Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Start

Finish

How to do it

Sit upright on a bench with the dumbbells hanging at your sides, then lift them out to the sides with a soft elbow bend, leading with the elbow and stopping level with your shoulders.

Muscles worked

Primary: shoulders · Also works: traps

Equipment

Dumbbells

Common mistakes

• Going above shoulder height, which hands the work to the traps instead of the side delt
• Swinging the torso to start each rep — seated is chosen precisely to stop that
• Turning the palms up at the top, which rotates the delt out of its strongest line

Variations

• Seated lateral raise with a one-second hold at the top
• Seated partial raises in the top half

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Dumbbell Lateral Raise
• Resistance Band Lateral Raise
• Machine Lateral Raise

Related exercises

• Standing Overhead Pressshoulders
• Pike Push-Upshoulders
• Dumbbell Lateral Raiseshoulders
• Shoulder Controlled Rotationsshoulders
• Face Pullshoulders
• Cable Lateral Raiseshoulders