Lateral Raise

Execution

1. Set your shoulders down away from your ears and brace your belly so the torso cannot swing.
2. Exhale and raise both arms out to the sides over 2 seconds, leading with the elbows rather than the hands.
3. Stop when your arms reach shoulder height, with wrists and elbows at the same level.
4. Inhale and lower over 3 seconds, keeping the tension instead of letting the weights fall to your thighs.
5. If the shoulder pinches in the middle of the range, drop to a lighter weight and only raise to chest height.

Quick cues

• Lead with the elbows, not the hands.
• Stop at shoulder height.
• Shoulders down, neck long.
• Light weights, three counts down.

Common faults

• Fault: Swinging the torso to throw the weights up

  Fix: Halve the weight and stand with your back on a wall so the torso cannot generate momentum.

• Fault: Raising the arms well above shoulder height and shrugging with them

  Fix: Stop exactly at shoulder height and use a side mirror to find that line.

• Fault: The wrist dropping so the weight leads ahead of the elbow

  Fix: Keep the wrist in line with the forearm and imagine tipping water out of two jugs at the top.

• Fault: Letting the dumbbells drop back to the thighs after each rep

  Fix: Count to three on the way down and stop one hand's width short of your thighs.