Bent-Over Lateral Raises

by JP – Updated: 09/24/2016

Muscles Used    •    Exercise Type    •    Form Instruction    •    Tips and Techniques    •    Recommended Reps    •    Common Variations    •    Substitutions    •    Equipment Needed

Bottom	Top

Primary Mover(s)	Muscles Used:	Secondary Mover(s)
Delts (R)		Delts (S)
		Other Mover(s)
		Traps, Triceps, Mid Back, Glutes, Hams

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– Bent-Over Lateral Raises –
AKA: Rear Lateral Raise

Isolated Exercise, Pull Movement

Bend over so upper body is 30 degrees to floor holding dumbbells in both hands. With elbows slightly bent, raise both arms to simultaneously to shoulder height and then lower to starting position again.

Keep elbows at a height equal to wrists as you raise the weight. Keep palms facing towards each other at the bottom of the exercise and downwards at the top. Keep body stiff and don’t “swing” the dumbbells. Momentum is a serious threat to the effectiveness of this exercise – keep it slow and controlled.

Do not lock your arms on this exercise. You want a slight bend at the elbow, just barely to keep it from locking out. The more you bend the elbow, the easier the exercise becomes due to leverage – if you are tending towards bending the arms more than just a bit it likely means you are using too much weight. So, lower the weight and keep your form for best results.

The arms need to be going up perpendicular to the body (a 90 degree angle between the body and the arms). The lesser the angle (the closer to the body the arms are moving), the more and more the lats take over the work – it becomes a Bent-Over Row.

Performing the exercise with the torso at that 30 degree angle to the floor is critical to getting the rear deltoids to do the majority of work. The higher the angle, the more the side delts are going take over the exercise – the more it becomes a Standard Lateral Raise.

To get down to that angle, bending at the knees is the key. You can bend the knees as far as necessary to be relatively comfortable.

The back should remain straight, avoid drooping the shoulders as you tire. To help do that, keep the head up and focus on a point of the wall before you.

Do not raise the arms above the shoulders. Doing so takes the tension off the exercise and encourages momentum to do the work. Additionally, it can cause shoulder problems.

Bent-Over Lateral Raises can also be done seated (bending at the waist) with the same form but are most commonly (and most easily and effectively) done standing.

6-12 the majority of the time, trying higher or lower reps on occasion.

Lying Rear Delt Rows (lying stomach-down on an elevated bench, raising a barbell or dumbbells up with the upper arms at a 90 degree angle to the body) are a good substitution. This exercise can also be done effectively on a Smith machine. The Dumbbell Rear Delt Row (one knee up on the bench and the off-arm supporting the body weight – same starting position as the One-Arm Dumbbell Row – raising the elbows up at a 90 degree angle to the body). These rows use the same 90 degree angle between the body and upper arm but differentiate themselves from the raises as they allow the elbow bends.

Dumbbells, Weights