Lu Raise
The Lu raise is a dumbbell raise that takes nearly straight arms from your sides out and up through a wide arc until they are overhead. It trains the side deltoids, with the trapezius and serratus anterior rotating the shoulder blades upward in the overhead half, and is done with light loads for overhead shoulder strength and control.
Also called: Lu Lateral Raise, Lu Xiaojun Raise, Overhead Lateral Raise, Full-ROM Lateral Raise · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing in.
- Brace your trunk and squeeze your glutes so your ribs stay down.
- Raise your arms out to the sides with your elbows almost straight, moving them slightly forward of your body.
- As your arms pass shoulder height, turn your palms up and keep lifting.
- Continue the arc until your arms are straight overhead, letting your shoulder blades rotate upward without shrugging into your neck.
- Reverse the arc under control, turning your palms back down as your arms pass shoulder height, and return to your sides.
- Keep your torso still for every rep, with no lean back.
- Wide arc, arms long
- Palms turn up as you pass shoulder height
- Shoulder blades rotate up, neck stays long
- Ribs down, no lean back
- Light weight, smooth tempo
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 |
| Trapezius: upper | Secondary | C |
| Supraspinatus | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: lower | Secondary | C |
| Anterior deltoid | Secondary | C |
| Serratus anterior | 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
Leaning back to get overhead
Fix: Keep your ribs down and raise only as high as your arms go without leaning.
Shrugging into the neck
Fix: Keep your neck long and let the shoulder blades rotate up, not lift to your ears.
Palms staying down overhead
Fix: Turn your palms up as your arms pass shoulder height.
Elbows bending through the arc
Fix: Set a soft elbow bend at the start and keep it fixed through the whole arc.
Swinging a heavy dumbbell
Fix: Choose a load you can move through the whole arc slowly, with no swing.
What the research says
Muscle growthRehab & prehabSport performanceEndurance
- Deltoid growth — In an 8-week trial, loaded lateral raises grew the side deltoid by about 3–5% whether dumbbells or cables were used. The trial kept the raise below overhead, so the extra overhead range of the Lu raise has not been tested for growth.
- Arm rotation — An EMG study in bodybuilders found turning the arm outward raised front-deltoid activity, while a neutral arm activated the side deltoid most.
- Load and effort — Studies show muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and sets that finish a rep or two short of failure capture most of that benefit.
- Sets and reps — A common approach is 2–3 sets of 8–15 reps with light dumbbells, in a warm-up or as shoulder accessory work. There is no research on Lu raise programming.
Swap it mid-workout
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Plate Lateral Raise
- Cable Lateral Raise
- Cable Y-Raise
- Arnold Press
- Lateral Raise Machine
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the lu 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.