If you need any convincing to add lateral raises to your training routine, we have two and a half words that’ll surely tempt you: V-shape torso.
While it’s tempting to focus your efforts elsewhere – and by elsewhere, we mean your biceps and abs – when gunning for that highly-coveted V, the question of whether or not you achieve the look hangs (quite literally) on your shoulders.
Essential to the overall aesthetic, broad, athletic shoulders give the illusion of a slimmer waist, bolster your lats and traps, and make your t-shirts look great. And when it comes to your workouts, lateral raises are unquestionably the best exercise for earning yourself a couple of XL coat-hangers.
What Muscles Do Lateral Raises Work?
Lateral raises specifically target your delts – the rounded, triangular muscles that wrap around each upper arm and shoulder. Your deltoid can be broken down into three heads: anterior, medial and posterior. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to move your arm away from the side of your body.
Anterior Deltoid
This part of the muscle attaches at your collarbone – anterior means ‘front’ in Latin – and its main function is shoulder flexion. This means lifting your arm up and to the front of your body – for example, pointing when giving directions.
Medial Deltoid
The medial or ‘middle’ deltoid attaches to your shoulder blade and allows you to lift your arm outwards (called shoulder abduction). It’s sometimes referred to as the lateral deltoid.
Posterior Deltoid
Also attached to your shoulder blade, the posterior (or ‘rear’) deltoid allows for shoulder horizontal adduction i.e. moving your arm backwards behind you. They’re also crucial stabilising muscles.
Lateral raises primarily target the lateral head of the deltoid, although you’ll find the exercise works both the anterior and posterior to a lesser extent, explains personal trainer and body transformation specialist Mark Neilson, who runs Transform LDN with founder Ben Neilson (his brother).
'If trained correctly and consistently, you’ll notice definite strength and hypertrophy gains,' he says. 'Most of us at some point have noticed some strength imbalances when working out – single side lateral raises will help correct that. They’ll also fire up the core.'
How to Do Lateral Raises
Lateral raises can be performed both standing or seated, but the former recruits more muscles, Neilson explains, making it the preferable option.
- Firstly, grab a couple of dumbbells and stand with them by your sides, with your palms facing your body and a slight bend at the elbows.
- Stand tall, pull your navel to your spine to engage your core and pull your shoulder blades back and down.
- Keeping your back straight, and your upper body still – that means no swinging – lift the dumbbells out to your side, keeping the weights higher than your elbows.
- Lift until your arms are parallel to the floor, then slowly lower to the start position.
Lateral raises get surprisingly tough pretty quickly, so put your ego to one side and choose lighter weights when you first get going (you could even opt for a resistance band). Instead, focus on your tempo. 'We usually target a tempo of 3:1:1,' suggests Neilson. 'That’s three seconds in the ‘downwards’ phase, a one-second pause at the bottom, and then a one-second drive back into parallel.'
For an effective dumbbell lateral raise, engaging your core is crucial, too. 'Once you’re fatiguing it’s easy to use other parts of the body to help finish a set,' he adds. 'Utilise your core as much as you can to stop any hyper-extension at the lower lumbar.' And don’t forget to breathe – the increased blood flow throughout the body will help.
Should You Bend Elbows During Lateral Raises?
Ideally, a small bend in the elbow is preferable when completing lateral raises. You may find you can lift a little more weight with a bent arm, this is because you're shortening the moment arm – the distance the weight is away from the body. Make sure you keep your wrist above the elbow, thumbs pointing upwards and use a manageable weight to avoid the shoulder internally rotating when you complete your reps. This will help you avoid injury.
Why Are Lateral Raises so Difficult?
The tendency is to head for a weight that's too heavy with lateral raises, making the exercise far more challenging than it needs to be. It is an isolation (single-joint) exercise, targeting the lateral deltoid muscles which are fairly small, therefore recruiting less muscle than a compound (multi-joint) exercise would.
What Weight Should a Beginner Use for Lateral Raises?
Regardless of your exercise experience, your weight choice should be on the lighter side for lateral raises. It's an isolation exercise, therefore it recruits less muscle groups in comparison to your big compound lifts like the bench press.
With this in mind, choose a pair of dumbbells that are lighter than you'd use for bicep curls. Try 10 reps of lateral raises, at the end of the set check in with your exertion levels using the reps in reserve or RPE scale. Ask yourself how many more reps you could have completed at a push.
If it is one to three reps more before failure, you've likely nailed your weight choice. Four reps or more before failure and you could take the weight up a little, or just increase the reps on your next set. Conversely, if you can't perform another rep at the end of the set and your form is greatly sacrificed, lower the weight a little.
For lateral raises, aim for 10-15 reps and three to four sets for hypertrophy goals.
Lateral Raises: The Best Variations
There are a few ways to make lateral raises more challenging without upping the weight.
Firstly, adjust the tempo. Try adjusting the ‘raise’ phase for two to three seconds, and the ‘lowering’ phase to four to six seconds, says Darren Sealy, personal trainer and founder of Mindset in London. 'This helps control the weight through both parts of the lift and increases muscle stimulation.'
Then, work an isometric hold in. 'Pause with the weight at the top of your range of motion for two to three seconds, isolating the muscle in the hardest part of the lift,' he suggests. 'This increases muscle stimulation and vasodilation [dilation of your blood vessels] in the deltoids.'
Alternatively, you could switch up your equipment. Here, Neilson explains what to use instead of dumbbells, and what you can expect in return.
Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise
'The cable lateral raise offers more constant tension through the entire range of motion,' Neilson explains – it activates your muscles more, especially in hypertrophy rep ranges (between eight to 12 reps). 'Give this variation a try if you’re looking to limit the momentum and compensations used in other lateral raise variations,' he adds.
Resistance Band Lateral Raise
Performing lateral raises with a resistance band stresses the muscle more 'in the mid-range where it’s most active,' Neilson says. 'It also allows you to build slightly more eccentric control. I’d opt for short rep ranges with increased resistance to build strength.'
Kettlebell Lateral Raise
Using a kettlebell will challenge your wrist as well as your deltoid. 'The stronger your wrist and grip strength, the better your lateral raises will become,' Neilson says. Keep each kettlebell parallel to your arm as you move it away from your body – preventing it from turning will test your grip, he continues, 'and your deltoids will work hard due to the centre of the weight your holding being further from the shoulder joint.'
Lateral Raises: The Best Workout
Ready to insert the dumbbell lateral raise into a full-blown workout? We’ve got just the thing. Torch your shoulders with this six-move circuit from the Transform LDN crew and get that V-shape torso in progress.
Barbell Overhead Press
10-12 reps
4 sets
2:1:1 tempo
75 secs rest
Position your feet close together and lift the barbell up to your shoulders, palms facing forward. Press the barbell above your head explosively until your arms are fully extended, then lower the weight under control.
Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
10 reps
4 sets
3:1:1 tempo
75 secs rest
Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with them by your sides, palms facing your body. Keeping your upper body still – that means no swinging – lift the dumbbells out to your side with a slight bend at your elbows. Lift until your arms are parallel to the floor then slowly lower to the start position.
Dumbbell Shrugs
12 reps (each side)
4 sets
2:1:1 tempo
90 seconds rest
Holding a dumbbell in your right hand with your palm facing inwards. Raise your right shoulder as high as you can, then lower them back down and repeat. Switch hands.
See Saw Dumbbell Overhead Press
8 reps each side
4 sets
2:1:1 tempo
75 secs rest
In a standing position, grab two dumbbells. Bringing both to your shoulders, press one dumbbell overhead, extending the elbow until your arm is straight but not locked. Return to the beginning position and do the same with the other arm.
Front Raise with Weight Plate
10 reps
4 sets
3:1:1 tempo
75 secs rest
Hold a weight plate with both hands and let it hang between your legs, positioned shoulder width apart. With your back straight and elbows slightly bent, raise the plate out in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor. Keeping your arms extended, lower it back down and repeat.
Resistance Band Face Pulls
12 reps
4 sets
2:1:1 tempo
75 seconds rest
Attach a band somewhere above eye level and stand tall a few steps back from the attachment. Grab the band with both hands with your arms straight in front of you. Pull the the band towards your face, drawing your hands apart and taking care to keep your upper arms flat. Pause, then reverse the movement.
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.