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Dumbbell Seated Bent Arm Lateral Raise animation

How to do the Dumbbell Seated Bent Arm Lateral Raise

ShouldersDeltsDumbbellIntermediate

The seated bent-arm lateral raise isolates your medial delts with remarkable precision by shortening the lever and removing momentum from the equation. Master this variation and you will build the shoulder width that makes your physique stand out from every angle.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps

Step-by-step

  1. Sit upright at the edge of a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand with elbows bent at roughly 90 degrees and palms facing down.
  2. Brace your core and pin your elbows slightly forward of your torso to keep tension on the medial delt throughout the movement.
  3. Drive both elbows upward and outward simultaneously until your upper arms reach parallel with the floor, pausing briefly at the top.
  4. Lower the dumbbells under full control back to the starting position, resisting gravity on the way down for maximum time under tension.

Common mistakes

  • Straightening the arms during the lift which turns it into a standard lateral raise and reduces medial delt isolation, so keep that 90-degree bend locked in throughout every rep.
  • Shrugging the traps at the top to squeeze out extra range, which shifts load away from the delts, so consciously depress your shoulders before you initiate each rep.
  • Using momentum by bouncing out of the bottom position, which cheats the hardest part of the lift, so pause briefly in the start position each rep to eliminate any stretch reflex.

Pro tip — Tilt your pinky side of the fist slightly higher than your thumb at the top of the rep, as if pouring a glass of water, to externally rotate the humerus and maximally recruit the medial delt fibers at peak contraction.

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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