Lateral raises

4 × 12-15  ·  Equipment: Dumbbells

Muscle groups: Shoulders

How to do lateral raises

1. Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Keep your core tight, spine neutral and elbows slightly bent.
3. Raise your arms out to the sides up to shoulder height or slightly below.
4. Pause briefly at the top squeezing your deltoids.
5. Lower the dumbbells with control back to your sides.
6. Do not shrug or use torso momentum throughout the movement.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not raise above shoulder height with heavy weight or jerks: it irritates the rotator cuff.
• Avoid swinging your body to lift the dumbbells; use a weight you control across the whole range.
• Do not drop the weights; lower over 2-3 seconds to protect your shoulders.
• Keep your elbows slightly bent and avoid twisting your wrists.

Progression

• Start with light dumbbells and lift in 3 seconds, lower in 3 seconds.
• Add reps up to 15 before increasing weight.
• Increase the load only gradually (1-2 kg) because deltoids improve more with technique than weight.
• Add sets with a 2-second pause at the top to raise time under tension.