Side delts exercise
Lateral Raise (Machine)How to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Side delts
- Equipment
- Machine
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Lateral Raise?
- Set the seat so your shoulders line up with the machine's pivot.
- Sit tall, chest on the pad, pads against the outsides of your upper arms.
- Raise your elbows out to the sides until your upper arms are level.
- Pause, then lower slowly until the weight nearly touches down.
Cues
- Lead with your elbows
- Shoulders down, neck long
- Stop at shoulder height
Common mistakes
- Shrugging to lift the weight; keep shoulders down and lighten the load.
- Raising elbows above shoulder height; stop when upper arms are level.
- Swinging the torso; stay still against the chest pad.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Seated lateral raise machine of the common chest-pad type: the lifter sits facing the machine, chest lightly against an upright chest pad, torso vertical. Feet flat on the floor or foot bar, knees about 90°. Arms bent, upper arms between the body and the padded levers, the pads resting on the outside of the upper arms just above the elbows. Hands rest on the handles or in front with a loose grip; forearms point forward.
The movement
Both upper arms rise together in an arc in the frontal plane, pushing the pads outwards and up; the movement is shoulder abduction only. The elbow angle stays fixed. The torso, head and legs stay still against the chest pad; the shoulders do not shrug.
End position
(turnaround point): upper arms horizontal, out to the sides: shoulder abduction 90° (accept 80–95°). Elbows directly to the side of the shoulders or a few degrees forward (0–20° in front of the frontal plane). Elbow angle unchanged at about 90°. Shoulders still down. Brief pause.
Tempo
Raise 1.5 s, hold 0.5 s at the top, lower 2 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder abduction at top | 90° | 80–95° | |
| Elbow flexion (held fixed) | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Elbows forward of frontal plane at top | 10° | 0–20° | |
| Torso | vertical | 0–10° forward lean | |
| Shoulder elevation (shrug) | none | 0–1 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Lateral Raise is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
