Intermediate

Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Lying on your side against an incline bench changes the angle so the side delt is challenged where a standing raise is easy, at the start of the arc. The support also removes any chance of body english. Use it as a strict finisher when you want to hammer the middle delt with a long, controlled stretch.

Equipment
Bench, Dumbbell
Body part
Shoulder
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Deltoid Middle
Browse by movement
Shoulder Raise
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Middle
Secondary
Deltoid Posterior
Tertiary
Trapezius Upper, Trapezius Middle

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set an incline bench to roughly 45 degrees and lie sideways against it, chest and hip supported.

  2. 2

    Hold a dumbbell in the top hand with a soft elbow bend, arm hanging down.

  3. 3

    Brace against the bench so only the working arm moves.

  4. 4

    Raise the dumbbell out and up until the arm reaches shoulder height.

  5. 5

    Pause at the top, feeling the side delt contract.

  6. 6

    Lower slowly to the hanging start, then finish the set and switch sides.

Tips

  • Keep the movement in the frontal plane; do not let the arm drift forward.
  • Choose a weight that lets you control the deep bottom stretch.
  • Let the delt, not the wrist, initiate each rep.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The body slides down the bench as the set goes on, and a lower body position quietly shortens how far the arm has to travel to reach shoulder height.
  • The elbow bends more at the top than at the bottom, turning what should be a fixed-arc raise into something closer to a bent-arm row partway through.
  • Pushing off the floor with the trailing leg for a little extra lift takes load off the delt exactly when the bottom stretch is supposed to challenge it.
  • Once the arm passes shoulder height, it keeps drifting forward out of the frontal plane, since gravity now pulls it that way, and the side delt stops being the prime mover.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the incline dumbbell lateral raise should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps per side is a sensible start, using a lighter dumbbell than a standing raise since the incline loads the bottom stretch harder than a standing version does. Progress by extending the pause at the bottom before adding weight, since the stretch position is where most of the benefit comes from.
What can you do instead of the incline dumbbell lateral raise without an incline bench?
A lying side lateral raise on a flat bench or the floor loads a similar stretched bottom position, and a standing dumbbell or band lateral raise works if lying down is not an option, though it will not challenge the bottom range the same way.
What is the incline dumbbell lateral raise good for, and when should you skip it?
Supporting the body on the bench removes the ability to cheat with momentum and stretches the middle delt at the bottom more than a standing raise does, which suits lifters chasing hypertrophy who already have raise technique down. It demands a fair amount of shoulder control in a stretched position, so it is not the best starting point for someone brand new to lateral raises; a standing or seated version is easier to learn first.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Shoulder exercises