Shoulders
Partial Lateral Raise
The Partial Lateral Raise is a strength exercise with dumbbells for your shoulders. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: side delts 64%, front delts 13% and rear delts 10%.
How to do it
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, feet hip-width and knees soft.
- Lift the arms slightly away from the sides so the dumbbells hover a hand's width from the thighs.
- Raise the arms out to the side only to about halfway, around 45 degrees.
- Lower back to the hover position without resting the weights on the legs.
- Repeat in a steady rhythm, keeping constant tension on the shoulders.
Tips
- Keep the dumbbells off the thighs at the bottom so the side delts never switch off.
- Use a heavier weight than for full raises, but keep every rep controlled.
- Lead with the elbows and keep the shoulders down.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the torso to move a weight that is too heavy.
- Letting the range creep up to a full raise or shrink to a twitch.
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
Muscles worked by the Partial Lateral Raise
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Bottom-range partials keep the traps quiet. Raising the arm out to the side is shoulder abduction, led by the lateral delt; front and rear heads assist, the upper traps help rotate the shoulder blade near the top, and the supraspinatus starts the movement from deep.
Partial Lateral Raise alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
- Incline Bench Cable Lateral Raise
- Incline Bench Cuffed Cable Lateral Raise
- Machine Lateral Raise
- Standing Machine Lateral Raise
Make it harder
- Incline Bench Cable Lateral Raise
- Incline Bench Cuffed Cable Lateral Raise
- Incline Side Lying Lateral Raise
- Lean Away Cable Lateral Raise
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Partial Lateral Raise work?
Mainly the side delts. The front delts and rear delts assist.
Is the Partial Lateral Raise good for beginners?
Yes. The Partial Lateral Raise is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Partial Lateral Raise?
For example the Incline Bench Cable Lateral Raise, Incline Bench Cuffed Cable Lateral Raise and Machine Lateral Raise. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Partial Lateral Raise harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Incline Bench Cable Lateral Raise and Incline Bench Cuffed Cable Lateral Raise.
Sources
- Coratella et al. 2020, IJERPH 17(17):6015 (lateral raise variations and front raise)
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