Lateral Raises
For lateral raises, start by holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides. Keep your back straight and your knees slightly flexed at all times throughout the range of motion. Raise the dumbbells by lifting your arms away from your sides while keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
Lift your arms up until they are about parallel to the ground, then return to the starting position under control.
Tips
* This exercise is an effective movement for developing the middle part of the deltoid. For best results, focus on your form rather than on using overly heavy weights. If you use moderate weights and perform the movement correctly for about 12-15 reps, you will feel a good burn in your shoulders and will be able to fully exhaust the middle deltoid.
* To keep constant tension on the shoulders, only raise your arms until they are parallel to the floor. If you raise your arms higher than this point, an increasing amount of the effort of the movement will be shifted from the shoulders to the trapezius.
* The middle deltoid is a multipennate muscle, meaning that it is similar to a feather in shape and is composed of many fibers which run in an oblique angle. As a result, it is best to vary the initial position of this exercise in order to effectively work all of the fibers of the muscle. Refer to the images below for ideas on how to vary the starting position of this exercise.
Variation with Hands in Front
Variation with Hands at the Back
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