Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The dumbbell lateral raise lifts the arms out to the sides, isolating the side (lateral) delts, which give the shoulders their width. Presses hit the side delts less than people expect, so most programmes add raises.

Primary muscles
Shoulders
Secondary muscles
Traps
Equipment
Dumbbell
Level · type
Beginner · Compound

Written by the FitStack training team. Last reviewed .

Demonstration of the dumbbell lateral raise
Front view: muscles worked by the dumbbell lateral raise. Primary: shoulders. Secondary: traps.
Back view: muscles worked by the dumbbell lateral raise. Primary: shoulders. Secondary: traps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the dumbbell lateral raise

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
  2. Step 2: Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  3. Step 3: Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your arms back down to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Form cues

  • Stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand at your sides, a slight bend in the elbows.
  • Raise your arms out to the sides, leading with the elbows, until they reach shoulder height.
  • Keep your shoulders down; do not shrug.
  • Lower slowly over two to three seconds.

Common dumbbell lateral raise mistakes

  • Swinging with the hips and lower back.

    Fix: Pick lighter dumbbells; the side delts are small and need little weight.

  • Shrugging the weight up with the traps.

    Fix: Think about pushing the dumbbells out to the walls, not up.

Sets, reps and programming

Do 3 or 4 sets of 10 to 20 reps, two or three times a week. Cable lateral raises keep tension at the bottom, where dumbbells are light, and make a good second exercise.

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the dumbbell lateral raise by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Variations and progressions

Dumbbell Lateral Raise alternatives

More exercises that train the shoulders as their main target:

Dumbbell Lateral Raise FAQs

How heavy should lateral raises be?

Light. Most lifters use 4 to 12 kg dumbbells even when they press much more. If you cannot pause at shoulder height, the weight is too heavy.

More shoulders exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset; cues, mistakes, programming and FAQs are written by FitStack.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.