Dumbbell Seated Lateral Raises

What you'll gain

• The backrest blocks torso swing so the side delts have to lift the load.

• A seated start is easy to coach in remote and beginner programs.

• Light dumbbells and a short range make it a clean isolation clip.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Sit on a bench with the backrest supporting your torso and a dumbbell in each hand.

2. 2

   Plant your feet and let the dumbbells hang at your sides with palms facing in.

3. 3

   Set a slight bend in both elbows and keep the chest tall against the pad.

4. 4

   Raise both arms out to the sides until they reach about shoulder height.

5. 5

   Pause without shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.

6. 6

   Lower under control to the hang and repeat.

Common Mistakes

• Bringing the arms higher than the shoulders, which hands the work to the traps.

• Using a torso rock even on a backrest to heave the dumbbells up.

• Straightening the elbows fully so the joints take the load.

• Letting the dumbbells rest on the thighs between reps, which dumps tension.

About This Exercise

Seated lateral raises put the lifter on a bench with a backrest so the trunk cannot swing the weights up. From a hang beside the hips, both arms raise out to the sides until they reach about shoulder height, then lower under control. There are no secondary muscles for this exact lift: the pad takes the torso out of the movement, and the lateral deltoids do the abduction. A slight elbow bend is kept throughout so the path stays a raise, not a press. This is the back-supported sibling of the seated full lateral raise. It fits beginner shoulder isolation, strict accessory work after a press, and library pages that need a seated raise with a visible backrest.

Looking for an exercise animation collection for your app, coaching platform, or content workflow? MoveKit gives you consistent quality across every movement so your product feels cohesive from first launch through scale.

Build faster with related MoveKit resources