Some lifters write off exercises as ineffective because they don’t see the benefits or could be doing them better. Lateral raises fall into both categories because let’s be honest they maybe performing lateral raise mistakes. You all know that to get popping delts and bolder shoulders, a heavy dose of overhead presses and their variations are in order.
That’s not in any doubt.
Compound exercises are the gold standard for getting bigger and stronger, shoulders included. Besides biceps curls, many isolation exercises that target only one muscle group are underappreciated, and lateral raises fall under that umbrella.
Although the lateral delts are targeted with overhead presses, to get a wider shoulder look that lateral deltoids provide, you also need a steady diet of lateral raises. The lateral raise will get your boulder shoulders without the stress and strain of going overhead. Here we’ll go into the proper form and fix these four common lateral raise mistakes that may hold back your gains.
How to Do the Standing Lateral Raise
Note: There are many variations; this description for the standard on,
Hold a pair of dumbbells by your side at arm’s length with an overhand grip.
Keeping your shoulder down, chest up, and glutes engaged.
Raise the dumbbells laterally to shoulder height and pause.
Slowly lower down and reset and repeat for reps.
What’s Needed For a Proper Lateral Raise Form
There’s nothing complicated about the lateral raise, so there is no overthinking it here. But because of the long lever (weight a long way from the working muscle), lighter weights will feel heavier. The biggest deal here is the absence of pain in your wrists, elbows, and shoulders and the mobility to raise your shoulders laterally.
One of the biggest lateral raise mistakes in most resistance training exercises is choosing a weight you cannot handle. Not being able to ‘control’ the lifting and lowering parts of the lift is an invitation for an injury, and you don’t want that.
Instead, remember the following when doing a lateral raise and its variations to get more out of your lateral raise.
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Don’t Raise The Dumbbells Above Your Shoulders
You can attack your lateral raise from various angles and grips, which is excellent for muscular development and prevents boredom. The angle you raise the dumbbells is neither right nor wrong, and I encourage you to explore all angles and grips. But when you raise the dumbbells above shoulder height, you’re still training the lateral deltoid, but other muscles are coming into it. Raise the dumbbells to only shoulder height to keep more tension on the lateral deltoid.
Fix it: Simple, don’t do it, and if you have trouble figuring out where your arms are in space, do the lateral raise in the mirror. You can grunt if you want to.
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Benoit Daoust
Losing Control
There is a time and a place to use momentum when lifting weights, with kettlebell swings being a prime example. But with isolation exercises like lateral raises, it is better to keep the body English to a minimum and concentrate on the tension. Swinging heavy dumbbells with the lateral raise may look cool, but your gains will not think so.
Fix it: It’s ok to use a little momentum and the end of your set to get it done, but if you’re using it from the get-go, better to lighten the load and focus on tension.
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Don’t Focus On Load; Focus On Tension.
Creating and maintaining tension is paramount in almost all isolation exercises, like the lateral raise. That doesn’t mean more weight is terrible, just not at the cost of losing tension. Load is always the key, but so is tension. It’s good to feel your lateral delts working, regardless of weight.
Fix it: Lateral raises are one exercise where a five-pound raise is a big jump. If you struggle to progress your lateral raise, focus on pauses in the top position or slowing down your eccentric. Both will increase tension on your lateral deltoid.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Posture, Posture, Posture
The lateral raise is performed in various body positions like standing, sitting, leaning, half, and tall kneeling. It doesn’t matter which position you perform the lateral raise from; keeping your chest up, shoulders down, and spine neutral is what matters. Good posture ensures the lateral deltoids are getting the attention they deserve.
Fix it: The age-old shoulder down and chest up cues never go astray if you have trouble feeling good posture; doing it in front of a mirror helps.
