How to do the Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
ShouldersDeltsDumbbellIntermediate
The dumbbell rear lateral raise is one of the few movements that directly targets the posterior deltoid, a muscle most lifters chronically underdevelop. Build this often-neglected head and you will add genuine three-dimensional width and balance to your shoulders.
Add this to my personalized plan →Muscles worked
Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps
Step-by-step
- Hinge at the hips to about 45 degrees, keeping a flat back and soft bend in the knees, with dumbbells hanging directly below your chest.
- Initiate the lift by driving your elbows out and back, leading with the elbow rather than the hand to keep tension on the rear delt.
- Raise both dumbbells in a controlled arc until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, briefly squeezing the rear delts at the top.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly over 2 to 3 seconds back to the start position, resisting gravity rather than letting them drop.
Common mistakes
- Using too much weight and turning it into a full-body swing — drop the load and keep your torso stationary throughout the entire rep.
- Raising the dumbbells too high and letting the traps take over — stop the lift when your upper arms reach parallel to avoid redirecting the work away from the rear delt.
- Internally rotating the wrists so the pinky drops below the thumb — keep the wrist neutral or turn the pinky slightly higher to maintain rear delt engagement.
Pro tip — Fix your gaze at a point on the floor about two feet ahead of you to naturally set a neutral cervical spine, which prevents the common mistake of craning the neck upward and recruiting the upper traps instead of the rear delts.
Sets & reps by goal
Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps
Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.
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