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Dumbbell Standing Alternate Raise animation

How to do the Dumbbell Standing Alternate Raise

ShouldersDeltsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell standing alternate raise builds balanced, three-dimensional shoulder width by isolating each delt in turn, forcing unilateral control and eliminating side-to-side compensation. Master this movement and you develop the kind of shoulder stability that carries over to every pressing pattern you train.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps

Step-by-step

  1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing inward and a soft bend locked into your knees.
  2. Raise one dumbbell laterally to shoulder height with a slight forward tilt of the bell, keeping the elbow marginally higher than the wrist throughout.
  3. Pause briefly at the top, then lower under full control for two counts before initiating the raise on the opposite side.
  4. Alternate sides in a smooth, rhythmic pattern without letting momentum from the lowering arm drive the working arm upward.

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the trap to assist the lift — consciously depress and pack the shoulder before each rep to keep tension on the delt, not the neck.
  • Using too much weight and swinging the torso — drop the load until you can complete every rep with a stationary trunk and a controlled tempo.
  • Raising the arm directly to the side in a flat plane — angle the dumbbell about 30 degrees forward to align with the scapular plane and maximize delt recruitment.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, rotate your pinky slightly higher than your thumb as if pouring a glass of water — this internal cue maximally engages the medial delt head and sharpens the peak contraction you simply cannot get with a neutral wrist position.

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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