Lateral Raise
Muscles worked: Side delts.
How to do it
- Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells by your side at arms length with the palms of the hand facing you.
- While maintaining the torso in a stationary position (no swinging), lift the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and the hands slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass.
- Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Lead with the elbows, not the hands
- Stop at shoulder height - higher is traps
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 10 to 15 rep range, progressing in 1 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Cable Lateral Raise - side delts
- Upright Row - side delts
- Cable Upright Row - side delts
Track the lateral raise properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.