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Dumbbell Lateral Raise
A direct isolation for the side delt, the one head that gets little from pressing. A high-rep finisher at 12-20 reps where light weight and strict form beat heavy swinging.
- 01Stand with a light dumbbell in each hand at the sides.
- 02Set a small bend in the elbows and keep it fixed throughout.
- 03Raise the arms out to the sides until the hands reach shoulder height.
- 04Keep the thumbs level with or slightly below the little fingers.
- 05Lower slowly all the way back to the sides before the next rep.
- 01Lead with the elbows.
- 02Stop at shoulder height.
- 03Three seconds down every rep.
- 01Swinging the torso to start each rep — momentum replaces the delt and the set stops counting.
- 02Shrugging as the arms rise — the upper traps take the work the side delt should be doing.
- 03Going too heavy — the range collapses to a quarter of what it should be and the muscle barely loads.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.