Exercise Library
Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raise
The Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raise sets up as a lateral raise variation using a dumbbell, performed seated. This variation raises a dumbbell to shoulder height through a controlled arc, keeping the elbows soft. It's a key move for building the rounded, capped-shoulder look.
Primary muscle
Lateral deltoids
Secondary muscles
trapezius, supraspinatus
Equipment
Dumbbell
Category
Shoulders
How to Do the Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raise
- Sit on the end of a flat bench or an upright bench with your feet flat on the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing your body.
- Sit tall with your chest up, core braced, and shoulders pulled down away from your ears.
- With a slight fixed bend in your elbows, raise both dumbbells out to your sides.
- Lead with your elbows and stop when your arms reach shoulder height.
- Pause briefly at the top with your pinky side no higher than your thumb side.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly back to your sides under full control.
- Repeat for the desired reps without rocking your torso.
Common Mistakes
- Swinging the dumbbells up: rocking back against the bench or bouncing the weights out of the bottom replaces delt work with momentum. Pick a lighter pair and raise them with a smooth, deliberate tempo.
- Shrugging as you lift: letting the shoulders climb toward the ears hands the load to the upper traps. Keep the shoulder blades depressed and think about pushing the dumbbells away, not up.
- Raising above shoulder height: going higher than parallel adds trap involvement and can pinch the shoulder. Stop when the elbows reach shoulder level and squeeze there.
- Dropping the weights down: letting the dumbbells fall back to your sides throws away the half of the rep that builds the most muscle. Lower on a slow two to three second count.
Track This Exercise in the App
Log your dumbbell seated lateral raise sets in 1RM.fit and watch your estimated 1RM update automatically as you get stronger.