Broader shoulders improve your body shape, create balanced proportions, and produce a powerful silhouette. Whether your goal is aesthetics, strength, or better posture, building your lateral deltoid muscles is crucial if you want visually broader shoulders that accentuate your figure.
If you're serious about developing broader shoulders that make an impression both in and out of the gym, you've come to the right place. This guide will show you the 10 best exercises for your lateral deltoids, along with tips and common mistakes to avoid.
Anatomy of the shoulder muscles explained
Your shoulders may look like a single muscle group, but they are actually made up of three different areas that work together to control arm movements, support pushing and pulling movements, and shape your upper body.
Front delts
These muscles are located on the front of your shoulders and are used in pressing movements such as overhead presses or chest exercises. Although they are often already engaged during basic exercises, targeted training helps to further develop strength and stability in the upper body.
Lateral delts
The lateral delts are the focus for broader shoulders and therefore also in our guide. They are responsible for raising your arms to the sides and are crucial for the coveted rounded look. By training this area in isolation, you give your upper body more width and shape, especially when viewed from the front.
Rear delts
These muscles are located on the back of your shoulders and support pulling movements as well as your posture. They are often neglected, which can lead to muscular imbalances. Balanced shoulder development means that all three components should be trained. Even if your goal is more width, the rear deltoids provide symmetry and functional support.
Tips for training the lateral deltoids
Keep these tips in mind during your workout to optimally target the muscles.
Find the right balance between compound exercises and isolation exercises.
Compound exercises build strength because they engage multiple muscles simultaneously. But don't rely solely on movements like overhead presses. Isolation exercises are crucial if you want to specifically develop your lateral deltoids. Therefore, regularly incorporate exercises like... Lateral raise.
Focus on abduction, avoid external rotation
The lateral deltoids are responsible for abduction, or raising the arms to the side. Focus on movements that follow this pattern and avoid exercises with strong external rotation, as these shift the focus away from the lateral deltoids and towards other shoulder muscles. Your time is valuable; use it effectively.
Train your lateral deltoids early in your workout.
The lateral deltoid muscles are smaller and fatigue quickly. Therefore, train them early in the day when you're still full of energy and focused. This allows you to train with better technique and higher intensity. If you leave them for last, your muscles are often already exhausted from other exercises – and you won't be able to perform as well.
Keep the tension in the right place
Don't let your arms hang completely or rest at your sides between repetitions.Instead, keep your elbows slightly raised to ensure continuous tension in your lateral shoulders. This small change can noticeably increase muscle activation and prevent momentum, thus relieving stress on the target muscles.
The 10 best lateral shoulder exercises
Ready to feel your lateral deltoids burn? Incorporate these 10 lateral deltoid exercises into your weekly workout plan to achieve the look and improve the strength behind it.
1. Lateral raise
If you want to isolate your lateral deltoids, nothing beats lateral raises with dumbbells or on the cable machine.
Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand, arms relaxed at your sides, elbows slightly bent.
Raise your arms to the sides until they are parallel to the floor, palms facing down. Hold this position briefly to maximize muscle tension.
Lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner. Avoid any jerking or using momentum.
2. Side Plank with Arm Raise
Do you remember the importance of isolation and compound exercises in training? Here's a basic bodyweight exercise that targets your lateral deltoids while also activating your core and stabilizers.
Begin in a side plank on your forearm, holding a light dumbbell with your upper arm. Ensure your lower torso remains lifted from the floor and your body forms a straight line. Draw your navel towards your spine to engage your core and maintain proper alignment.
Slowly raise your arm until it is perpendicular to your upper body, then lower it again in a controlled manner.
You can adjust the exercise by changing your lower body position. Knee for additional stability on the ground, if necessary.
3. Cable lateral lift
This variant uses a cable pulley system such as the Speediance Gym Monster 2To maintain constant tension, cable exercises are ideal for targeting the shoulders throughout their entire range of motion. They are an excellent way to train your shoulders.
Use the lowest pulley and attach a single handle. Stand sideways to the machine, grasp the handle with your outer arm and raise it to shoulder height, with your palm facing downwards.
Slowly lower your arm and guide it slightly across your body at the bottom to achieve a greater stretch in the muscle.
Pay particular attention to your posture during this exercise. Shift your weight slightly forward and engage your core to maintain the correct form.
4. Seated dumbbell lateral raises
If you tend to use momentum when performing lateral raises, this variation will challenge you in a new way. While seated, momentum is eliminated, and your lateral shoulders must bear the entire load.
Sit upright on a bench with the dumbbells at your sides. Engage your core and raise both arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor, then lower them again in a controlled manner. If your bench has a backrest, adjust it to 90 degrees and lean your back against it.
Pro tip: Lift with your elbows, not your hands.
5. Oblique lateral raises (on a bench)
A bench helps to fix your body in the correct shape and position, preventing other muscles like your back or neck from compensating. Incline lateral raises specifically target the lateral deltoids, minimize momentum, and improve muscle activation.
Lie face down on an incline bench with the dumbbells hanging straight down. Bend your elbows slightly, raise your arms out to the sides until they are at shoulder height, and then slowly lower them again.
Keep the pace slow to maximize tension. If you want to increase focus, try the exercise with one arm.
6. Cable Y-Raise
This is a stability-focused exercise for the lateral shoulders with additional activation of the upper trapezius muscles and the serratus.
Use a double cable system, grab every handhold and take a step forward.
With your arms fully extended, lift them upwards and slightly forwards into a "Y" shape. Maintain tension as you return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
Lightweight is perfectly fine here. What's important is your shape and the angle.
7. Lateral raises with resistance band
This is an excellent, portable alternative with variable resistance if you want to do a good shoulder workout on the go. You can also perform the exercise on a cable machine. Just make sure the band has the right tension – too much resistance and you won't be able to lift, too little and you won't get the necessary activation.
Stand on the belt with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the handles at your sides.
Raise your arms to shoulder height and hold the tension at the top. Lower them slowly to keep the muscles active.
Pro tip: Loop the band around each foot to increase resistance without needing heavier bands.
8. Seated lateral raise with reverse grip
The seated lateral raise with a reverse grip (palms facing upwards) provides a controlled and effective movement if you want to strictly isolate the rear deltoids without using momentum.
Sit upright and grip the handles with your palms facing upwards.
Raise your arms to the sides until they reach shoulder height, hold briefly, and then lower them slowly and in a controlled manner to promote muscle growth.
9. Seated one-arm lateral raise
This variation reduces momentum and keeps the tension constant on the lateral shoulders, making it ideal for targeted muscle growth.
Sit sideways on a bench next to a cable machine and hold the handle with the arm furthest from the cable tower. Keep your upper body upright and tense.
Bend your elbow slightly and lift the handle directly to the side until your arm reaches shoulder height.
Lead the movement with your elbow and keep your wrist slightly below it.
Lower it in a controlled manner, keeping the movement fluid.
10. Upright rowing
A wider grip during upright rowing places more focus on the lateral shoulders than on the neck muscles.
Hold a barbell or dumbbells with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull the weight up until it's just below your chest. Let your elbows lead the movement and keep them higher than your wrists. Lower the weight slowly.
While hand position is important, you should pay more attention to elbow height in this exercise to ensure activation of the lateral shoulders.
You can also do that Speediance Gym Monster 2 Use for a cable pulley variation of this exercise.
Lateral shoulder exercises: 3 common mistakes
Pay close attention to your form during the exercises mentioned above in order to recognize and immediately correct these three typical mistakes in shoulder training.
Swinging of the weight
While swinging might help you lift heavier objects, you sacrifice proper form and muscle activation. These exercises should be performed slowly and with control, without momentum. You lift, you don't swing.
Shoulder shrugging and activation of the neck muscles
If the weight is too heavy, you might tend to shrug your shoulders to lift it, activating your neck muscles (trapezius). If your focus is on your lateral deltoids, you should avoid shrugging your shoulders as much as possible. Reduce the weight if necessary. Proper form is more important than the load.
Lift higher than shoulder height
Lifting the arm above shoulder height often happens during swinging exercises. It doesn't make the exercise more effective for the lateral deltoids; instead, it puts unnecessary strain on your body and shifts the workload to the lower back. Trapezius muscleDo not lift higher than shoulder height or slightly below to activate the correct muscles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best exercise for lateral shoulders?
The best exercise for the lateral deltoids is the lateral raise, as it isolates them. You can try different variations: with cables, lying on your side, on an incline bench, with a resistance band, etc. Try everything to see what works best for you.
How do you focus on the lateral shoulders?
You focus on your lateral deltoids by performing movements that raise your arms to the sides. Lateral raises are one of the best exercises for strengthening the lateral deltoid muscle. Try different variations and use your muscle awareness to increase the contraction.
How many exercises are needed for the lateral deltoids?
Two to three exercises for your lateral deltoids in your upper body workout will help you train them effectively. If you're a beginner, one to two exercises will suffice. Pay attention to proper form and muscle activation to get the most out of the exercises.
Lateral shoulder training creates width, defines shape and improves symmetry
A wider shoulder area creates an hourglass silhouette, defines your waist and creates a wide upper line that accentuates your figure.This width comes from the lateral shoulders, so it's important to isolate them with a few targeted exercises in your training if you want to achieve growth there.
Lateral raises are a true classic, but you can vary them with variations or other isolation exercises for the lateral deltoids that we described above. Whether at the gym or at home with your Speediance Gym Monster 2 More training of the lateral shoulders will give you the broad shoulder shape you are aiming for.
