How to Do Lateral Raises: Proper Form for Wider Shoulders (Plus Variations)

If you want broader-looking shoulders, the lateral raise is the exercise most lifters turn to. It is simple, needs only a pair of light dumbbells or a cable, and is one of the most searched shoulder exercises online. It is also one of the most commonly performed with sloppy form: too much weight, too much swing, and not enough shoulder. This guide covers how to do lateral raises properly, how high to lift, common mistakes, the best variations, how to program them and why this is one exercise where you can leave most of your gear in the bag.

What Muscles Does the Lateral Raise Work?

The lateral raise targets the side (lateral) head of the deltoid, the part of the shoulder that gives the upper body width from the front. The front and rear delts and the upper traps assist, and the muscles around the shoulder blade help stabilize. Because pressing movements like the bench and overhead press mostly train the front delts, lateral raises fill a gap in many programs.

How to Do the Lateral Raise: Step by Step

1. Choose a light weight

Pick dumbbells much lighter than you would use for presses. Most lifters use a fraction of their pressing weight.

2. Stand tall

Stand with feet about hip-width apart, a slight bend in the knees, and dumbbells at your sides or slightly in front of your thighs. Brace your core.

3. Set a soft elbow

Keep a slight bend in your elbows and lock that angle in for the whole set.

4. Lean slightly forward

A small forward lean from the hips, with the dumbbells just in front of your body, lines the movement up with the side delts for many people.

5. Raise out to the sides

Lift the dumbbells out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows rather than your hands. Think about pushing the weights away from you toward the walls.

6. Stop around shoulder height

Raise until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor. Going much higher shifts work to the traps.

7. Lower slowly

Lower the dumbbells under control over two to three seconds. Do not let them drop or bounce off your thighs.

Common Lateral Raise Mistakes

• Too much weight. Heavy dumbbells force you to swing. Drop the weight and own every rep.
• Shrugging. If your traps take over, lower the weight, keep your shoulders down, and stop at shoulder height.
• Swinging the torso. Some momentum on the last rep or two is fine; using it on every rep is not.
• Leading with the hands. Lead with the elbows so the delts do the lifting.
• Arms too straight or too bent. A slight, fixed elbow bend works best. Bending more each rep turns it into a different movement.
• Rushing the lowering phase. The descent is half the work. Control it.

Lateral Raise Variations

Cable lateral raise

A cable keeps tension on the delt through the whole range, including the bottom. Stand side-on to a low pulley and raise across your body. An ankle strap cuff around the wrist is a handy attachment.

Seated lateral raise

Sitting removes leg drive and makes it harder to cheat.

Leaning lateral raise

Hold a post or rack with one hand and lean away while raising with the other. It changes where the exercise is hardest.

Machine lateral raise

A guided machine makes it easy to stay strict and progress in small steps.

Partial reps

Some lifters add a few partial reps at the end of a set once full reps get hard.

Why Lateral Raises Feel So Hard With Light Weights

The side delt is a relatively small muscle working on a long lever: your whole arm. Even a light dumbbell creates a lot of resistance when your arm is straight out to the side. That is why strict lateral raises with modest weights can feel harder than heavy presses, and why ego-lifting heavy dumbbells usually just turns the movement into a swing.

How Heavy Should Lateral Raises Be?

Lighter than you think. A useful rule: if you cannot pause briefly with your arms at shoulder height, the weight is too heavy. Many experienced lifters use dumbbells in the 10 to 30 lb range for strict sets. When you can do the top of your rep range with a pause on every rep, move up to the next dumbbell. If that jump is too big, stay at the current weight and add a set or slow the lowering phase.

Where to Put Lateral Raises in Your Workout

Because they are a small, isolated movement, lateral raises are usually best after your heavy presses, when you no longer need to save energy for big lifts. Some lifters like to do a light set or two before pressing as a warm-up for the shoulders. On a push day, a common order is a heavy press, an incline press, lateral raises, then triceps. On an upper or shoulder day, you might pair them with face pulls or rear delt flyes in a superset to save time and balance the front and back of the shoulders.

Mind-Muscle Tips

• Imagine your hands are hooks and the elbows are doing the lifting.
• Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears.
• Pause for a moment at the top.
• Try one arm at a time, holding a rack with the other hand, to focus on each side.

Lateral Raises for Beginners

If you are new, start with a pair of very light dumbbells and focus on the path: slight lean, soft elbows, lead with the elbows, stop at shoulder height. Two sets of 15 at the end of your upper-body sessions is plenty for the first few weeks.

Warming Up the Shoulders

Lateral raises use light loads, so the warm-up can be short. A dozen band pull-aparts and some slow arm circles get the shoulders moving. Then do a set of 15 with dumbbells about half your working weight, pausing for a beat at the top of each rep to rehearse the stop point. If raises follow heavy overhead pressing, your shoulders are already warm and that one light set is enough.

How to Program the Lateral Raise

Lateral raises respond well to moderate and high rep ranges, around 10 to 20 reps, for 2 to 4 sets. They are low-fatigue, so you can train them two or three times a week, often at the end of push or upper-body days. Because the weights are light, small dumbbell jumps can feel big; build reps first before increasing weight.

Sample session

• Overhead press: 4 x 5. See how to overhead press.
• Incline dumbbell press: 3 x 8-10
• Lateral raise: 4 x 12-15
• Face pulls: 3 x 15. See how to do face pulls.
• Triceps pushdowns: 3 x 12

Making Light Weights Harder Over Time

The jump from a 15 lb to a 20 lb dumbbell is a 33 percent increase, far bigger than adding a plate to a squat. That is why lateral raises reward rep progression: stay at one weight until you can do 15 to 20 clean, paused reps, then move up and drop back to 10 or 12. Cable raises make smaller jumps possible, and adding a fourth set or a final drop set are other ways to push. Write down the cable machine or dumbbell used so you are comparing like with like.

Do You Need Gear for Lateral Raises?

Not really. A pair of dumbbells or a cable is all this exercise needs, and the loads are too light for straps or belts to matter. Where gear does come in is the heavy pressing that usually comes earlier in the same session. If you overhead press or bench before your raises, Bay Gear Co. wrist wraps (18", poly-cotton blend with a thumb loop and hook-and-loop closure, $28.99) can support your wrists on those top sets. Take them off before you start raising so your hands stay relaxed.

Lateral Raise FAQ

How high should I raise the dumbbells?

To about shoulder height, with arms roughly parallel to the floor.

Should my thumbs point up or down?

Keep your hands neutral or slightly turned so your thumbs are level with or a bit above your pinkies. Pouring a jug is an old cue that many people find uncomfortable.

Why do I feel lateral raises in my traps?

Usually from going too heavy, shrugging, or raising too high. Lighten the weight and stop at shoulder height.

Cable or dumbbell?

Both work. Cables keep tension at the bottom; dumbbells are simple and available anywhere. Many lifters use both.

How often should I do lateral raises?

Two to three times a week works well because they are low-fatigue.

The Bottom Line

Good lateral raises are light, strict and controlled: soft elbows, a slight forward lean, lead with the elbows, stop at shoulder height and lower slowly. Use moderate to high reps, train them often, and progress patiently.

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