How to Do Lateral Raises Properly

To do lateral raises properly, stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand, keep a soft bend in your elbows, and lift your arms out to the sides until they reach shoulder height, then lower them slowly. The two things that matter most are choosing a weight light enough to lift without swinging, and stopping at shoulder height without shrugging. It is the classic exercise for the sides of your shoulders, and one of the few moves where less weight usually gets you a better result. Below you will find cues, cable and band versions, a progression ladder and a 4-week plan.

What muscles do lateral raises work?

The main target is the side of your deltoid, the rounded muscle that caps your shoulder. The front of the deltoid helps, and a small rotator cuff muscle called the supraspinatus helps start the lift. Your upper trapezius and serratus anterior turn your shoulder blades upwards as your arms rise.

Pressing moves hit the front of the shoulder hard and the side less directly, which is why many plans add lateral raises after the main lifts. If you have not learned to press yet, our guide on how to overhead press properly is a good companion.

How do you do a dumbbell lateral raise step by step?

1. Pick light dumbbells. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees soft, dumbbells by your sides, palms facing in.
2. Set your posture. Stand tall, ribs down, shoulders away from your ears. A very slight lean forwards from the hips is fine.
3. Soften your elbows. Bend them a little and keep that same bend for the whole set.
4. Raise out and slightly forwards. Lift your arms out to the sides, about 30 degrees in front of your body, as if you are pushing your hands out wide towards the walls.
5. Stop at shoulder height. Your arms should be roughly parallel to the floor, with your elbows level with or just above your hands. Keep your thumbs level or tilted slightly up.
6. Lower slowly. Pause for a moment, then take two to three seconds to lower the weights. Stop just before they touch your legs and go again.

Breathe out as you lift and in as you lower. Only your arms move.

How heavy should lateral raise weights be?

Lighter than you expect. Held out to the side, your arms act like long levers, so even a small dumbbell feels heavy at the top. A weight you press overhead with ease is usually far too heavy here.

As a rough guide, many beginners start with somewhere around 2kg to 4kg per hand, and some people need less. At home, full water bottles work for learning the movement. If you cannot pause for a second at shoulder height on every rep, go lighter.

Why is cheating with momentum a problem?

Cheating means using your body to throw the weights up rather than lifting them with your shoulders. It is the most common lateral raise mistake, and it usually comes from dumbbells that are too heavy. Signs include swinging your hips, bouncing at the knees, leaning back and shrugging at the top.

When momentum does the work, the side of your shoulder does less of it and your upper traps tend to take over. Try these fixes:

• Go lighter. Drop down a step.
• Slow it down. Count one second up, a short pause, then three seconds down.
• Sit down. Seated raises on an upright bench stop you swinging or leaning back.

Some experienced lifters use a little swing on purpose for heavier sets. That is an advanced choice, not the place to start.

How do you do a cable lateral raise?

With a dumbbell, the bottom of the rep feels almost weightless because gravity pulls straight down along your arm. A cable pulls from the side, so the muscle keeps working from the very start of the rep.

1. Set a pulley to its lowest position and attach a single handle.
2. Stand side-on to the machine, take the handle in the hand furthest from it and hold the machine with your other hand.
3. With a soft elbow, raise your arm out to shoulder height, pause, then lower slowly until your hand is back in front of your hip.
4. Do all your reps on one side, then switch.

Start with the lightest plate on the stack. A small 2025 study of trained lifters had each person train one arm with cables and the other with dumbbells for eight weeks, and found similar muscle gains on both sides. So use whichever you have and enjoy.

How do you do a lateral raise with a resistance band?

Bands are cheap and easy to pack, which makes them handy for home workouts, travel and warm-ups. Stand on the middle of a light band with your feet about hip-width apart, hold one end in each hand, and raise your arms exactly as you would with dumbbells.

A band gets harder the more it stretches, so the top of the rep is the toughest part. To make it easier, stand with your feet closer together or use a lighter band. To make it harder, step wider or hold the band lower down. For a single-arm version, stand on the band with one foot. Our resistance band workout for runners has more moves to pair with it.

What does the lateral raise progression ladder look like?

Start on the rung where every rep looks clean, and move up when it feels easy.

1. Band or no-weight raises. Practise the path and the stop at shoulder height.
2. Seated dumbbell lateral raise. Light weights and a backrest, so there is no chance to swing.
3. Standing dumbbell lateral raise. The same move, with your body holding itself still.
4. Single-arm cable lateral raise. The muscle works from the very start of each rep.
5. Lean-away lateral raise. Hold a sturdy post, lean slightly away and raise a dumbbell with your free arm. The lean makes the bottom of the rep harder.
6. Slow and paused raises. Same weight, four seconds down and a two-second pause at the top.

What are the most common lateral raise mistakes?

Lateral raises should feel like a burn in the side of your shoulder, never a sharp or pinching pain in the joint. If you feel pain, stop, and see a physio or your GP if it does not settle.

How many sets and reps of lateral raises should you do?

For most beginners, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps works well, with 60 to 90 seconds of rest between sets. Stop each set with two or three good reps left in the tank. Once or twice a week is plenty. The NHS advises adults to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, on at least 2 days a week.

Add reps before you add weight. When you can do 3 sets of 15 with a pause at the top of every rep, move up to the next dumbbell and drop back to 10 to 12 reps. Here is a simple first month.

How do lateral raises fit a hybrid week with running?

Lateral raises are easy to fit around running because they barely tire your legs. Do them near the end of a strength session, or add a couple of band sets after an easy run. Stronger shoulders and upper back may help you hold a tall posture and a relaxed arm swing late in a long run, although raises alone will not fix your running form. Pair them with a pulling move such as the bent-over row so the front and back of your shoulders get balanced work. A beginner week could look like this.

How can Edge help you train your shoulders?

Edge is a free fitness app. Edge Pro, from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial (you need a card to start it), gives you a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within 24 hours, with a real coach to message anytime. Edge treats running, strength and HIIT as one plan, so your shoulder work and your runs sit together in one week. Unsure about your form or when to move up a weight? Ask your coach. 20,000+ members already train this way.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.