Dumbbell lateral raises mainly target the deltoid muscles and especially the middle fascicle which form the width of the shoulders. The exercise also solicits to a lesser extent the upper trapezius and slightly the biceps and forearms.
How to do the exercise?
From a standing position, grasp a dumbbell in each hand, elbows should be pointing up and slightly bent. Raise both arms at the same time to the horizontal, keeping your thumbs pointing down to challenge the lateral beam.
Slowly return to the starting position. The back must remain perfectly straight and the head immobile during the whole movement.
CAUTION: Bend your knees slightly to avoid cheating, and don't swing your torso to give yourself momentum to complete the movement. Don't put too much weight At the risk of straining the trapezius muscles or even injuring yourself, this is primarily an isolation exercise.
Tips
- Inhale as you raise the dumbbells and blow out on the way down.
- Slow down the descent of the dumbbells to maintain a continuous tension.
- Favour the sitting position in order to limit the cheating and to solicit the shoulders to the maximum.
Variants
- Lateral lifts can also be done on a bench to work without cheating, but also with the machine or pulleys that allow a continuous tension.
- Other variations can be done standing with one arm on dumbbells or with the pulley on one side.
Find this exercise in the following program:
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