Dumbbell Lateral Raises

How to do it

1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
2. Soften your elbows and keep that angle fixed for the whole set.
3. Raise both arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder height - no higher.
4. Lead with your elbows, not your hands, and keep your wrists level with your elbows.
5. Lower slowly. If you have to swing to start the rep, drop the weight - this muscle responds to control, not load.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

How it compares

Compared with the Cable Lateral Raises, it loads every muscle to the same degree. It needs Dumbbells where the other uses Cable machine. Compared with the Seated Dumbbell Press, it loads Front delts 90 points lower, Side delts 50 points higher, Triceps 45 points lower. It needs Dumbbells where the other uses Dumbbells + Bench.

Other ways to train this

• Cable Lateral Raises Cable machine
• Seated Lateral Raises DumbbellsBench
• Plate-Loaded Lateral Raise Plate-loaded machine
• Barbell Upright Row BarbellIntermediate
• Cable Upright Row Cable machineIntermediate
• Kettlebell Sumo High Pull KettlebellsIntermediate
• Side-Lying Lateral Raise DumbbellsBench
• One-Arm Plate-Loaded Lateral Raise Plate-loaded machine
• Smith Machine Upright Row Smith machine
• Kettlebell Halo Kettlebells
• Machine Lateral Raise Machines

Other exercises for the Side delts

• Seated Dumbbell Press 50% DumbbellsBench
• Arnold Press 50% DumbbellsBenchIntermediate
• Dumbbell Push Press 50% DumbbellsIntermediate
• Standing Dumbbell Press 45% DumbbellsIntermediate

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.