Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raise V. 2

Setup

1. 01Set a bench to upright or nearly upright and sit with your back flat against the pad.
2. 02Hold a light dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in.
3. 03Pull the shoulder blades down and keep the head resting tall.
4. 04Plant both feet and press the upper back gently into the pad.

Execution

1. 01Raise both arms out to the sides while keeping the back in contact with the pad.
2. 02Lead with the elbows until the arms are parallel to the floor.
3. 03Pause at the top without the upper back peeling off the bench.
4. 04Lower slowly back to the sides.

Checkpoints

• -Upper back stays against the pad through every rep.
• -Elbows finish level with the shoulders, hands no higher than elbows.
• -Traps stay quiet; no shrug at the top.
• -Both arms move symmetrically.

Common mistakes

• -Arching off the pad to sneak in momentum.
• -Loading heavier than the strict setup allows and losing range.
• -Letting the dumbbells drift forward instead of staying in the side plane.
• -Dropping the weights through the eccentric.