Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Set a slight fixed bend in your elbows.
- Raise both dumbbells out to the sides, leading with your elbows.
- Stop at shoulder height, with elbows level with or just above the wrists.
- Pause for a beat at the top.
- Lower over two to three seconds back to your sides.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Raise to shoulder height with the elbows slightly higher than the wrists.
- Keep a fixed small bend in the elbow.
- Lower under control rather than letting the arms drop.
- Pour the water: tilt the pinky side slightly up at the top, as if emptying two jugs.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Swinging the torso to launch the dumbbells.
- Shrugging so the traps take over from the side delts.
- Going heavier than the side delt can actually handle, which causes both of the above.
- Chasing dumbbell size. Side delts respond to strict reps and total volume, not to swinging heavier metal.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Barbell Upright Row
Dumbbell Front Raise
Trains the same muscles
Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press
Assisted Machine Dip
Band Pull Apart
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Overhead Press
Bear Crawl
Put It Into Practice
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