This article was co-authored by Michele Dolan. Fit a looped resistance band around your legs just above both knees, and stand with your feet together. Find the lightest band in the gym, preferably the bands with the plastic handles at the ends, and complete dynamic lateral raises against the accommodating resistance that will naturally decelerate the movement at the top of the range. For more advice from our Personal Trainer co-author, like how to choose the right weights, read on! Lateral raises are simple yet effective exercises that can tone your shoulder muscles and improve your physical strength. It also means you can spend more time pushing against the peak contraction with the greatest load rather than being pulled back through the eccentric (lowering) portion with a dumbbell. Lower your arms completely back down to your sides. Front dumbbell raises are good strengthening exercises for your arms and shoulders. Repeat the movement 10 to 12 times per set. Resistance band exercises are a great way to build strength and flexibility in your shoulders and rotator cuffs. This improves your overall physical appearance, making the shoulders broader and more square versus rounded, which can also make the waist appear smaller. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Make sure to grab both ends of the band. The lateral raise – whether done with dumbbells, cables, bands, or on a machine – is one of the best ways to focus on the middle deltoid head of the shoulders. Done properly, the lateral raise works out the muscles of the shoulders and the forearms. Exhale, lift the weight up to shoulder level, and pause for 1–5 seconds. The lateral arm raise uses the deltoid muscles, mainly the front deltoids. Next, lower your arms down half of the way, and then lift them back up to shoulder height. The main difference between using a resistance band versus free weights is that with a resistance band, you will use your feet to keep the band in place as you pull up on the ends of the band. This article reviews all you need to know about cable lateral raises. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002. To prevent this, imagine the dumbbell is actually a bottle of water and you are tilting it forward to pour out the water. © 2005-2021 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. At this point you can switch hands with the handles if you want the bands to cross infant of you, but this is not required. Keep your elbows slightly bent and hold the raise for 2 to 3 seconds. References. Cable lateral raise is a shoulder exercise that works the middle head of the deltoid muscle, which is the rounded muscle at the very top of each shoulder. If you need more elaboration, check out this video for a demonstration. Keeping your back flat and abs engaged, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat, shifting your weight toward your heels. The side lunge band lateral raise targets the glutes, quads, inner thighs, and shoulders. Don’t allow your arms to touch your body when you reach the bottom of the movement. Use relatively low weights to keep all focus on your mid-shoulder. By using our site, you agree to our. Cable lateral raise is a shoulder exercise that works the middle head of the deltoid muscle, which is the rounded muscle at the very top of each shoulder. If the arms go above shoulder height, the lats are not engaged. Lateral raises are simple yet effective exercises that can tone your shoulder muscles and improve your physical strength. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and raise them out to the side, up to shoulder height. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. This is a compound move that engages and stimulates the whole body, helps you burn extra calories and improves your balance and coordination. Don’t allow the dumbbells to touch your body or “hang down” at the bottom of any movement. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. You can watch a quick demonstration here. Here’s how to get them. Your form and technique should be the same as it is with free weights. Hinge forward from the hips so you face the ground. Let the cable come to a complete stop before beginning the next repetition. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Do-a-Lateral-Raise-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Do-a-Lateral-Raise-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Do-a-Lateral-Raise-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1740062-v4-728px-Do-a-Lateral-Raise-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"