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Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
How to do the Dumbbell Lateral Raise with good form: step-by-step technique, the muscles it works (delts), coaching cues and the mistakes to avoid.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Delts
- Secondary
- Traps
How to do it
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, resting lightly on your outer thighs with a neutral grip.
- Brace your core, pinch your shoulder blades slightly together, and maintain a very slight bend in your elbows.
- Raise the dumbbells out to your sides, moving your arms slightly forward in the scapular plane (about 15 to 30 degrees in front of your body).
- Lead the movement with your elbows, pouring the dumbbells out slightly at the top as if pouring pitchers of water.
- Stop when your arms are parallel to the floor, squeezing the side of your shoulders.
- Lower the dumbbells under strict control back to the starting position.
Coaching cues
- Raise in the scapular plane (slightly forward)
- Lead with the elbows
- Pour the pitchers of water
Common mistakes
- Raising the arms perfectly straight out to the sides (frontal plane), which can cause shoulder impingement
- Swinging the torso backward to generate momentum
- Shrugging the shoulders up to the ears, shifting the work to the traps
Equipment and setup
Dumbbells
Standing tall holding dumbbells at the sides.
Also known as: Side Lateral Raise, Side Raises
Track your Dumbbell Lateral Raise in ROAN
ROAN fills in last session’s weight and reps, estimates your 1RM and keeps your best sets.
