Cable Bent-Over Lateral Raise
The cable bent-over lateral raise is a rear-shoulder isolation exercise in which you hinge forward between two low cable pulleys and raise the handles out to your sides from a crossed-arm start. It works the rear delts and the muscles between your shoulder blades, with the low back holding the bent-over position.
Also called: Cable Rear Lateral Raise, Bent-Over Low Pulley Rear Delt Fly, Low Pulley Bent-Over Lateral Raise, Bent-Over Cable Reverse Fly · Equipment: cable · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Set both pulleys at the lowest position with a single handle on each. Stand midway between the stacks with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Take the left handle in your right hand and the right handle in your left hand, so the cables cross in front of you.
- Hinge at your hips with a soft bend in your knees until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, back flat and arms hanging crossed under your chest.
- Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise both arms out to your sides until they are level with your shoulders.
- Pause for a moment at the top without squeezing your shoulders up towards your ears.
- Bring the handles back down and across under control, taking about 2 seconds, until your arms are crossed again.
- After the last rep, stand up with the handles at your sides, then return them to the stacks one at a time.
- Flat back, chest down
- Arms wide, not back
- Elbows soft and fixed
- Pause at shoulder height
- Shoulders away from your ears
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Posterior deltoid: posterior | Prime mover | C |
| Trapezius: middle | Secondary | C |
| Rhomboids | Secondary | C |
| Lateral deltoid: lateral | Secondary | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | D |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Torso rising during the set
Fix: Hold your chest down and your torso still, close to parallel with the floor.
Rounding the back
Fix: Hinge at the hips with a flat back and soft knees before each set.
Pulling the arms back like a row
Fix: Sweep your arms out wide to the sides, not back towards your hips.
Bending the elbows more as you lift
Fix: Keep one slight elbow bend from start to finish.
Shrugging at the top
Fix: Keep your shoulders down away from your ears as your arms rise.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Role — Research finds single-joint and multi-joint exercises produce similar growth in the upper-body muscle they target, which supports rear-delt isolation alongside rows.
- Load and reps — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure. Rear-delt raises are commonly done for 12–20 reps.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns.
- Tempo — Studies find similar muscle growth across rep durations of about 0.5–8 seconds, so a controlled 2-second return sits within the researched range.
- Range — There is no direct research comparing cable and dumbbell rear-delt raises; the case for the cable's loaded stretch is extrapolated from range-of-motion research.
Swap it mid-workout
- Cable Rear Delt Fly
- Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
- Cable External Rotation
- Cable Face Pull
- Reverse Pec Deck
- Barbell High Pull
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the cable bent-over lateral raise in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.