The Lateral Raise is a beginner dumbbell lateral raise that primarily trains the shoulders. It is useful for isolating the lateral delts and adding shoulder volume without heavy pressing.
Primary muscles
shoulders
Secondary muscles
None
Equipment
dumbbell
Difficulty
beginner
TARGET AREA
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
shoulders
Secondary muscles
None
THE MOVEMENT
How to perform
Stand or sit tall with the dumbbell(s) by the sides and a soft elbow bend.
Brace the torso so the body does not swing to start the rep.
Raise the arm(s) out to the side with the elbows leading.
Lower under control before starting the next rep.
IRONYOU / CORE
Core cues
Raise with the elbows leading and keep the wrists quiet.
Use a controlled range that keeps tension on the side delts.
Choose a load you can move without shrugging or swinging.
STAY SHARP
Common mistakes
Swinging the torso to start each rep.
Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.
Using too much load and shortening the useful range.
YOUR PROGRESS
Your strength
Use your best set to calculate your current IronYou rank and see what comes next.
IRONYOU RANK CALCULATOR
127 exercises. One ladder. Your first rank is free.
Published reference points from the production IronYou rank system.
IronYou has 13 strength ranks: Copper I–III → Silver I–III → Gold I–III → Titanium I–III → IRON. IRON is the highest IronYou rank. The public standards tables show the estimated 1RM required to enter Silver I, Gold I, Titanium I, and IRON. Standards vary by sex and bodyweight.
Logged load: weight of one dumbbell. Public value: per dumbbell.
Lateral Raise Strength Standards — Male
Male
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as per dumbbell.
Lateral Raise estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Male.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
50 kg
5.6 kg
7.4 kg
9.2 kg
13 kg
60 kg
6.2 kg
8.2 kg
10.2 kg
14.4 kg
70 kg
6.7 kg
8.9 kg
11.1 kg
15.7 kg
80 kg
7.2 kg
9.6 kg
11.9 kg
16.8 kg
90 kg
7.7 kg
10.2 kg
12.7 kg
17.8 kg
100 kg
8.1 kg
10.7 kg
13.3 kg
18.8 kg
110 kg
8.4 kg
11.2 kg
13.9 kg
19.6 kg
120 kg
8.8 kg
11.6 kg
14.5 kg
20.4 kg
Lateral Raise Strength Standards — Female
Female
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as per dumbbell.
Lateral Raise estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Female.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
40 kg
2.4 kg
3.1 kg
3.9 kg
5.5 kg
50 kg
3.2 kg
4.2 kg
5.2 kg
7.4 kg
60 kg
3.7 kg
4.8 kg
6 kg
8.5 kg
70 kg
4 kg
5.3 kg
6.5 kg
9.2 kg
80 kg
4.2 kg
5.5 kg
6.9 kg
9.7 kg
90 kg
4.3 kg
5.7 kg
7.1 kg
9.9 kg
100 kg
4.4 kg
5.8 kg
7.2 kg
10.1 kg
Values are estimated 1RM thresholds required to enter the named IronYou major rank tier.
Standards are derived from the production IronYou Rank V1 model.
KEEP EXPLORING
Variations
Related variations: Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise, Dual Cable Lateral Raise, and Single Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise.
Choose the version that matches your equipment, joint comfort, and the movement you can repeat consistently.
EARLY ACCESS
Track Lateral Raise in IronYou.
Keep your last session, progress and next target with you when you train.