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Exercises

Exercises for side delts: lateral raises, cable raises and upright rows

Published October 29, 2026

The side delts lift your arm out to the side, and they are what makes shoulders look wide. Presses barely train them, so they need direct work: the dumbbell lateral raise, the cable lateral raise, the machine lateral raise, leaning one-arm raises and the wide-grip upright row. Do 10 to 20 sets a week split over two or three sessions, mostly in the 10 to 20 rep range with light weights, and stop 0 to 2 reps short of failure. They recover fast, so frequent short sessions beat one long one.

  1. Dumbbell Lateral Raise Shoulders
  2. Cable Lateral Raise Shoulders
  3. Machine Lateral Raise Shoulders
  4. Leaning Cable Lateral Raise Shoulders
  5. Upright Row Shoulders, Traps
  6. Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise Shoulders

Dumbbell lateral raises

A lateral raise is hardest near the top, and changing your body angle moves where the hard part falls. Seated takes away the swing; leaning or lying on an incline loads the bottom of the range, where the standard raise is easy.

Side delts, standing raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The standard side delt builder, and the one you can do anywhere you have light dumbbells. Raise to shoulder height with a soft bend in the elbows and pick a weight you can lift without a hip swing.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise

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Side delts, strict seated raise

Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Sitting takes the hip swing out, so you have to use a weight the side delts can actually lift. Good for the first raise of a session when you want strict reps.

How to do it

  1. Sit upright with a dumbbell hanging at each side.
  2. Bend your elbows just a little.
  3. Raise both dumbbells sideways until your arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Lower slowly, stopping just before the dumbbells touch the bench.

Cues

  • Sit tall
  • Wide arc
  • No rest at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish the rep: stay upright; the set ends when you cannot.
  • Raising the hands higher than the elbows: keep the elbows the highest point.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise, Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

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Side delts, one-arm leaning raise

Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Leaning away from a post shifts the hard part of the raise toward the bottom, where the standing raise has almost no tension. One arm at a time also lets you focus on the weaker side.

How to do it

  1. Hold a sturdy post or rack with your left hand, take the dumbbell in your right, and lean away from the support.
  2. Let the dumbbell hang in front of your hip with a slight bend in the elbow.
  3. Raise your right arm out to the side until it reaches shoulder level.
  4. Lower slowly, finish the set, and switch sides.

Cues

  • Lean away from the support
  • Raise to shoulder level
  • Control the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with your free hand to swing the body: the lean stays still through the set.
  • Raising too high above shoulder height: stop at shoulder level.

Swap for: Leaning Cable Lateral Raise, Single-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise

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Side delts, lying one-arm raise

Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Lying on your side on an incline bench loads the side delt in its stretched position and takes the traps nearly out of it. It suits anyone whose traps take over standing raises.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 45 degrees and rest one side of your body against it, with your bottom arm along the pad for support.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in your top hand, arm hanging in front of your body.
  3. Raise it out in an arc until your arm is roughly parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause briefly, then lower slowly back across your body.
  5. Finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Reach out, not up
  • Elbow slightly bent and fixed
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your thumb up and turning it into a front raise: keep your palm facing the floor at the top.
  • Rushing the bottom of the rep: that is where this version earns its place.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

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Cable and machine raises

Cables and machines keep tension on the side delt from the bottom of the raise to the top. They are the best way to keep adding load once dumbbell raises stall in small jumps.

Side delts, cable raise

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The cable keeps pulling at the bottom of the raise, where dumbbells feel weightless, and the stack lets you add load in small steps.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys of a crossover at the bottom and stand between them, feet about shoulder width.
  2. Cross your arms low in front of your thighs: your right hand holds the left handle, your left hand the right one.
  3. Stand tall and raise both arms out to the sides, elbows slightly bent, until your hands reach shoulder height.
  4. Lower slowly until the handles cross again in front of your thighs. On a single pulley, do the same one arm at a time.

Cues

  • Lead with the elbow
  • Push the handle out, not up
  • Shoulder height and stop

Common mistakes

  • Heaving the weight up with a lean and a shrug: if your torso moves, drop the pin a step.
  • Raising past shoulder height: the traps take over above that point.

Swap for: Leaning Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Y Raise

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Side delts, one-arm leaning cable raise

Leaning Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Leaning away from the stack adds even more tension at the bottom of the arc and lets one arm work alone. Many lifters feel the side delt best on this version.

How to do it

  1. Set a single handle at the bottom pulley and hold the machine's upright with your near hand.
  2. Lean your body away until your support arm is straight.
  3. With the far hand, raise the handle sideways until your arm is level with your shoulder.
  4. Return slowly across your body, finish your reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Lean out
  • Stretch at the bottom
  • Hold the frame lightly

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back instead of to the side: you should be tilted sideways, facing straight ahead.
  • Using the support arm to swing: it only holds the lean.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise

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Side delts and lower traps, Y raise

Cable Y Raise

Shoulders, Upper Back

Raising the cables into a Y works the side delts through a longer arc than a plain lateral raise, with the lower traps helping. Use light weight and a slow lowering.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the bottom and cross the cables so each hand holds the opposite handle.
  2. Step back to center with your arms crossed low ahead of your hips.
  3. Raise both arms up and out into a Y, thumbs pointing up.
  4. Bring the arms back down and across in front of your hips.

Cues

  • Thumbs up
  • Up and out
  • Light weight

Common mistakes

  • Raising straight forward: your arms should travel up and out into a Y, wider than your head.
  • Arching your lower back at the top: brace and stop when your arms are overhead.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Chest-Supported Y Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise

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Side delts, machine raise

Machine Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The pads sit on your arms, so your hands and grip are out of it and the side delts do nearly all the work. It is the easiest raise to take to failure with clean reps.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the machine's pivot lines up with your shoulder joints.
  2. Sit tall with your back on the pad, the arm pads resting just above your elbows, and hold the handles lightly.
  3. Raise your elbows out to the sides until your upper arms are level with the floor.
  4. Pause for a beat at the top.
  5. Lower slowly until the pads nearly touch your sides, then raise again.

Cues

  • Lead with your elbows
  • Shoulders down, away from your ears
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up when the set gets hard: drop the pin one plate and stop each rep with your arms level.
  • Swinging the pads up and letting them fall: take two seconds on the way down.
  • Seat set too low or high: line the pivot up with your shoulder, or the pads slide along your arms.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise

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Upright rows and band raises

A wide-grip upright row is the one compound lift that loads the side delts heavily. Bands are the fallback when you are away from weights.

Side delts and traps, barbell row

Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

With a grip about shoulder width or a bit wider and the elbows lifting out to the sides, the upright row loads the side delts heavier than any raise. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height.

How to do it

  1. Let the bar hang at arm's length, hands about shoulder width apart.
  2. Pull your elbows up and out, keeping the bar close to your body.
  3. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height.
  4. Lower the bar to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Bar close
  • Stop at shoulder height

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar up to your chin with a narrow grip, which crowds the front of the shoulder.
  • Bouncing it up with the hips.

Swap for: Cable Upright Row, Dumbbell Upright Row

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Side delts and traps, dumbbell row

Dumbbell Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

Dumbbells let your hands drift apart as you lift, which is easier on the shoulders than a barbell. A good home version of the upright row.

How to do it

  1. Stand holding the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms toward you.
  2. Lead with your elbows and pull the dumbbells up close to your body.
  3. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height and your hands are at chest level.
  4. Lower slowly back to your thighs.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Stop at shoulder height
  • Dumbbells close to you

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the hands higher than the elbows: let the elbows lead the whole way.
  • Going past shoulder height if it pinches: stop lower, at the height that feels fine.

Swap for: Upright Row, Cable Upright Row, Band Upright Row

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Side delts, band raise

Band Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The band gets harder as your arms rise, which matches the strongest part of the raise. Useful for travel or for extra high-rep sets at home.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with both feet and hold an end in each hand by your thighs, palms facing your legs.
  2. Raise both arms out to the sides, leading with your elbows, until your hands reach shoulder height.
  3. Pause for a beat at the top.
  4. Lower over two seconds and keep a little tension at the bottom.

Cues

  • Lead with the elbows
  • Pinkies level with thumbs
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the band up with your traps: keep your shoulders down and stop at shoulder height.
  • Letting the band go slack at the bottom: widen your stance so there is tension on every rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Lateral Raise, Band Upright Row

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Wider shoulders, full gym

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets17 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Adjustable Cable, Lateral Raise Machine, Dumbbells +1

You train in a gym and want your shoulders to look wider, with side delt work on two upper or shoulder days.

Day 1 leads with a heavy upright row and two cable or machine raises for 10 sets; Day 2 has 7 sets of strict seated and Y raises. That is 17 sets a week, inside the range that grows side delts for most lifters.

Day 1: Upright row and cables
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Upright Row1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Leaning Cable Lateral RaisePer arm. 4 × 10–15 1 1 min
Machine Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Day 1: Upright row and cables in the session builder

Day 2: Strict raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 × 10–15 1 75 s
Cable Y Raise 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Day 2: Strict raises in the session builder

How to run it
Put the two days at least 48 hours apart, for example Monday and Thursday. Side delts recover fast, so they can go on the same day as chest or back.
How to progress
Raise the cable or machine one plate, or the upright row by 5 lb, only after all sets of that lift land at the top of the rep range with the reps in reserve shown. Until then, chase one more rep per set.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, three short sessions

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with light and medium dumbbells and can spare 15 minutes three times a week for shoulders.

Side delts handle frequent work well, so three 6-set sessions add up to 18 light sets a week, inside the usual 10 to 20, without wearing the shoulders down. The standing raise uses both arms, the leaning raise one, and the upright row adds a heavier set.

Raises and upright row
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Upright Row 2 × 10–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
Leaning Dumbbell Lateral RaisePer arm. 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Tack it onto the end of three workouts, or do it on its own on alternate days.
How to progress
Dumbbell jumps are big for raises, so add reps until you reach 20 on every set at 1 rep in reserve, then take the next dumbbell and restart at 12.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Your traps take over every raise

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench, Lateral Raise Machine, Adjustable Cable

You feel lateral raises in your neck and upper traps more than the side of your shoulder.

Lying on an incline, a machine with pads on the arms and a cable raise across the body all make it hard to shrug the weight up. 10 sets, twice a week, with no upright rows until the side delts learn the job.

Incline, machine, cable
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Machine Lateral Raise 4 × 12–15 1 1 min
Cable Lateral Raise 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Use it on two upper days in place of standing dumbbell raises. Keep your shoulders down and think about pushing your hands out wide, not up.
How to progress
Keep the weight until every set reaches 15 with no shrug, then add the smallest jump. Stop a set as soon as your shoulders start to rise toward your ears.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What workouts target side delts?

Lateral raises in any form: dumbbell, cable, machine or band, plus wide-grip upright rows. Overhead presses mostly train the front delts, so they are not a substitute.

Which delt is most important?

For how wide your shoulders look, the side delts. The front delts already get heavy work from pressing, and the rear delts matter for balance, so most lifters gain the most from extra side delt sets.

How many sets for side delts a week?

10 to 20 hard sets a week works for most people, split over two or three days. Start near 10 and add 2 to 4 sets when progress stalls.

Are there compound exercises for side delts?

The wide-grip upright row is the main one. Overhead presses work the side delts a little, but not enough to replace raises.

Should lateral raises be heavy or light?

Light enough to raise without swinging, usually for 10 to 20 reps. A heavier weight that you swing up shifts the work to your traps and legs.