Shoulders that look strong from every angle don’t happen by accident. Getting that coveted “V” shape requires targeted training and consistency.
If your routine is heavy on pressing movements, chances are your front delts are well-developed while your side delts lag behind. This results in strong shoulders that still lack a naturally rounded appearance.
The dumbbell lateral raise solves this problem by isolating your lateral deltoids, creating the width and definition that pressing can’t provide. Follow this guide to master perfect form, avoid common mistakes, and learn different variations of the dumbbell lateral raise.
What is a Dumbbell Lateral Raise?
The dumbbell lateral raise is an isolation exercise designed to strengthen and shape your lateral deltoids—the middle portion of your shoulder muscles. While compound movements like overhead presses work your shoulders as part of a larger motion, lateral raises zero in on that specific area.
This focused approach makes it ideal for building shoulder width and creating a “V” shape. It’s the lateral deltoids, more than any other part of your shoulder, that give you a broad, athletic appearance when viewed from the front or back.
Looks aside, strong lateral deltoids also play a big role in shoulder stability and injury prevention. When you strengthen the sides of your shoulders, you create better balance across the entire joint. This is especially important if you train often with pressing movements. Doing lateral raises will help fill the gaps in your shoulder development, leading to better performance in lifts and less imbalances that could cause shoulder issues down the road.
What Muscles Fire During Lateral Raises?
While the lateral raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets your lateral deltoids, your body never works just one muscle in complete isolation. Lateral raises also engage:
- Lateral Deltoids – This is the middle portion of your shoulder that does most of the work, lifting the weight out to one side and controlling the descent.
- Anterior and Posterior Deltoids – Your front and back deltoids assist to a lesser extent when you’re pulling the weights away from your body.
- Trapezius Muscles – Your upper traps stabilize your shoulder blades throughout the moment, especially at the top of each rep.
- Forearms – Gripping the dumbbells throughout the set challenges your forearm endurance, especially as fatigue sets in during higher rep ranges.
How Do You Do a Lateral Raise Correctly?
The dumbbell lateral raise might look simple, but there’s an art to doing it correctly. In fact, practicing proper form will help you build strength safely and see results faster.
Here’s how to do a dumbbell lateral raise properly to improve your upper-body balance, shoulder stability, and posture while sculpting shoulders that command attention.
1. Start in a Standing Position
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand. Let the weights hang at your sides with your palms facing inward toward your thighs. Next, place your feet underneath your hips and slightly bend your knees, then brace your core. Finally, pull your shoulders up, back, and down, away from your ears.
2. Raise the Weights
Exhale, then raise both dumbbells out to your sides, moving your arms away from your body until the dumbbells reach shoulder height.
3. Pause at the Top
Once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, hold them there for just a beat. This brief pause helps you really feel the contraction in your side delts.
4. Lower Slowly
Breathe in and slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your starting position at your sides. Control the descent, taking 2-3 seconds to return the dumbbells to your thighs.
Most importantly, try to maintain smooth, steady movement—not using momentum or swinging—and keep your shoulders relaxed to avoid tension in the neck.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise Tips for Beginners
If you’re new to lateral raises, these tips will help you master the move in no time:
- Start light – Even if you’re used to lifting, start with lighter weights and more reps for lateral raises. It might surprise you how challenging isolating those lateral delts can feel, even with light weights.
- Slow the tempo – Slowing down can lead to better muscle activation. Try lifting for 2 seconds and lowering for 3-4 seconds to force your muscle to work harder and reduce the temptation to use momentum as a crutch.
- Practice in front of a mirror – Position yourself in front of a mirror so you can watch your form. This will help you catch problems like lifting unevenly, shrugging, or letting your elbows drift forward or back.
Mistakes to Avoid During Dumbbell Lateral Raises
Recognizing these mistakes can help you avoid injury and maximize your efforts:
- Lifting too high – Once your arms go above parallel to the floor, your shoulder joint takes over, and your lateral delts disengage. Stop at shoulder level, and if you can’t reach there without lifting higher, use lighter dumbbells.
- Shrugging your shoulders – When your shoulders hike up toward your ears, you’re no longer performing a lateral delt exercise. Before each rep, bring your shoulders down and back, and if they still creep up, reduce your weight.
- Swinging the weights – It’s easy to generate momentum with your hips or back to heave the weights up. However, if you need momentum to lift the weight, it’s too heavy.
- Bending your elbows too much – Your elbow angle should stay constant. If your elbows bend more as you lift, you’re unconsciously trying to make the exercise easier.
- Leaning too far backward or forward – Keep your back straight. If you’re twisting, leaning, or shifting your weight from foot to foot rather than facing forward, you’ve lost control of the movement.
To fix most of these mistakes, you’ll have to do one of two things: Choose lighter weights or slow down. Lifting heavier weights with bad form can change the purpose of the exercise at best and lead to injury at worst.
How Effective Are Dumbbell Lateral Raises?
If your goal is to develop wider, more defined shoulders, lateral raises are one of your best tools.
This is because the lateral raise targets the muscles that create shoulder width. While compound pressing movements involve your lateral delts, they don’t isolate muscles the way lateral raises do. That isolation is what allows specific muscles to develop in that area.
In fact, research using electromyography shows that lateral raises produce high levels of lateral deltoid engagement. So, when you want to build a particular muscle, exercises that isolate and maximize activation in that muscle tend to produce the best results.
Lateral raises also impact your overall shoulder health. Strengthening your lateral deltoids helps balance out the front-heavy development most people get from bench and overhead pressing. If your shoulders are more balanced, that means improved posture and lower injury risk.
Finally, this exercise is incredibly accessible. You don’t need any fancy equipment or years of training; you just need a pair of dumbbells and yourself. Anyone can learn a proper lateral raise and start seeing the benefits within weeks of practice.
Dumbbell Lateral Raises vs. Other Shoulder Exercises
While lateral raises are essential for building defined shoulders, they work best as one part of a complete shoulder program. Compare these exercises to the dumbbell lateral raise to see where they fit in your routine.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise vs. Overhead Press
Overhead presses are compound movements that work your deltoids, triceps, and even your core. Meanwhile, lateral raises isolate your side delts and are proven to be more effective for targeting side delt development.
You need both overhead presses and lateral raises for a complete shoulder development plan, as each exercise targets different muscles.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise vs. Upright Row
Upright rows work your lateral delts but also heavily involve your traps and require internal shoulder rotation that some people find uncomfortable. Lateral raises keep your shoulder in a more natural position while putting more isolated focus on the lateral delts.
Upright rows feel great for some people, but if they bother your shoulders, lateral raises offer similar benefits with less joint stress.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise vs. Arnold Press
Arnold presses combine an overhead press with rotation, hitting all three heads of your deltoids in one movement. They’re efficient but complex. On the other hand, lateral raises are simpler and easier to learn, but they only target the lateral head.
Use Arnold presses when you want to work everything at once, and lateral raises when you want to address your side delts.
What Are Other Lateral Raise Variations?
Once a lateral raise feels comfortable, you can try these variations to spice up your workout and add a new challenge to your routine:
- Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise – Sitting eliminates any possibility of using momentum from your legs or hips, resulting in stricter form and more intense muscle activation. Basically, this variation forces your shoulders to do all the work.
- Cable Lateral Raises – Cables provide constant tension throughout the movement, as opposed to dumbbells, where tension drops at the bottom. This continuous resistance leads to greater muscle stimulation and growth.
- Single-Arm Lateral Raise – Train one side at a time to focus completely on your form. This variation also helps you identify and correct strength imbalances between your left and right shoulders.
Build Stronger Shoulders at Chuze Fitness
You don’t need to load a barbell with plates or master complicated weightlifting routines to build impressive shoulders. While the lateral raise may look simple, this focused exercise targets exactly what’s missing in many shoulder programs.
Need to see the technique in action before you try it? This video demonstration walks you through every step.
At Chuze Fitness, we don’t just hand you equipment and wish you luck. Our trainers are invested in your success, and our spaces are designed to feel welcoming and accessible. All you need to do is show up ready to work, and we’ll provide everything you need to make it happen.
Sources:
StatPearls. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537056/
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7503819/
