Cable Lateral Raises

Muscles worked

Shoulders

Primary muscle

Side delt

Equipment

Cable

Movement pattern

Push

Difficulty

Intermediate

What it is for

Hypertrophy

Also known as

Cable side raisesSingle cable lateral raise

Watch the full tutorial

• Standing too close to the tower. With the arm hanging, the cable slackens and the first few degrees of the range, this version's advantage, are lost. Step half a pace away until the cable is taut with the hand at the thigh.
• Bending the elbow as the arm rises. If the hand climbs higher than the elbow, the movement turns into an upright row and the lateral deltoid loses load. Fix a slight bend and raise elbow and hand together.
• Shrugging the shoulder to reach the top. That last stretch is done by the upper traps and adds nothing to the deltoid. Keep the shoulder down and finish with the hand at shoulder height, no higher.
• Letting the hand drift forward. Because the cable pulls from the side, the arm tends to travel toward the front and the anterior deltoid takes over. Raise the arm just in front of the line of the body.

Which muscles do cable lateral raises work?

The lateral deltoid is the main mover: it lifts the arm away from the body up to shoulder height. The supraspinatus helps start the lift, and the upper traps and serratus anterior rotate the shoulder blade upward as the arm rises. The free hand rests on the frame, and the abs work isometrically so the cable does not pull you toward the machine. If the hand drifts forward, the anterior deltoid starts stealing the work.

Cable or dumbbell lateral raises: when should you choose each?

Pick the cable when you want to load the deltoid from the first inch: with the arm at your side a dumbbell offers almost no resistance while the cable still pulls, so every rep works the full range with less momentum. It suits controlled sets and anyone who cannot feel the shoulder with dumbbells. Dumbbells win when you want to work both arms at once, run quick drop sets or do not have a free cable station.

How many sets and reps of cable lateral raises should you do?

A common starting point is 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps per arm, leaving 1 to 3 reps in reserve. Since you work one arm at a time, it takes twice as long as with dumbbells; do not rest between sides, the waiting arm is already recovering. It usually comes after the shoulder press or as the closer of a chest and shoulders session. Move up one plate at a time, only once all 20 reps come out clean.

How high should the pulley be and where should you stand for cable lateral raises?

With the pulley at its lowest setting, stand side-on to the tower with the working arm on the outside; step half a pace away until the cable is taut with the hand next to the thigh. If you raise the pulley to knee or hip height, the cable pulls more from the side and the deltoid gets more tension at the start of the range. Hold the tower with the free hand.