variation not only hones in on technique and muscle activation but also offers a safer environment for beginners to explore their range of motion and control. This position encourages lifters to maintain a more rigid torso, thereby enhancing core engagement and stability throughout the exercise. This continuous tension can lead to more efficient muscle activation and growth over time. Shoulders determine the gait and posture of a person besides helping in moving the arms about via the rotator cuff joint, where three bones come together. In addition, Patrick is an experienced writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. Check out our strength standards for Bench Press, Cable Lateral Raise, Deadlift, and more. The medial and posterior delts ARE involved, but they aren’t working as hard as the anterior delts, and are mostly working as stabilizers. However, you can do as many as reps per set if you wish, but this will make your workouts longer and less efficient.

Stop Doing 100 Push-Ups a Day — Do This Instead for Faster Growth

• If lateral delt growth is the goal, this is your A-team.
• Do it right now as you’re reading this – no pair of dumbbells required.
• This exercise can be done as part of a shoulder workout routine, or as an alternative to the Dumbbell Lateral Raise to target the same muscle groups.
• Yes, you can perform the dumbbell lateral raise seated instead of standing.
• You can increase the difficulty by using kettlebells instead of dumbbells.
• Our primary focus in this article will be on the side delts, but understanding the other two heads is equally important.
• In time, you should find your shoulders balance out and become equally well developed.

Their constant tension, joint-friendly mechanics, and versatility make them ideal for building shoulder width, strength, and definition. This versatility allows for a more personalized workout, keeping it challenging and maximizing shoulder development. Many of the women I work with in my online fitness coaching program aim for sculpting lean, strong shoulders as one of their fitness goals. Throughout this article, I have emphasized the importance of maintaining proper form, prioritizing safety, and progressively challenging yourself during this exercise. Start with lighter weights and gradually increase the resistance as your strength improves. As always, it’s best to be more concerned with perfect form than with how heavy you can lift. If you’re struggling, try using a lighter weight. You'll notice this most when you bring the weights back down. Your movement should be controlled movement without momentum.

Cable Machine Lateral Raises: Offering Stability and Continuous Tension

If you keep a steady mind-muscle connection and tempo, you’ll be sore for days. Understanding the complexity of the shoulder structure, which is paradoxically delicate and strong, is key to making gains while avoiding painful injuries. Form is paramount to making those hypertrophy and strength gains in tandem safely. You all know that to get popping delts and bolder shoulders, a heavy dose of overhead presses and their variations are in order. ““But taking the move 45 degrees past parallel fully engages the middle delt; plus it recruits the upper traps, levator scapulae and all muscles around the scapula, including the rhomboids, the lower traps and serratus.”” It is because of that the we typically see them performed on same schedules as shoulder presses and other strength based movers (see full verdict below). Movements like deadlifts, rows, hip exercises, pull ups, shrugs, bent over raises, and other back and hip work are commonly seen here. When we hear the term “pulling exercises” we basically can include all exercises that target the back of the body, with the exception of the triceps (swap biceps here). Unfortunately, lateral raises have almost no resistance at the bottom of the range of motion. It works your front delts, side delts, upper chest, and almost all your postural muscles, stimulating a tremendous amount of muscle growth. This keeps the movement strict (forcing good form), ensuring the work stays entirely through your shoulders. The cable lateral raise should be performed a little differently than the dumbbell variation due to the constant tension that cables provide. We’ve provided basic anatomy of the deltoid lateral and other muscles involved in this exercise. A general recommendation would be to perform 2-4 sets of resistance band lateral raises for 8-15 repetitions per set. The exercise can be added to your full body workouts, upper body workouts, and/or shoulder workouts. It is important to use proper form and technique when performing this exercise to minimize the risk of injury. Yes, there is a risk of injury with lateral leg raises. Lateral leg raises should be performed two to three times per week. Unlock effective muscle growth strategies with the best hypertrophy training apps, combining science-backed programs and smart automation. Doing a one-sided dumbbell lateral raise can help you achieve better symmetry and balance in your shoulders. To get the most out of your workout, it's important to perform the dumbbell lateral raise on both sides. When performing the dumbbell lateral raise, it's important to choose the right weight for your ability level.

Common mistakes

• Bend your elbows to create a 90 degree angle and palms are facing towards the body.
• Like with most exercises, be sure to maintain good posture to protect your spine, and don’t forget to breathe.
• Specifically, failure occurs toward the top of the rep. This happens because the delts can produce force at the bottom of the lateral raise better than at the top.
• Go to about when your arms get parallel to the ground, then come right back down.
• These precautionary measures can protect you from injury and prepare your delts for the challenge ahead.
• Eliminate your legs from the equation by doing lateral raises seated rather than standing.
• Personal Trainers use our site as a valuable resource for new exercises and ideas for client workouts.

You can challenge your shoulders by completing all four exercises in one session or split them into two workouts throughout the week. Sticking with lighter weights can help you maintain stamina and raise your way to stronger and broader shoulder muscles. In order to build muscle, you’ll want to do between 3-4 sets of lateral raises each. Using a weight that is too heavy while doing lateral raises can make the move less effective. Here are some things you should know before adding lateral raises to your workout routine. More consistent muscle activation means better chances for muscle hypertrophy, muscle thickness, and long-term deltoid hypertrophy. Sure, Dumbbell Shoulder Presses are great for muscle mass, but not for the side shoulder. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more. In this article, we examine a dozen different variations of the lateral raise. The upper parts of your traps shrug your shoulders, the middle portions retract your shoulders, and the lower portions pull your shoulders downward. The anterior head moves your arm up and to the front; the lateral head lifts your arm to the side (as in the motion of a lateral raise); and the posterior moves your arm behind you. The deltoid is what gives your shoulders their size and definition. The front raise (raising your arms in front of you, instead of the side) will place more emphasize on the anterior deltoid.

• This is going to be sub optimal for changing the way your body looks but also from a health standpoint.
• Just ensure you don’t overdo it, as the shoulder muscles can fatigue quickly.
• By lying on your side, you make the exercise harder at the bottom and easier at the top, stimulating more muscle growth per set.
• EMG measures electrical activity in muscles, revealing precise levels of activation during specific exercises.
• Keeping your upper body still – that means no swinging – lift the dumbbells out to your side with a slight bend at your elbows.
• Now, let’s get into how the best types of Lateral Raise exercises to add into your workout in order to build those side delts to their full potential.
• This balance enhances overall muscle strength and reduces the risk of overcompensation in the upper back.

It can also put extra load on the elbow joint because the arms are held away from the body. Do not challenge the same group of muscles within 48 hours. If you have never lifted weights before, you might consult a fitness professional to help you learn the proper form and select the weight that's right for you to begin with. This variation can be done with dumbbells, cables, or resistance bands. Focusing on one arm at a time allows you to correct muscle imbalances and concentrate on proper form. Using a cable machine provides constant tension throughout the entire movement, which can increase shoulder activation. Sit on a bench with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and lift the weights slowly to shoulder level.

• This movement is by far one of the most butchered in exercises in all of the land.
• While this upper body exercise does engage the anterior and posterior delts, the side lateral raises rely most heavily on the middle deltoid muscles to get the job done.
• By prioritizing shoulder health through proper lateral rotation, I’m investing in my body’s long-term functionality and comfort.
• Before we delve into the benefits of side lateral raises, it’s important to understand the difference between compound and isolation exercises.
• You’ll see which ones deserve a top spot in your weekly training plan, which are solid add-ons, and which are better left for other goals.
• Instead, focus on shoulder exercises that enhance stability and mobility without causing further impingement.
• Over time, you’ll build bigger traps while your shoulders stay flat.

This is also a great strategy if your existing weight feels too easy, but you’re not quite ready for an additional five pounds. You can also use this trick for the shoulder press if you find yourself arching or push pressing. You may need to hold onto the machine with your free arm and slightly tilt away while keeping your core engaged to complete the movement. On the other hand, isolation exercises, like side lateral raises, target specific muscles in isolation. When incorporating resistance training into your side lateral raise routine, focus on maintaining proper form and controlled movements to ensure the targeted muscles are engaged and activated. I will explain the importance of strengthening the lateral deltoids through side lateral raises, as well as the benefits it provides for overall shoulder stability. Did you know that side lateral raise is one of the most effective exercises for targeting and strengthening the lateral deltoids? As such, you should generally do sets of reps of this exercise. This provides a good balance between training and recovery. It’s generally accepted that you should hit each major muscle group 2-3 times per week for optimal growth. One that not only works all three deltoid heads at the same time but that is also good for your joint health? Be warned, this exercise is more strenuous than it looks, so don’t go too heavy too soon. By performing side lateral raises with correct technique, you can effectively target and strengthen your lateral deltoids, which are key muscles in your shoulder. By targeting the lateral deltoids and other surrounding muscles, side lateral raises provide an effective way to sculpt and tone your shoulders and arms. By incorporating lateral raises into your strength-training routine, you’ll develop stronger, more defined shoulders and upper back muscles while reducing your risk of shoulder injuries. By strengthening these muscles, lateral raises help to create well-defined, toned shoulders while supporting overall upper body strength. Dumbbell lateral raises are an isolation exercise that trains the entire shoulder but primarily activates the middle deltoid head. Pressing your hand into the wall while performing lateral raises on the opposite side gives you extra tension in both lateral deltoids through an irradiation process. If you have a barbell home gym, you can do your lateral raises with weight plates, using them just like dumbbells. There are a couple of notable variations of dumbbell lateral raises to add variety to your shoulder workout. Aside from dumbbell, cable, and band lateral raises, your gym may also have a dedicated lateral raise machine. Think about when you fatigue on dumbbell lateral raises. When it comes to doing lateral raises with cables or bands, you can set the line of pull to keep the middle deltoid perpendicular to it, and therefore the prime mover, and still protect the rotator cuff. Dumbbell lateral raises are just one variation of the exercise. As you get stronger and more proficient at this exercise, your coordination will improve. BetterMe app will provide you with a host of fat-frying fitness routines that’ll scare the extra pounds away and turn your body into a masterpiece! Think of hinging at the elbows rather than moving your arms up and down. This not only takes away from the effectiveness of the exercise but also puts you at risk of injuring your lower back. Build strength and conditioning at once with this joint-friendly landmine Olympic-style move. It is an excellent core workout as well, as it engages the core muscles when you lift your arms straight either towards the front or your sides. Biceps, abs and chest may give your upper body an enhanced look, but it all is a waste if your structure doesn't appear broad from the shoulders. Along with the other exercises mentioned in this article, they’re a very effective way to build broader, more shapely shoulders. This means they’re a valuable alternative to regular lateral raises. As an isolation exercise, dumbbell lateral raises target our deltoids – the rounded muscles on our upper arms. Performed correctly, leaning lateral raises directly target your medial or side deltoids, which are the muscles responsible for the width of your shoulders. Yes, performing cable lateral raises can help improve shoulder stability by strengthening the deltoids and surrounding muscles, contributing to overall shoulder health. Apart from forging chiseled muscles in the shoulders, the lateral raise also strengthens the rotator cuff independently. This exercise combines front and lateral raises to provide your shoulders with a great all-around workout that will also improve joint mobility and stability. The bent over lateral raise targets the posterior portion of your shoulders and also your upper back muscles. Dumbbell lateral raises aren't meant to be a warm up and should only be done after you've substantially worked out the other parts of your upper body. The move targets mainly your deltoids (the triangular muscles on top of your shoulders) and will create visible shoulder definition if that's your thing. The lateral raise requires a lot of strength due to the lever, so even low weights (especially at first) will offer a good training stimulus. The lateral raise is an awesome exercise that targets the middle part of your shoulders.

Should Lateral Raises Be Done Using A Bench Or Standing?

Yet for now, let’s dive into exactly how to perform this movement. It helps you achieve that lean, “toned”, defined look to your shoulders that so many people chase. Whether you are a beginner or an elite athlete, we are here to support your goals with trustworthy and up-to-date information in strength, fitness, and nutrition. He combines medical knowledge with a passion for fitness to provide readers with accurate and scientifically-backed advice on exercise, muscle building, and overall wellness. Lateral raises may look simple, but small adjustments can make a big difference in results. For endurance or toning, you can increase reps to 15–20 while keeping the weight lighter. The focus should be on slow, controlled movement rather than lifting heavy. Dumbbells between 2–5 kg (5–10 lbs) are usually enough to learn proper form and control. Resistance bands provide a smooth, joint-friendly tension throughout the exercise.

• When it comes to executing this exercise, a lot of people make the mistake of swinging their arms to the cross position.
• The exercise is exactly the same, except you sit on a bench while doing it.
• Shoot for 10 to 12 repetitions, and do one to three sets of exercises.
• Sitting down also prevents you using momentum to lift the weight, which can make the exercise more challenging to perform.
• Try moving the cable slightly higher up the tower, which should make this exercise easier by reducing tension at the bottom of the lift, where your shoulder is weakest, and shifting more of the effort to the stronger mid-range.
• Effective movements with progressive difficulty — perfect even for beginners.
• Using cables instead of free weights evens things out to provide smooth, consistent tension while the muscle works through its entire range of motion.

Mastering the lateral raise is a journey, not a destination. Slowly lift the dumbbells up, keeping your arms parallel to the ground and maintaining the slight bend in your elbows. Although it’s tempting to use heavy weights to build your shoulders, it’s best to resist this temptation. This way, the workload on your shoulder muscles is evenly distributed. Because the weight isn’t as far away from your body, it’s also easier for beginners to build up strength. Research shows that this version of the move engages your triceps, front deltoid, and upper traps in addition to working your medial deltoids. “Focus on keeping your shoulders down and relaxed throughout the movement,” Gallucci says. “This exercise is also a great exercise to rehab the shoulders from any previous injuries.” When perfecting your lateral raise form, it’s crucial to focus on specific techniques to ensure optimal muscle engagement and prevent injuries. When choosing weights for lateral raises, go for lighter options initially. To ensure you perform lateral raises correctly and maximize their benefits, there are specific requirements you need to meet. While this upper body exercise does engage the anterior and posterior delts, the side lateral raises rely most heavily on the middle deltoid muscles to get the job done. Typically performed with dumbbells, cables, or resistance bands, lateral raises work your medial deltoids to help give your shoulders that iconic cannonball look. The lateral raise is one of the best exercises to build strength and definition in the lateral (middle) deltoids, small triangular muscles located on top and side of the shoulder. A dumbbell side lateral raise strengthens your shoulders by targeting the deltoid muscles. You’ll typically see dumbbell rear lateral raises in bodybuilding splits targeting shoulders, as well as in assistance movements for powerlifters, strongwomen and strongmen, and weightlifters. Lateral raises are hard to master because they are isolation exercises that primarily target a single muscle. Before you start, make sure you learn how to do lateral raises correctly so you don't injure yourself. This exercise also helps strengthen the core muscles, because you need to engage and stabilize your core to do this exercise. It puts your lateral deltoid under tension through a greater portion of the range of motion. There are three distinct types of deltoid muscle, and a muscular torso is called a head. This creates significant torque at the shoulder, which is why even light weights can feel challenging. This exercise involves lifting the arms out to the sides against resistance. Dumbbells offer more versatility and require greater stabilization from supporting muscles. People who use bro splits will include the dumbbell seated lateral raise in their shoulder workout days. It also makes it easier to focus on isolating the deltoids to perform the exercise compared to the standing variation that can involve the trap muscles to a greater degree. Dumbbell lateral raises primarily target the lateral deltoid, isolating this head for well-rounded shoulder development. The information on our website is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied. This information is not advice and should not be treated as such. Disclaimer - Our website contains general health and fitness information. All exercise involves risk of injury, including serious injury or death. Of course, start with a weight and set range that is appropriate for your fitness level.