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Dumbbell One Arm Lateral Raise
A unilateral lateral raise for the medial deltoid that lets you focus on one shoulder at a time and even out side-to-side differences.
ShouldersDumbbellShoulder abduction
GoLightWeight mediadumbbell-one-arm-lateral-raise
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Lateral deltoids
Secondary
Anterior deltoidsSupraspinatusUpper trapezius
Equipment
Dumbbell
Pattern
Shoulder abduction
Setup
- 01Stand tall with a dumbbell in one hand at your side.
- 02Place the free hand on your hip or let it hang relaxed.
- 03Soften the knees slightly and brace the trunk.
- 04Turn the palm to face your thigh with a slight bend in the elbow.
Execution
- 01Raise the dumbbell out to the side, leading with the elbow.
- 02Stop when the arm reaches roughly shoulder height.
- 03Pause briefly at the top without shrugging.
- 04Lower under control back to the side of the thigh.
Checkpoints
- -Torso stays vertical without leaning away from the working arm.
- -Elbow stays slightly higher than the wrist at the top.
- -The shoulder stays down away from the ear.
- -The lowering takes at least as long as the lift.
Common mistakes
- -Leaning the torso sideways to hoist the weight up.
- -Swinging the dumbbell with hip momentum.
- -Raising the arm past shoulder height and shifting load to the traps.
- -Letting the wrist rise above the elbow so the front delt takes over.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps per side.
- -Start each set with the weaker shoulder and match reps with the stronger side.
- -Reduce the weight rather than letting the torso start swinging late in sets.
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