How to do lateral raises + form tips, variations and benefits
When it comes to building strong, stable shoulders, lateral raises are a staple exercise that hits the middle, or lateral, head of your deltoids (shoulder muscles), while your front deltoid and upper back (trapezius) play a supporting role.
You need your shoulders to perform important daily movements - such as reaching up and fetching your favourite skincare product from your shelf or picking up your yoga mat to go to a workout class - and to help protect against injury. So good shoulder mobility and strength are pretty crucial.
To do the move, you raise your arms out to the side away from your body. Lateral raises are therefore a great isolation exercise, meaning that you can use it to target one specific muscle group or joint - in this case, your shoulders. Think of them as as the icing on top of your compound-exercise, multiple-muscle-group-targeting cake.
WH brings you all the advice on lateral raises - AKA dumbbell lateral raises, side raises or side lat raises - including muscles worked, benefits and lateral raise variations.
Meet the expert: Becky Bowman is a Gympass personal trainer. Aimee Victoria Long is a PT and strength and conditioning coach. Kristin Swart is a biokineticist at the Panorama Intercare Medical Centre. Kelly Saunders is director of training for HIIT workout studio Switch Playground. Mapule Ndhlovu is a PT.
You should avoid doing lat raises if you have a shoulder injury. If you're not sure about incorporating them into your routine, consult a professional first.
Which muscles do lateral raises work?
Dumbbell lateral raises primarily work the shoulder muscle, or as the muscle group is officially known, the deltoids.
Your deltoid muscle comprises three ‘heads’ – a technical term to refer to the origin point of a muscle – the anterior (front), lateral (medial) and posterior (rear).
Lateral raises engage the medial and anterior deltoid heads, the muscles that extend alongside the side and fronts of your shoulders.
Lat raises therefore primarily work:
Lateral (side) deltoid
Anterior (front) deltoid
Upper back (trapezius)
What are the benefits of lateral raises?
Are lateral raises worth doing? You bet – particularly if it's strong, mobile shoulders you're after, says Gympass Personal Trainer, Becky Bowman. As they should be, given that your shoulder joint is one of the least stable in your entire body. Benefits of this exercise include:
1.Stronger deltoids (shoulders)
Doing lateral raises increases shoulder strength, particularly of the middle deltoid muscle, and can lead to stronger pushing force in shoulder exercises like the overhead press.
Studies suggest that the lateral raise result in a higher level of muscle activation in the medial deltoid in comparison to the bench press and dumbbell fly.
A study conducted on 10 participants found that lateral raises caused greater activation in the medial deltoid than when the upper arm was positioned at a different angle or when doing front raises. More research has also shown that horizontal abduction (movement away from the body's midline) exercises like the lateral raise provided the most engagement of the middle deltoid muscle.
2. Increases shoulder mobility
'A great benefit of lateral raises is that it improves overall shoulder strength by isolating the deltoid muscle and improving shoulder mobility,' Bowman says. You also increase flexibility because raising the arm away from your body stretches your shoulder joints and muscles through a large range of motion. One study backs this up, finding that shoulder exercises improve shoulder mobility and function.
3. Can help protect against shoulder injury
'Your shoulder is one of the least stable joints in your body and can be injured easily,' says Kristin Swart, a biokineticist at the Panorama Intercare Medical Centre. That’s because your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint – a precarious machine that could get hurt if overworked.
'Lateral raises strengthen your delts to reduce your injury risk,' says Kelly Saunders, director of training for HIIT workout studio Switch Playground.
Lateral raises were also included in a shoulder rehab programme featured in MD Edge, and in a study on women with chronic neck muscle pain, lateral raises and upright rows were used as alternatives to shrugs to offset neck pain.
4. Can improve posture, reducing shoulder pain
'Lateral raises are going to target your deltoids in your shoulders. If you have stronger shoulders you’re more likely to have a good posture', says PT and strength and conditioning coach, Aimee Victoria Long.
Shoulder ache can come from being slumped or sitting with bad posture for most of the day. Bad posture will therefore decrease shoulder pain. 'If you’re carrying yourself in a better manner because you’re stronger, you’ll soon see a decrease in the level of pain and ache you’re suffering from,' she explains.
Long recommends adding reverse flies and banded pull-aparts to your workouts, which target your shoulder blades, helping to pull back your shoulder muscles and improve your overall posture.
'As well as strengthening the shoulder and creating more stability it’s important to stretch. Make sure you’re adding 10 minutes of stretching to your day if you’re struggling from shoulder discomfort,' she says.
A study on patients with frequent neck and shoulder pain also demonstrated that performing two minutes of continual lateral raises five times a week resulted in pain reduction and an increase in shoulder strength.
5. Versatile
The movement can be performed with dumbbells, a resistance band or a cable machine. 'Plus, it’s the simplest, most beginner-friendly move out there,' says Saunders, because you simply raise your arms away from you to complete the move (see below for how to master your form).
Lateral raise form: how to do lateral raises
Dumbbell lateral raises are a simple move once you've got the hang of them. Here's a handy how to.
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, palms facing inwards.
Ensure your shoulders are relaxed (not raised), your abs are engaged (think tensing, as opposed to breathing in), and there’s a slight bend in your knees.
Retaining this posture, lift the dumbbells out to the sides with straight arms, going no higher than shoulder height.
Pause and check your stance – is your back still neutral and your tailbone tucked under? Is there a gentle bend at each elbow? 'It’s important to keep your shoulders away from your ears and legs still to ensure proper form,' Bowman adds.
Gradually (i.e. don't just let your arms fall back down, move with control) lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Repeat for 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
3 dumbbell lateral raise form mistakes
You're just lifting dumbbells up and down, right? Not hard to mess that up. Well, actually... as with many strength training moves, the devil is in the detail. Get around the three main signs you're performing lateral raises wrong.
1. Your back is arched
You’re putting your lower back in danger. Support yourself by bracing your core and keeping a neutral spine (no arching or rounding of the back) from the start to finish of each lateral raise.
2. You're swinging the weights
Stop. Your movement should be controlled movement without momentum. You'll notice this most when you bring the weights back down. If you’re struggling, try using a lighter weight.
3. You’re raising your shoulders
We've talked about this. This could strain your neck and those muscles on your collarbone. Keep them relaxed, and exhale as you lift – it’s like a deflating trick for your shoulders.
How to make dumbbell lateral raises harder
Worried that lateral raises are a little, well, basic? ‘People don’t like to do isolation exercises because they get bored,’ says PT Mapule Ndhlovu.
Her fix is to make it harder by testing your balance. Lift your left leg, then raise the weight in your right hand up and down, and repeat on the opposite side. You’ll be activating stabiliser muscles (hello, abs) you never knew you had.
Drop it slow: Lower the weight slowly, counting out six seconds. Feeling that burn? Good.
Turn it up: At the top of the lift, rotate your wrist, tipping the weight as if pouring water from a jug.
Circle it: Make small circles with your arms when they’re at shoulder height.
What weights should I use for lateral raises?
As always, it’s best to be more concerned with perfect form than with how heavy you can lift. Focus on nailing your lat raises without swinging the weights, arching your back or shrugging your shoulders. Then see what weight feels challenging but manageable when you've ticked all those boxes.
Another pro tip: start lighter than you think and adjust accordingly. As the shoulder muscle is working in isolation, this exercise should be a challenge. So, if the last few reps are as easy as the first few, then it might be time to think about upping the weight.
If dumbbells are a step too far then this exercise can be done with a long resistance band – under the feet and held in each hand – just as easily and to a similar effect.
What rep range is good for lat raises?
A good rep range for side lateral raises is three or four sets of 10-15 reps.
'Super-setting - performing two sets of exercises back to back - lat raises with a compound shoulder exercise is a great way to get a bigger bang for your buck,' Bowman says.
In other words, go straight into an upper-body move that also works the shoulders – like shoulder presses, Arnold presses or bent-over rows for a serious shoulder burn.
5 lateral raise variations
1.Cable lateral raises
Performing lateral raises with a cable pulley means you can maintain tension throughout the movement, as you raise and lower the cable. The exercise also shifts the hardest part of the rep from the top position (as in a dumbbell raise) to the bottom position. The cable also stretches the deltoid, changing the effect of the exercise.
Position a cable at the lowest point on the machine rack and attach a single handle.
Reach across your body and grab the handle with a neutral grip.
Keep the elbow slightly bent and pull the handle across your body, raising it to the side, with control.
Slowly lower the handle back to the starting position, also with control.
2. Resistance band lateral raise
These can be considered a modification of lateral raises with dumbbells.
Place the resistance band under both feet or one foot).
Grasp the ends of the band with your palms facing inwards.
Engage your core muscles. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise both arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder level and your palms facing the floor.
Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
You can increase the difficulty by decreasing the length of the band by your feet further apart.
3. Seated lateral raise
This variation forces you to keep your torso in an upright, stable position and keeps your from swinging.
Sit on a bench with dumbbells in your hands. Keep a slight bend in your arms and an upright torso position.
Raise the dumbbells out to your sides and slightly back. Continue until your arms are parallel to the ground, maintaining a slight bend.
Lower the dumbbells slowly to the starting position.
4. Dumbbell front raise
Similar to the lateral raise, this exercise works your front deltoids because of the angle at which you're raising the weight, while still being a great shoulder-isolation movement.
Lift the weights upward while inhaling. Your arms are extended, palms facing down, with a slight bend in the elbows to reduce stress on the joints.
Pause briefly when your arms are horizontal to the floor at shoulder height.
Lower the dumbbells to the starting position (at the thighs) with a slow and controlled motion while exhaling.
5. Leaning lateral raise
This is a more challenging variation of the standard lateral raise where you change the angle of your body. You therefore increase the distance your arm needs to travel, making for a longer range of motion and therefore allowing for more time under tension.
Grab a sturdy surface for support, like a frame, pillar or a closed door and your feet close to the surface. Lean away from the fixed support so the arm holding on is straight.
Hold the dumbbell in the other arm.
Tense your core, lift your chest and raise the dumbbell with a straight arm just past shoulder height.
Pause at the top of the rep before slowly lowering the weight to the start position.
You can also do this variation seated, on an incline bench.
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