Sit upright and lift dumbbells out to your sides in a lateral motion, working the shoulder muscles. The movement emphasizes the deltoids while the seated position reduces torso momentum.
How to do the Seated Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)#
- Sit on a bench with feet flat and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Brace your core and maintain a small bend in the elbows throughout the movement.
- Exhale and raise the dumbbells out to your sides until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor.
- Pause briefly at the top, then inhale and lower the weights slowly back to the starting position.
- Keep your torso steady and avoid using momentum between reps.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Side delts
- Secondary: Traps
Common mistakes#
- Using torso momentum or swinging to lift the weights.
- Shrugging the shoulders upward during the raise.
- Raising the dumbbells above shoulder level.
- Bending the elbows so much that the arms turn the movement into a curl.
