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Push · Dumbbells or cable

Lateral raise: form, load and sets

Shoulder width comes almost entirely from the side delt, and the side delt only responds when you stop swinging and start controlling.

Muscles worked: Lateral deltoid, Supraspinatus

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How to do it

  1. Stand with a slight forward lean, dumbbells at your sides, elbows softly bent.
  2. Raise the arms out to the sides, leading with the elbows, not the hands.
  3. Stop at shoulder height — going higher hands the work to the traps.
  4. Pause for a beat, then lower over three seconds against the resistance.
  5. Keep the shoulders down and away from the ears for every rep.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Going too heavy and using hip drive to launch the weight.
  • Shrugging at the top so the traps take over.
  • Dropping the weights back down with no control, which skips half the work.

Sets and reps

GoalPrescription
Size3–4 sets of 12–20 reps, 45–60s rest
Finisher2 sets of 20 light reps with a one-second hold at the top
FrequencyTwo to three sessions a week — the side delt recovers fast

Swaps and alternatives

  • Cable lateral raise — Tension at the bottom where dumbbells have none.
  • Machine lateral raise — Zero momentum, easy to push near failure.
  • Upright row to chest height — Adds trap and delt work together.

Common questions

What people ask about lateral raise

This guide covers lateral raise form, how to do lateral raises correctly, lateral raise muscles worked, lateral raise sets and reps for muscle growth, dumbbells or cable lateral deltoid exercise and the swaps to run when a rack or bench is taken.

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