Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The dumbbell lateral raise is a shoulder isolation exercise in which you raise a pair of dumbbells out to your sides until your arms are level with your shoulders. It works the side of the shoulder (lateral deltoid) and is the standard free-weight exercise for building shoulder width.
Also called: Lateral Raise, Side Raise, DB Lateral Raise, Lateral Raises · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, feet about hip-width apart and knees soft.
- Turn your palms to face your thighs, keep a slight bend in your elbows and tip your torso forward a little from the hips.
- Draw your shoulders down away from your ears and brace your stomach.
- Raise the dumbbells out to your sides, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
- Pause briefly at the top with your palms facing the floor and your hands level with or just below your elbows.
- Bring the dumbbells back down under control, taking about 2 seconds, until they are just beside your thighs.
- Keep your torso still for every rep, and after the last one set the dumbbells down at your sides.
- Lead with your elbows
- Raise to shoulder height
- Shoulders down away from your ears
- Palms face the floor at the top
- Torso still, only the arms move
- Two seconds back down
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Lateral deltoid | Prime mover | C |
| Anterior deltoid | Secondary | C |
| Supraspinatus | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: upper | Secondary | C |
| Posterior deltoid | 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
Swinging the dumbbells up
Fix: Keep your torso still and use a weight you can raise at a steady pace.
Shrugging as the arms rise
Fix: Keep your shoulders down away from your ears as you raise.
Hands rising above the elbows
Fix: Lead with your elbows and keep your hands level with or below them.
Raising well above shoulder height
Fix: Raise until your upper arms are level with your shoulders, then pause.
Thumbs turning down at the top
Fix: Keep your palms facing the floor at the top of each rep.
Dropping the dumbbells back down
Fix: Take about 2 seconds to bring the dumbbells back down.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Implement — A study comparing dumbbell and cable lateral raises found similar side-delt growth over 8 weeks when range of motion was matched.
- Muscle activity — An EMG study in bodybuilders found that turning the upper arm in or out and bending the elbow shifted activity between the front, side and rear parts of the shoulder. EMG measures activity, not growth.
- Load and reps — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure. Lateral raises are commonly done for 10–20 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.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the dumbbell 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.