Muscles worked
The lateral raise isolates your side delts, the middle part of the deltoid, which lifts your arm out to the side and gives your shoulders their width. Your front delts help, especially if your arms travel slightly in front of your body, and the supraspinatus, one of the rotator cuff muscles, also helps lift the arm. Your upper traps hold your shoulder blade steady and take more of the work the higher you lift and the more you shrug. Many find it more comfortable with the arms slightly forward rather than straight out to the side.
Common mistakes
- Bending your elbows more and more during the set. That shortens the lever and makes the lift easier than it looks. Keep the same slight bend from the first rep to the last, and pick lighter dumbbells if you cannot.
- Letting your hands rise above your elbows. Think about lifting with your elbows and let your hands follow, level with your elbows or just below.
- Pouring the jug. Turning your hand so your little finger points up is an old tip, but many people find it uncomfortable in the shoulder. Keep your hand roughly level at the top, palm facing the floor.
Variations and alternatives
- Cable lateral raises train one arm at a time, and the cable gives resistance at the bottom of the movement too, where dumbbells feel light.
- Machine lateral raises have a fixed path, so good form is easier to keep when you get tired.
- Lying lateral raises are done lying on your side, where the resistance is greatest at the start of the lift.
- Band lateral raises are an option at home with a resistance band.
Sets and reps
Lateral raises work best with light weights and higher reps. 10 to 20 reps is common, and for most people 12 to 15 works well, over three or four sets. Heavy sets of 3 to 6 reps make no sense here: cheating takes over long before your side delts tire. The guide to sets and reps has more on this.
The steps between dumbbells are large relative to the weight. Going from 6 to 8 kg is an increase of a third, which is why more reps are the natural way to apply progressive overload here. Stay with the same dumbbells until you reach the top of your range on every set, and consider adding a set before you move up.