Lying Single-Arm Lateral Raise

How to do it

1. Lie on your side on a flat bench or the floor, propped on your lower forearm.
2. Hold a dumbbell in the top hand with the arm resting along your side.
3. Set a small bend at the elbow and hold it.
4. Raise the arm straight up until the hand is above your shoulder.
5. Stop where the tension drops off, which is roughly vertical.
6. Lower under control back to your side, then finish the side before swapping.

Common mistakes

• Rolling back to get the arm higher. Rolling adds range the shoulder did not travel, and lying on your side makes it easy.
• Going past vertical. Above that the dumbbell is held by the bones rather than the muscle, and the set gets a rest at the top of every repetition.
• Going heavy. Lying down loads the bottom of the range much more than standing does, and the bottom is where a lateral raise is weakest.
• Letting the arm drift forward or back. Straight up in line with the torso is the path — forward is a front raise and back is a rear-delt raise.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Lateral DeltoidShoulders