How to Do Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Form Cues

1. 1

   Lead with your elbows not your hands, raise to shoulder height only

2. 2

   Keep a slight bend in the elbow throughout

3. 3

   Tilt the pinky slightly up at the top, like pouring water from a pitcher

4. 4

   Control the descent just as deliberately as the raise — don't let gravity do the work

Common Mistakes

• ●

  Using momentum and swinging the weights up — reduces deltoid activation and risks shoulder impingement

• ●

  Raising above shoulder height — past that point the trap takes over and the delt stops working as hard

• ●

  Using too much weight for a strict lateral raise — this is a small isolation muscle, light and controlled beats heavy and swinging