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Lateral Raise Machine

A machine lateral raise that fixes the movement arc, letting you isolate the medial deltoids with strict form and easy load changes.

ShouldersMachineLateral raise
GoLightWeight medialever-lateral-raise

Demonstration coming soon

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Primary

Medial deltoids

Secondary

Anterior deltoidsUpper trapezius

Equipment

Machine

Pattern

Lateral raise

Setup

  1. 01Set the seat so the shoulder joint lines up with the machine pivot.
  2. 02Sit tall with the chest against or aligned to the pad.
  3. 03Place the arms under the pads with elbows bent about 90 degrees.
  4. 04Grip the handles lightly and plant the feet.

Execution

  1. 01Raise the arms out to the sides by driving the elbows up.
  2. 02Stop when the upper arms reach parallel to the floor.
  3. 03Pause briefly at the top under tension.
  4. 04Lower slowly until the weight almost touches the stack.

Checkpoints

  • -Shoulders align with the machine pivot before the first rep.
  • -Elbows lead the movement, not the hands.
  • -The traps stay relaxed rather than shrugging.
  • -Tension stays on the stack between reps.

Common mistakes

  • -Setting the seat too low so the arc drives into the neck.
  • -Heaving with momentum from the hips.
  • -Raising above shoulder height and shifting load to the traps.
  • -Dropping the weight on the descent.

Programming notes

  • -Use 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 reps for hypertrophy.
  • -The fixed arc suits drop sets and slow eccentrics well.
  • -Place after presses when the delts are pre-fatigued and stability is lower.

Related exercises

Machine Lateral Raise

Machine / Shoulders

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Dumbbell / Shoulders

Cable Lateral Raise

Cable / Shoulders

Out now

Now on the App Store

Free to download, no account required to start. Android is on the way.

Download on theApp Store
Coming soonGoogle Play