Lateral Raise

Lateral Raise (Side Lateral Raise) – the ultimate isolation exercise for building wider, rounder shoulders (specifically the medial/middle deltoid).

### How to Perform It Correctly
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, slight bend in knees.
2 Hold a pair of dumbbells (or kettlebells/plates) at your sides, palms facing in. Keep a neutral grip or slight “pouring the pitcher” tilt (thumbs slightly higher than pinkies at the bottom).
3 Brace your core, keep chest up, chin tucked (like holding an orange under your chin).
4 With a soft elbow (5–15° bend), raise the weights out to your sides in a wide arc until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor (or slightly higher — about 90–100° abduction).
→ Lead with your elbows, not your hands. Think “push the dumbbells out and slightly up,” not straight up.
5 Wrists stay neutral or slightly pronated at the top (pinkies a bit higher than thumbs — the “pouring water” cue).
6 Lower slowly (2–3 seconds) under control. Don’t let the weights crash down.
7 Keep the reps smooth — no swinging or shrugging the traps.

### Key Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes
- Don’t go too heavy. Ego lifting turns this into a trap exercise instead of a deltoid one.
- Keep your torso upright — no leaning back or excessive momentum.
- Stop at parallel or just above. Going way overhead turns it into a front raise/upright row hybrid.
- If your shoulders feel pinch-y, try the “scapular plane” (arms 20–30° forward instead of pure sideways).

### Variations
- Seated Lateral Raise → stricter, less cheating
- Cable Lateral Raise → constant tension
- Egyptian Lateral Raise (leaning lateral) → insane stretch and peak contraction
- Single-arm with post support → eliminates momentum
- Partial reps in the top half → brutal burnout

Typical rep range for hypertrophy: 10–20 reps, 2–4 sets. Rest 60–90 seconds.

Do it right and your shoulders will look like boulders in a T-shirt in no time. Let me know if you want a form-check video breakdown or programming ideas!