Lateral raises look simple: hold a weight in each hand and lift your arms out to the sides. Yet this basic shoulder exercise is surprisingly easy to perform poorly. Too much weight, swinging, shrugging, or an awkward arm path can shift tension away from the muscles you actually want to train.
Lateral raises are an isolation exercise that primarily targets the lateral, or middle, head of the deltoid. You perform them by raising your arms away from your body against resistance, usually until the upper arms approach shoulder height. Dumbbells, cables, resistance bands, and dedicated machines can all be used effectively.
The exercise is particularly useful when your goal is stronger, more developed shoulders. Research also supports lateral raises as an effective way to stimulate the lateral deltoid, although technique and sensible loading matter more than simply lifting the heaviest weight possible.
What Are Lateral Raises?
Lateral raises—also called side lateral raises or side raises—are a single-joint shoulder exercise built around shoulder abduction. In simple terms, abduction means moving your upper arm away from the side of your torso.
The movement usually starts with your arms close to your body. You then lift them outward against resistance before lowering them under control.
Unlike an overhead press, which involves movement at both the shoulder and elbow joints, lateral raises keep elbow movement relatively small. That makes them useful for placing more focused stress on the deltoids.
Most people associate the exercise with dumbbells, but several versions exist:
- Dumbbell lateral raises
- Cable lateral raises
- Machine lateral raises
- Resistance-band lateral raises
- Seated lateral raises
- Single-arm lateral raises
- Leaning or lean-away lateral raises
- Bent-arm lateral raises
They all use roughly the same basic movement pattern, but the resistance profile and stability requirements differ.
What Muscles Do Lateral Raises Work?
The main muscle targeted during lateral raises is the lateral deltoid, commonly called the side delt or medial delt.
Your deltoid is the large shoulder muscle covering the top of the upper arm. It is generally divided into three functional regions:
| Deltoid region | Main role | Involvement in lateral raises |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior deltoid | Raises the arm forward and assists pressing | Secondary |
| Lateral deltoid | Raises the arm away from the body | Primary |
| Posterior deltoid | Moves the arm backward and assists external rotation | Secondary/variable |
The upper trapezius and other muscles around the shoulder blade also contribute to moving and stabilizing the shoulder complex.
Research examining different lateral raise variations has found substantial medial deltoid activation during the movement, although changing humeral rotation and elbow position can alter how strongly different muscles participate.
Why the lateral deltoid matters
The lateral deltoid contributes significantly to the visual width of the shoulders. Developing this muscle can create a broader appearance when viewed from the front or back.
It also has a practical function. Shoulder abduction occurs whenever you move an arm outward from your torso, so strengthening the muscles involved can support general upper-body strength and movement.
Lateral raises shouldn’t be treated as a complete shoulder program, however. Pressing exercises, pulling movements, rear-delt work, and appropriate rotator cuff training can all have a place in a balanced routine.
How to Do Lateral Raises With Proper Form
For the standard dumbbell version, start lighter than you think you need. The lateral deltoid is relatively small compared with the larger muscle groups involved in exercises such as rows, bench presses, or squats.
Step-by-step technique
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand.
Keep your feet around hip- to shoulder-width apart and your knees relaxed rather than rigidly locked. - Brace your torso.
Maintain a neutral spine, lightly tighten your abdominal muscles, and avoid excessive arching through the lower back. - Keep a small bend in your elbows.
Your arms do not need to be perfectly straight. Maintain approximately the same elbow angle throughout each repetition. - Position your arms slightly forward.
Instead of raising them directly sideways in a perfect straight line, many lifters find it comfortable to work slightly forward of the torso, closer to the natural scapular plane. - Raise your arms smoothly.
Move the dumbbells outward while keeping your torso stable. Think about leading the movement with your elbows rather than throwing the weights upward with your hands. - Stop around shoulder height.
For a standard repetition, your upper arms can finish approximately parallel with the floor. You don’t need to force them much higher. - Lower the dumbbells under control.
Resist gravity instead of simply dropping your arms back to the starting position. - Repeat without swinging.
Each repetition should look similar to the one before it.
The movement should feel deliberate. If you need to bounce your knees or throw your torso around to start each repetition, the resistance is probably too heavy for strict lateral raises.
Quick Takeaway: Use manageable resistance, maintain a slight elbow bend, raise your arms smoothly to around shoulder level, and control the lowering phase. Your shoulders should move the weight—not momentum from your hips and torso.
Should Lateral Raises Be Directly Out to the Side?
Not necessarily.
The name can make people think the arms must travel exactly 90 degrees sideways relative to the torso. In practice, allowing the arms to move slightly forward can create a comfortable path that better follows the scapular plane.
Your shoulder blade does not sit completely flat against the back of your rib cage. Because of its natural orientation, raising the arms somewhat forward of a perfectly lateral position can feel more natural for many people.
Men’s Health, for example, recommends positioning the arms roughly 20–30 degrees forward rather than forcing them directly sideways.
Individual anatomy differs, so there is no need to obsess over an exact angle. A comfortable path that lets you control the exercise without pain is more useful than forcing yourself into an arbitrary geometric position.
How High Should You Raise the Dumbbells?
Shoulder height is a practical stopping point for conventional lateral raises.
That means your upper arms, rather than necessarily your hands, finish around parallel to the floor.
Going dramatically higher isn’t required to make the exercise effective. As your arms move upward, the mechanics of the shoulder girdle continue changing and the trapezius becomes increasingly involved.
This doesn’t mean the trapezius must remain completely inactive—it naturally participates in shoulder-girdle movement. The goal is simply to prevent shrugging from becoming the dominant strategy for getting the weights up.
If your shoulders rise toward your ears before your arms reach shoulder height, reduce the weight and concentrate on controlled shoulder abduction.
The Best Hand and Wrist Position
One of the oldest lateral raise cues is to imagine “pouring water from a pitcher” by turning your thumbs downward at the top.
That cue deserves caution.
Internally rotating the humerus changes muscular recruitment. A 2020 electromyography study of competitive bodybuilders compared several lateral raise positions and found that arm rotation affected activation across the deltoid, upper trapezius, and other measured muscles.
That doesn’t mean greater EMG activity automatically makes a variation superior for muscle growth. EMG measures electrical activity during an exercise; it isn’t a direct measurement of long-term hypertrophy.
For most people, a neutral or slightly externally rotated position is a straightforward option. Your palms can face mostly downward or slightly forward as your arms rise, with the wrists remaining neutral.
Avoid dramatically bending the wrists or aggressively forcing your thumbs toward the floor.
Benefits of Lateral Raises
They directly train the side delts
Many compound upper-body exercises involve the deltoids, but they don’t necessarily distribute stress evenly across all three regions.
Pressing exercises generally involve substantial anterior deltoid work. Lateral raises give you a simple way to add more direct training for the lateral portion.
They can help build broader-looking shoulders
Because the lateral deltoid sits on the outside of the shoulder, increasing its muscular size can contribute to greater shoulder width.
That makes lateral raises popular in bodybuilding and hypertrophy-oriented programs.
Heavy weights aren’t necessary
Lateral raises have a long lever arm: the resistance sits relatively far away from the shoulder joint. Even modest dumbbells can therefore produce considerable torque at the shoulder.
This is why someone capable of pressing heavy dumbbells overhead may still use relatively light weights for strict lateral raises.
They require little equipment
A pair of dumbbells is enough. You can also perform versions with resistance bands, cables, or machines.
The 2026 American College of Sports Medicine resistance-training guidance emphasizes that effective resistance exercise does not depend on sophisticated equipment; bands, free weights, machines, and other approaches can all be useful depending on the goal and individual.
Common Lateral Raise Mistakes
Technique often deteriorates gradually during a set. The first few repetitions look controlled, and by the final reps the movement has turned into a full-body swing.
Here are the problems worth watching.
1. Using too much weight
This is probably the most common mistake.
When the dumbbells are too heavy, you may compensate by bending your knees, rocking your torso, shrugging, or dramatically bending your elbows.
The number printed on the dumbbell isn’t the goal. The resistance should be heavy enough to challenge your deltoids while still allowing repeatable technique.
2. Swinging the dumbbells
Momentum changes the exercise.
If you thrust your hips or rock backward to launch the weights upward, other parts of your body are helping overcome the most difficult portion of the repetition.
For strict lateral raises, keep your torso quiet and let the shoulder muscles initiate the movement.
3. Shrugging excessively
Some trapezius involvement is normal because shoulder abduction involves coordinated movement of the humerus and scapula.
The problem occurs when every repetition starts with a pronounced shrug.
Think about keeping your neck long and avoiding deliberately pulling your shoulders toward your ears.
4. Lifting too high
More range of motion isn’t automatically better.
Raising your arms far beyond the position you can comfortably control may turn the exercise into something different from the side-delt-focused movement you intended.
Shoulder height provides a simple reference point for most conventional lateral raise repetitions.
5. Locking the elbows
Keeping the elbows completely locked creates a longer lever and can make the exercise unnecessarily uncomfortable.
Maintain a small, consistent bend instead.
The key word is consistent. Don’t start with nearly straight arms and progressively turn the movement into a bent-elbow raise as you become tired.
6. Dropping the weight
The lowering, or eccentric, phase is still part of the repetition.
Don’t relax as soon as the dumbbells reach the top. Lower them smoothly until you return to your starting position.
7. Chasing a burn instead of good repetitions
Lateral raises often produce a strong burning sensation because relatively small muscles are working continuously.
The burn itself isn’t proof that your technique is correct.
Judge the set by control, range of motion, progression, and how well you can maintain the intended movement pattern.
How Many Lateral Raises Should You Do?
There is no mandatory lateral raise rep range.
Because the movement doesn’t require maximal loads to challenge the shoulders, moderate and higher repetition ranges are often practical. For example, 10–20 controlled repetitions per set can work well for many recreational lifters, provided the set is genuinely challenging.
A beginner might start with two or three sets and learn the movement before adding more volume.
For people specifically training for muscle growth, total weekly training volume matters more than finding one magical repetition number. ACSM’s updated 2026 resistance-training guidance highlights approximately 10 weekly sets per muscle group as a useful hypertrophy-oriented volume target, while also emphasizing individualization rather than rigid programming rules.
Remember that this refers to overall training volume. It doesn’t mean you need 10 sets of lateral raises alone. Your shoulders may also receive work from overhead presses and other upper-body exercises.
A simple starting approach
For general shoulder training, something like this is reasonable:
| Experience | Sets | Reps | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 2–3 | 10–15 | Learn controlled technique |
| Intermediate | 3–4 | 10–20 | Progressive overload and consistency |
| Advanced | Individualized | Variable | Manage total weekly delt volume |
Treat these as practical examples rather than universal prescriptions.
How Heavy Should You Go?
Choose a resistance that lets you complete your target repetitions without obvious compensation.
Your final repetitions can be difficult, but difficult shouldn’t mean chaotic.
A useful test is simple: if you cannot initiate the movement without throwing your hips, bending your knees, or shrugging hard, reduce the weight.
Progress doesn’t have to mean adding another dumbbell immediately. You can improve by:
- Performing more controlled repetitions with the same weight
- Increasing repetitions within your chosen range
- Adding an appropriate set
- Improving your range of motion
- Reducing unnecessary momentum
- Eventually increasing resistance
This matters with lateral raises because dumbbell jumps can be proportionally large. Moving from a 5 kg dumbbell to a 7.5 kg dumbbell, for example, is a 50% increase in external load.
Smaller weight increments can therefore be particularly useful.
Dumbbell vs. Cable Lateral Raises
Both are excellent options, but they don’t feel identical.
With a dumbbell, gravity pulls straight downward. Resistance relative to the shoulder therefore changes throughout the movement. The bottom portion is relatively easy, while the exercise becomes substantially harder as your arm approaches horizontal.
A low cable can maintain meaningful tension through a different portion of the movement because the cable’s line of pull isn’t simply vertical.
| Feature | Dumbbell lateral raise | Cable lateral raise |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Dumbbells | Cable station |
| Setup | Very simple | Requires pulley adjustment |
| Resistance | Changes considerably through ROM | More continuous resistance |
| Unilateral training | Easy | Excellent |
| Home training | Very practical | Less practical |
| Side-delt hypertrophy | Effective | Effective |
So, are cable lateral raises better?
Current evidence doesn’t establish a meaningful hypertrophy advantage for either option. A 2025 study followed 24 resistance-trained men and women for eight weeks, with participants performing dumbbell lateral raises with one arm and cable lateral raises with the other. Lateral deltoid muscle thickness increased by roughly 3.3% to 4.6%, and researchers concluded that both versions produced similar hypertrophy.
That makes exercise preference, equipment availability, comfort, and progression perfectly reasonable reasons to choose one over the other.
Quick Takeaway: You don’t need to choose between dumbbells and cables based on claims that one is universally superior. Both can build the lateral deltoid when trained consistently with appropriate effort.
Machine Lateral Raises
A lateral raise machine provides another useful option.
Instead of holding resistance in your hands, you typically position your arms against pads and raise your elbows outward.
The fixed setup reduces some of the stabilization demands associated with free weights. This can make it easier to concentrate on shoulder abduction, particularly when you’re already fatigued.
Machines also make changing resistance straightforward.
The trade-off is that the predetermined movement path may not feel equally comfortable for everyone. Adjust the seat and pads carefully so the machine’s pivot and your shoulder movement feel natural.
Machine versus free weight isn’t a question of “good” versus “bad.” The 2026 ACSM review found that equipment type did not consistently determine outcomes for average healthy adults.
Useful Lateral Raise Variations
Changing the exercise occasionally can help you find a version that suits your anatomy, equipment, and training goals.
Seated lateral raises
Sitting removes some opportunities to generate momentum with your legs.
That makes seated raises useful when you have a habit of turning standing repetitions into a full-body movement.
You may need lighter dumbbells than you use standing.
Single-arm lateral raises
Training one side at a time lets you focus entirely on one shoulder.
It also makes cable setups particularly convenient and can help you notice differences in control between your left and right sides.
Bent-arm lateral raises
Bending the elbows shortens the lever arm, making a given weight easier to control.
This variation can be useful for someone learning the movement, although the mechanics aren’t identical to the straight-arm version.
Verywell Fit specifically presents the bent-arm version as a modification of conventional lateral raises.
Resistance-band lateral raises
Bands are convenient for home workouts and travel.
Resistance generally increases as the band stretches, so the movement becomes progressively harder toward the upper portion.
Stand securely on the band and choose a resistance level that allows smooth movement.
Lean-away cable lateral raises
Holding a stable support and leaning slightly away from a cable machine changes the starting position and resistance profile.
This is better treated as a variation than as a mandatory “advanced” version. Conventional cable raises work perfectly well.
Lateral Raises vs. Front Raises
These exercises may look similar, but their emphasis differs.
During a lateral raise, you move the arms predominantly outward. During a front raise, you lift them forward.
That distinction changes muscular recruitment.
Front raises emphasize the anterior deltoid, whereas lateral raises place greater emphasis on the lateral deltoid. Electromyography research comparing the movements found significantly greater anterior deltoid activity during front raises while lateral raise variations produced different patterns across the medial and posterior deltoid.
If your program already contains substantial bench pressing and overhead pressing, your anterior deltoids may already receive considerable work. Direct lateral-delt training can therefore serve a different purpose than simply adding more front raises.
Lateral Raises vs. Shoulder Presses
A shoulder press is a compound exercise. The shoulder and elbow joints both contribute substantially as you press resistance overhead.
A lateral raise is primarily an isolation movement.
That creates different roles:
Shoulder press
- Uses heavier loads
- Trains multiple upper-body muscles
- Involves substantial anterior deltoid and triceps work
- Develops overhead pressing strength
Lateral raise
- Uses lighter loads
- Emphasizes shoulder abduction
- Directly targets the lateral deltoid
- Requires relatively little equipment
You don’t necessarily have to choose one. A training program can use overhead pressing for compound strength work and lateral raises for additional direct side-delt volume.
When Should You Do Lateral Raises in a Workout?
For most people, lateral raises make sense after major compound movements.
A shoulder-focused session might progress from an overhead press to other compound upper-body work and then to lateral raises and rear-delt exercises.
There is a practical reason: heavy compound exercises require more total-body coordination and generally benefit from being performed while you’re relatively fresh.
Lateral raises require less absolute load, so they fit comfortably later in the workout.
However, exercise order can change according to priorities. If developing the lateral deltoids is a major goal, placing lateral raises earlier can allow you to train them before fatigue accumulates.
How Often Can You Train Lateral Raises?
Frequency depends on total training volume, recovery, experience, and the rest of your program.
Two or more weekly exposures can work well because you don’t necessarily need to perform all your shoulder work in one session. ACSM’s current guidance recommends training major muscle groups at least twice per week as a broad resistance-training framework for healthy adults.
For example, instead of performing six sets once per week, you might distribute your direct side-delt training over two or three sessions.
What matters is whether you can recover and maintain productive performance.
Persistent joint discomfort, declining performance, or soreness that never resolves are reasons to reconsider your volume, load, exercise selection, or technique.
Do Lateral Raises Cause Shoulder Pain?
Lateral raises shouldn’t inherently be painful.
Muscular fatigue or a burning sensation in the deltoids is different from sharp, pinching, or persistent joint pain.
If the exercise hurts, don’t assume you need to “push through it.”
First check the basics:
- Reduce the resistance.
- Eliminate swinging.
- Try moving your arms slightly forward rather than directly sideways.
- Use a neutral or slightly externally rotated arm position.
- Stop forcing excessive range of motion.
- Try a cable or machine variation if it feels more natural.
Individual shoulder anatomy, injury history, mobility, and medical conditions can affect exercise tolerance. Someone with persistent shoulder pain should get individualized guidance from an appropriate healthcare professional rather than trying to diagnose the problem through gym technique alone.
How to Make Lateral Raises More Effective
The biggest improvements usually come from better execution rather than exotic variations.
Prioritize repeatable technique
Your first and last repetitions shouldn’t look like completely different exercises.
If your form falls apart halfway through the set, adjust your weight or end the set earlier.
Control the eccentric phase
Don’t race through the lowering portion.
A deliberate eccentric phase keeps you in control of the resistance and prevents the exercise from becoming a series of swings.
Progress gradually
You don’t need to increase weight every workout.
Progress can happen through more reps, better control, additional appropriate volume, or eventually a small increase in resistance.
Choose equipment you can use consistently
Research comparing dumbbells and cables suggests both can produce meaningful lateral-delt hypertrophy.
The latest ACSM guidance similarly emphasizes that complicated training methods and specific equipment choices are often less important than consistent resistance training tailored to the individual.
That is useful perspective when programming lateral raises: you don’t need a perfect variation. You need one you can perform comfortably, progressively, and consistently.
Final Thoughts on Lateral Raises
Lateral raises are one of the simplest ways to directly train the lateral deltoids. Their main value comes from targeted shoulder abduction, making them a useful complement to compound pressing and pulling exercises.
Keep the resistance manageable, maintain a slight elbow bend, work through a comfortable arm path, and raise the upper arms to roughly shoulder height without turning every repetition into a shrug. Dumbbells, cables, machines, and bands can all work; current research suggests both dumbbell and cable versions can produce similar lateral-deltoid growth.
Most importantly, don’t let a small isolation exercise become an ego lift. Start with controlled lateral raises, build consistent technique, and progress the resistance or training volume gradually as your shoulders become stronger.