Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Side delts Front deltsTraps Isolation Dumbbell

How to do it

Starting position

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart
Hold the dumbbells at the sides of your thighs
Open your chest and look straight ahead
Bend your knees very slightly to maintain your balance

Movement

Raise them out to the sides with the backs of your hands facing the ceiling
Raise the dumbbells until they are in line with your shoulders
Maintain muscle tension as you slowly lower down

Breathing

Exhale as you lift the dumbbells and inhale as you lower them

Trainer tips

Slightly bend your elbows and raise them out to the sides
Raise with your pinkies slightly higher
Raise only up to shoulder height, then lower with control

Cautions

Excessive weight strains the shoulder joint, so start with a light weight
Shrugging with the traps to lift
Using momentum just to lift heavy
Dropping the elbows below the wrists

If you feel pain during the exercise, stop. If it continues, talk to a professional.

Exercise info

Primary muscles	Side delts
Secondary muscles	Front delts · Traps
Equipment	Dumbbell
Movement pattern	Isolation
Rep range	10–15 reps

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Representative exercise: Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Exercise GuideAre you swinging your body to raise your arms?Watch the video and see how to fix it

How GYMKC sets the weight for this exercise

For example, if you do 10 reps with 12 kg in each hand and log that you could have done about 2 more, GYMKC estimates your 1RM per hand at about 17.3 kg.

With the dumbbell, each step is 2 kg (5 lb), so the next weight is 14 kg per hand. Within your 10–15 reps target, the sets you log decide whether to add reps first or add weight.

These numbers are an example of how the calculation works. Your actual prescription is recalculated every set from your own records. See how the calculation works

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Related exercises

Dumbbell Incline One Arm Lateral RaiseHarder Dumbbell Side Lying Lateral RaiseHarder Machine Lateral RaiseSimilar exercise Band Lateral RaiseSimilar exercise Weighted Bar Standing Lateral RaiseSimilar exercise Weighted Full Can ExerciseSame muscle · different equipment

This information is based on our analysis of public content from evidence-based training experts in Korea and abroad. It is not a substitute for medical advice. Weights and sets differ from person to person. The GYMKC app uses the sets you log to calculate the weight and reps for your next set.