Shoulders · Isolation

Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

A lateral deltoid isolation exercise performed seated to eliminate momentum and focus strictly on the side delts. Sitting down removes the hip bump and body sway that standing raises drift into, so every rep is exactly as strong as your delts are. Expect to use less weight than standing, and expect the sets to be more productive for it.

By Macros Inc Team Verified by Alex Dedmon Updated August 2026

Beginner Dumbbell Isolation
seated-dumbbell-lateral-raise-poster
  • Level Beginner
  • Equipment Dumbbell
  • Primary Muscles Side Delts
  • Movement Isolation

Demonstration

Watch the Form Demo

Technique

How to Do the Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

  1. Sit tall on an upright bench with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Press your back against the pad and brace lightly.
  3. Raise both dumbbells out to the sides, leading with your elbows.
  4. Stop at shoulder height and pause for a beat.
  5. Lower over two to three seconds back to your sides.
  6. Start each rep from a complete standstill.

Anatomy

Muscles Worked

shoulders
Primary muscles
Side Delts

Do This

Form Cues

  • Sit tall against the backrest so the torso cannot swing.
  • Raise to shoulder height, leading with the elbows.
  • Tip the little fingers up very slightly at the top.
  • The dead stop at the bottom is the reason you sat down. Never bounce out of it.

Avoid This

Common Mistakes

  • Shrugging the shoulders as the dumbbells rise.
  • Raising above shoulder height, which hands the work to the traps.
  • Bouncing off the bottom rather than starting each rep from a dead stop.
  • Using your standing raise weight and jerking it up, which reintroduces the momentum the bench removed.

More to Explore

Variations & Related Exercises

Variations of this lift

Trains the same muscles

Put It Into Practice

Workouts Featuring This Lift

Intermediate Guide 5-Day Dumbbell Split

5-Day Dumbbell Split

A five-day body-part split you can run with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, training chest, back, shoulders, arms, and…

Duration 8 Weeks
Frequency 5x / Week
Level Intermediate
Read guide →
Intermediate Guide Dumbbell Shoulder Workout

Dumbbell Shoulder Workout

A dumbbell shoulder session that builds all three heads of the delts, using presses and raises for rounder, stronger, broader…

Duration 8 Weeks
Frequency 2x / Week
Level Intermediate
Read guide →