Dumbbell Lateral Raise
A standing shoulder exercise in which both arms lift out to the sides against dumbbell resistance. It emphasizes shoulder abduction, with the side deltoids producing the main arm movement.
- Body part
- Shoulders: all exercises
- Movement
- Abduction: all exercises
- Equipment
- Dumbbell: all exercises
What it trains
- Lateral Deltoid, Primary, 85%
- Serratus Anterior, Secondary, 50%
- Rear Deltoid, Secondary, 50%
- Lower Trapezius, Secondary, 50%
- Upper Trapezius, Secondary, 50%
- Front Deltoid, Secondary, 50%
How to perform
Stand evenly on both feet with a dumbbell beside each thigh.
Set a small bend in the elbows and keep your torso still.
Raise both arms out to the sides to about shoulder height.
Pause without lifting the shoulders toward your ears.
Lower the dumbbells along the same arc to the sides of your thighs.
Tips
Use a load that does not require a leg drive or torso swing.
Keep the wrists aligned with the forearms.
Let the shoulder blades move naturally as the arms rise.
Exhale during the raise and inhale during the lowering.
Common mistakes
Swinging the dumbbells with the legs or trunk.
Shrugging to finish the raise.
Changing the elbow angle substantially during each repetition.
Dropping the weights on the return.
Related exercises
Variations · 3
Band Lateral Raise
The standing bilateral lateral-raise pattern is retained, but elastic resistance replaces dumbbell free-weight resistance.
Cable Lateral Raise
The standing shoulder-abduction pattern uses one arm and cable resistance rather than simultaneous bilateral dumbbells.
Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raise
The same bilateral dumbbell shoulder-abduction pattern uses seated rather than standing support.
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