Wide, defined shoulders are the trademark of a quality physique. They’ll make you look great, whether you’re wearing a tank top or a suit. Well-developed shoulders do more than give you an athletic look. They also enhance your posture, improve your athletic performance and reduce your risk of injury.
To develop width in your shoulders, you need to target the lateral head of the deltoid. The most effective way to do that is with the lateral raise, which moves the muscle through its full range of motion. There are many ways to do the exercise, some of which are more effective than others.
In this article, we examine a dozen different variations of the lateral raise. We’ll show you how to do them for optimal benefit and how to include the lateral raise into your shoulder training routine.
Shoulder Anatomy
The shoulder muscle consists of three heads, each with a different point of origin. That allows each of the three heads to have its own function and range of motion.
That is why you need to be doing specific exercises to target each of the three deltoid heads:
Our focus is on the lateral, or side, delts. So, let’s zoom in on the anatomy of that part of the shoulders.
The lateral head originates on the outer edge of the acromion process. This is where the shoulder blade, clavicle, and humerus (upper arm) join. The lateral head muscle fibers then run down the middle of the shoulder to insert into the deltoid tuberosity at the top of the upper arm. So, we could say the lateral delts make up the ‘meaty’ middle part of your shoulders.
The function of the lateral head is to raise the arms sideways. In technical terms, this is known as ‘lateral abduction of the humerus.’ This action contracts or shortens, bringing the muscle insertion to the origin.
The best exercises to develop the lateral head of the deltoid must follow the natural movement, which is to lift the arms up to the side from a position when the arms are alongside the torso to a point where they are perpendicular to the torso.
That leads us directly to the lateral raise.
Optimized Lateral Raise Form
Spend enough time in the gym, and you will see people doing the lateral raise in all sorts of ways. When we focus on the biomechanics of the muscle, though, we can identify some key form points. The first has to do with how high you should raise your arm.
The main goal of an exercise should be to take the muscle fibers from a point where they are fully extended (or lengthened) to the point when they are fully contracted (or shortened). That point of full contraction with the lateral delt is reached when you bring the arms up to a point where the arm is almost perpendicular.
However, you need to ensure that you keep the shoulder blade static and do not lift it. If the shoulder blade is allowed to rise during the movement (as when you shrug your shoulder blades), then the origin of the lateral deltoid moves away from the upper arm. This makes it hard to contract the muscle.
If you are used to bringing your arm up higher than a point where it is perpendicular to the torso, you should stop doing that. The range of motion of the lateral head is complete when the fibers are fully shortened and so fully contracted when you reach a point about 10-20 degrees less than perpendicular to the torso. If you come up any higher than this, you are actually taking the stress off the lateral head and reducing time under tension.
The start position of the lateral raise should see your arm right at your side. Many people begin with the hand in front of the torso. However, this slightly distorts the shoulder joint without any benefit to the lateral deltoid — it is already fully extended with your arm by your side.
Key Points:
- Start with your arms by your side
- Finish 10-20 degrees short of a perpendicular arm position
- Do not shrug the shoulders — keep the shoulder blade static
12 Best Lateral Raise Exercises
The lateral raise is a simple movement that can be done with a wide range of training equipment, from cables to dumbbells and resistance bands. There are also angle variations that work the lateral delt slightly differently. Here are twelve ways to do this exercise to add width to your frame.
1. One-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
The one-arm cable lateral raise is my favorite lateral raise exercise. That’s because the cable resistance evens out the resistance curve. When you do the exercise with dumbbells, there is very little resistance at the start of the exercise and a whole lot of resistance at the top of the movement. With cables, however, there is a more even resistance curve, so you are challenged throughout the entire range of motion.
For maximum lateral deltoid engagement, set the height of the pulley to about the same height as your wrist in the start position. This means the cable will be perpendicular to the forearm in the first phase of the exercise. This angle makes the exercise hardest at the start of the exercise, where the muscle is strongest, and lightest at the end of the movement, where the muscle is weakest. This is known as early phase loading.
Steps:
- Set the pulley on a cable machine to the height of your wrist.
- Stand side on to the cable machine, about two feet away from the pulley.
- Grab the pulley handle with your outside hand and assume a start position with your hand touching your outer thigh. Place your other hand on your hip and have your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arm directly out to the side, stopping about 19 degrees short of a perpendicular position. Do not bend the elbow or lift the shoulder blade.
- Lower under control and repeat.
2. Landmine Lateral Raise
The landmine lateral raise allows you to work the lateral delts through their full range of movement with the added benefits of greater core stability and grip strength development.
Steps:
- Place an Olympic barbell into a landmine attachment and load a relatively light weight onto the bar.
- Stand side-on to the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab the bar with your closest hand.
- Assume a starting position with your straightened arm in front of your torso.
- Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring the bar up and out to the side to full arm extension.
- Lower and repeat.
3. Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
The dumbbell side lateral raise does an excellent job of moving the side deltoid through its full range of motion, from arms alongside the body position to up to a perpendicular position to the torso. Be sure to have your elbows slightly bent but locked in position throughout the exercise. The only movement should be through the shoulder joint. Don’t use a weight that is too heavy, or you’ll be forced to swing, and make sure you control the dumbbells all the way down to prevent momentum.
Steps:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
- In the starting position, the dumbbells should be touching your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
- Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
- Lower under control to the start position.
4. Machine Side Lateral Raise
If you are fortunate enough to train at a gym with a side lateral raise machine, you should definitely use it. This version helps you stay strict and keep your range of motion within the maximum muscle stimulation zone for an optimum time under tension. Keep the weight relatively light and focus on feeling the lateral delts burning.
Steps:
- Sit on a side lateral machine facing the weight stack. Position the seat so your shoulder joint aligns with the machine’s pivot point. Place your elbows under the pads.
- Keeping your spine neutral and your back up against the back pad, press up through the elbows to bring the pads up to a perpendicular position.
- Lower under control and repeat.
5. Dumbbell Lateral Raise Hold
The lateral raise hold adds a three-second hold in the top position of the movement. This increases your time under tension, adding an isometric contraction element that will set your lateral delts on fire.
Steps:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
- In the starting position, the dumbbells should be touching your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
- Pivot from the elbow to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
- Hold this top position for a three-second count.
- Lower under control to the start position.
6. Wall Press Lateral Raise
The wall press lateral raise is a strict version of the exercise that helps eliminate momentum and cheating. Press your non-working hand into the wall to stabilize the body.
Steps:
- Stand side onto a wall with your inside hand pressing into it. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand alongside your thigh.
- Pivot from the shoulder to bring your arm up and out to the side until it is just short of perpendicular to your torso (no higher).
- Lower slowly, resisting the pull of gravity.
- Stop at the end of the rep so that you do not allow momentum to carry you into the next rep.
7. Kneeling Lateral Raise
Because it eliminates the lower body from the movement, the kneeling lateral raise is a stricter version of the exercise than the standing lateral raise. If you tend to swing when you do the standing version, give the kneeling option a try.
Steps:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and kneel on the floor with the dumbbells at your sides.
- Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso. Maintain an upright position with a neutral spine.
- Lower under control to the start position.
8. Y Raise
The Y Raise is a very strict version of the lateral raise that eliminates all potential for momentum. This is a popular shoulder rehab exercise when done with very light weights.
Steps:
- Set the weight bench to a 45-degree angle and lie face down on it with a pair of dumbbells in your hands. Hang your arms down over the edge of the bench.
- Keeping your arms straight, bring them out on an angle to form a ‘Y’ shape in the top position.
- Lower under control and repeat.
9. Band Lateral Raise
The band lateral raise is a good option if you don’t have access to a cable machine or dumbbells. Choose a band that will allow you to do around 15 reps without cheating.
Steps:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a resistance band under your left midfoot. Hold the band with your right hand at your outer thigh. You want the band to be taut in this starting position.
- Lift your right arm out to the side, stopping just short of perpendicular to your torso. Do not bend your elbow.
- Lower the weight under control back to the starting position.
10. Lying Side Lateral Raise
The lying side lateral is a strict version of the lateral raise. It also provides early phase loading so that the exercise is easier at the beginning than at the end of the movement. This is the opposite resistance curve to the standing dumbbell lateral raise. That’s because the arm is perpendicular to gravity at the end of the movement.
Steps:
- Lie on the floor on your side with your legs stacked and a light dumbbell in your upper hand. Hold the weight at arm’s length against your outer thigh. Place your other hand on the floor for support, or use it to cradle your head.
- Pivot from the shoulder to bring your arm up to a position just short of being perpendicular to your torso. Keep the shoulder down, and do not bend the elbow.
- Lower under control and repeat.
11. 1.5 Rep Lateral Raise
The 1.5 rep lateral raise ramps up the time under tension with the result that you’ll get a greater burn in the delts than the standard rep version. You may have to lighten the weight slightly to keep it strict. This version can be done with any variation of the lateral raise. The following guide uses the dumbbell version.
Steps:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length.
- In the starting position, the dumbbells should touch your outer thighs with your elbows slightly bent.
- Pivot from the shoulder to bring the arms out to just short of perpendicular to the torso.
- Lower under control halfway down.
- Bring your arms back to the top position.
- Lower to the start position.
12. Plate Lateral Raise
Don’t have dumbbells or a cable machine? No problem; you can still do the lateral raise with a pair of weight plates. Just make sure the weight is manageable enough that you can still resist the pull of gravity on the way down.
Steps:
- Grab a pair of weight plates and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the plates in front of your body at arm’s length with your palms facing you. You should have a slight bend in the elbows.
- Keeping your arms locked, pivot from the shoulder joint to bring the plates out and up toward shoulder level.
- As the plates come up, twist your wrists outward slightly.
- Bring your arms up to just short of perpendicular to your torso.
- Lower under control.
Shoulder Dumbbell Workout
Here’s a four-exercise workout that hits all three deltoid heads, allowing you to build both size and strength. In addition to the dumbbell side lateral raise, you’ll be doing:
- Seated shoulder press for overall delt mass and power
- Lying front deltoid press for the front delts
- Rear delt flyes for the posterior delts
Here’s a form guide for these exercises:
Seated Shoulder Press
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with back support.
- With your feet firmly planted on the floor, bring the weights up to shoulder level, with your palms facing forward. Your elbows should form a right angle. Keep your back slightly arched and your shoulder blades against the back pad.
- Press the dumbbells directly overhead, stopping just short of lockout.
- Lower under control and repeat.
Lying Front Deltoid Press
- Set the pulleys on a double cable pulley machine at hip height while seated.
- Position a bench about three feet in front of the machine.
- Grab the handles with an underhand grip and sit on the bench.
- From a starting position with your hands by your hips, scoop your arms up and forward to touch in front of your body.
- Lower under control and repeat.
Rear Delt Flyes
- Sit on the end of a bench with a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
- Lean down to rest your chest on your thighs.
- Bring the dumbbells together behind your legs, with your arms slightly bent..
- Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arms out and up to shoulder level. Do not bend at the elbows.
- Lower under control and repeat.
The Workout:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Seated Shoulder Press | 4 | 12,10,8,6 |
| Lying Front Deltoid Press | 6 | 30, 20, 15, 10 |
| Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises | 6 | 30, 20, 15, 10 |
| Rear Delt Flyes | 6 | 30, 20, 15, 10 |
The first exercise, the seated press, is your overall mass and strength builder. You should do four sets that are pyramided from 12 to 6. Add weight on each succeeding set. You should have a rep left in the tank’ on all but the last set of six, which should be an all-out max effort.
The next three exercises each target one of the three heads of the deltoids. The weight should be moderate, and the reps higher than an exercise that hits the entire muscle group. Ranging your reps from 30 to 10 allows you to work both the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers for complete hypertrophy. You do not want to use a weight that you can do for less than 10 reps because it will probably lead to momentum and compromised form on these isolation-type movements.
You should perform this shoulder dumbbell workout twice weekly, allowing three days between sessions. That will provide enough time for the muscle to recover before the next bombardment!
It might seem that doing 22 sets is going overboard on a relatively small muscle group like the shoulders. We need to remember, however, that the deltoids are unique because of the separate origin points of the three heads. That, in effect, means that you are essentially working three different muscle groups in order to hit all three heads.
Wrap Up
The lateral raise is the only exercise you need to build awesome lateral deltoids. That’s because it moves the muscle head through its full range of motion. The biggest problem that I see with this exercise is people going too heavy. You need to use a weight that will still allow you to resist the pull of gravity on the way down. If you can’t, the weight is too heavy.
The best lateral raise variation is the one-arm cable lateral raise. If you’ve got access to a cable machine, I highly recommend using this as your standard movement. Then experiment with the 11 other versions to find the two or three that work best for you and rotate through them to add variety. Use a rep range between 10 and 30, keep it strict, and you’ll be rewarded with the wider, fuller shoulders that you’re aiming for.