Swinging the weights
Use lighter dumbbells and lift with the shoulders, not a hip or knee bounce.
Isolation · Dumbbells
Lateral Raise
The dumbbell lateral raise lifts the arms out to the sides to about shoulder height. It is the most direct exercise for the side delts, which give the shoulders width, and suits anyone who wants broader-looking shoulders.
- Primary
- Side Delts
- Starting rep range
- 12–20 reps
- Target effort
- 1 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 1 kg jumps
Muscles worked
The side delts raise the arm out to the side. The upper traps assist if you shrug or go far above shoulder height, so keep the shoulders down to keep the work on the delts.
How to set up
- Stand tall holding light dumbbells at your sides.
- Lean very slightly forward from the hips.
- Keep a soft bend in your elbows.
- Set your shoulders down away from your ears.
How to do each rep
- Raise the dumbbells out to the sides, leading with your elbows.
- Stop around shoulder height, with hands roughly level with elbows.
- Pause briefly, then lower slowly over 2-3 seconds.
- Keep the body still; avoid swinging the weight up.
Common lateral raise mistakes
Shrugging up
Keep shoulders down and think about pushing the dumbbells out to the walls.
Going too heavy
Pick a weight you can raise to shoulder height for 12-20 controlled reps.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the lateral raise at 12–20 reps with about 1 reps in reserve. As an isolation exercise it fits well after your main compound lifts.
Progress reps in a 12-20 range before moving up, since even a 5 lb jump is a large percentage increase. Add sets over time and consider cable raises for more even tension.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Lateral Raise alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Programs that use it
Push Pull Legs (6-Day PPL)6 days a week · intermediateUpper/Lower Split (4 Days)4 days a week · beginner3-Day Full Body Workout3 days a week · beginnerArnold Split (6 Days)6 days a week · advanced5-Day Bro Split5 days a week · intermediatePPL + Upper/Lower Hybrid (5 Days)5 days a week · intermediate
Questions
How heavy should lateral raises be?
Lighter than most people think. A weight you can lift strictly to shoulder height for 12-20 reps works far better than heavy swinging.
Should lateral raises go above shoulder height?
Shoulder height is a good stopping point for most people. Going higher brings in more upper traps, which is fine if comfortable but not needed for side delts.