Lateral Raise

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Walk into pretty much any commercial gym and you'll see someone doing lateral raises (also known as shoulder flyes). While certainly not the most functional exercise, they are quite good for building bigger, broader shoulders. They are also arguably the best exercise for specifically targeting your lateral delts. As such, they're most popular with bodybuilders and those looking to improve their physique.

It's easy to start adding momentum and cheating a bit on your lateral raises. A little bit of momentum and slight arm bend is fine, but try to keep the form strict to keep the emphasis on your lateral delts.

The lateral raise standards assume strict form and are for the weight in each hand, not the combined weight.

The Basics

The lateral raise is primarily used as a strength exercise. It is classified as a shoulder abduction movement. It is more generally classified as a upper push movement. Since it specifically targets one muscle group, it is considered an isolation exercise.

Form

Set Up

• Stand up tall, keeping a neutral core
• Your arms should be fairly straight, keeping a slight natural bend in your elbows
• Slightly engage your lateral delts

The Raise

• Keeping your posture from the set up, raise your arms out to your sides
• Focus on your lateral delts, try to feel them doing the lifting
• Let your shoulders rise naturally
• Raise your arms until they're about parallel with the ground
• Your palms should be facing the ground
• Lower your arms back to your sides under control

Common Mistakes

Using Too Much Weight

Lateral raises are best done with moderate weights and higher reps. Using too much weight usually leads to poor form and other muscles and momentum being used to lift the weight rather than the lateral delts.

Using Momentum

A side effect of using too much weight or simply getting tired near the end of a set, using momentum defeats the purpose of the exercise which is to work the lateral delts.

Raising Too High

You should only raise your arms until they're parallel with the ground. Lifting any higher leads the traps getting much more involved and can also lead to shoulder issues.

Rotating Your Palms

Your palms should face towards you at the start and towards the ground at the top. To do this, think about keeping your pinky up. Do this keeps the focus on the lateral delt rather than the front delt.

Additional Info

Simple, Safe, and Effective

As an isolation exercise, lateral raises are easy to perform and not as taxing as compound exercises. This allows you to really focus on your mind-muscle connection and ensure that you're working your lateral delt optimally.

Equipment Options

Lateral raises can be done with many different forms of resistance. Dumbbells, cables, resistance bands are all great options and all work equally well. They also don't require that much weight to be effective so there are some creative ways to still do them if you don't have standard exercise equipment.

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Strength Standards

The tables show the one rep max* in pounds needed to reach each rank at different body weights (also in lbs). The 1RMs on the table are based on world records, balanced ratios, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized strength standards for every exercise, check out the Strength Standards page. You can also find your Strength Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.

*Added weight if positive, assistance if negative. The planche and levers are also notable exceptions as they show the moment at the shoulder, not weight. For more info, check out the Moment Calculator page.