Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise

Lateral raises (also called side raises) are primarily performed to place more emphasis on the middle head of the deltoid (shoulder muscle).

In addition to the main shoulder muscle itself, various muscles around the shoulder joint are recruited to stabilize it. These include smaller stabilizing muscles such as the four rotator cuff muscles, as well as the larger trapezius, which elevates the shoulder joint.

In the arms, the biceps and triceps help stabilize the position of the forearm relative to the upper arm. The muscles in the forearms then stabilize the wrist joint to control the dumbbells or barbell.

In this variation, lateral raises are performed with a cable for resistance and one arm per set.

Single-arm cable lateral raise execution

1
Move the arm outward and upward. Maintain the same slight bend in the arm. Keep the rest of your body as still as possible.
2
Finish at the height just before your shoulders feel pinched. Keep your elbows slightly below shoulder height.
3
Hold the cable here for 1–2 seconds.
4
Lower the arm under control over 2–3 seconds until you feel there is no more resistance (so do not bring it all the way back against your body).
5
Repeat.

Single-arm cable lateral raise

Muscles involved:

Shoulder joint:

Deltoid (all heads)

Rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor)

Trapezius

Levator scapulae

Chest:

Pectoralis major (especially the upper portion)

Arms

Triceps

Biceps

Forearm muscles

Abdomen:

Rectus abdominis (straight abdominal muscle)

External oblique

Internal oblique

Transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle, 'corset muscle')

Lower back and spine:

Erector spinae

Lumbar multifidus

Quadratus lumborum

Single-arm cable lateral raise setup

Set the cable pulley to the lowest position and attach a single handle.
Choose the desired resistance.
Stand next to the cable machine, just behind the pulley.
Grasp the handle with the hand farthest from it. The cable runs across the front of your body.
Keep this arm slightly bent beside your body.

Single-arm cable lateral raise technique

“For the side of the shoulder”

The deltoid shoulder muscle pulls on the upper arms from three directions. Lateral raises are usually performed by people who want to train “the middle” of the shoulder with them. However, (scarce) EMG measurements show that the anterior head also performs the most work during lateral raises (while the posterior head works almost as hard as the middle head). The difference between the contribution of the different heads is considerably smaller than, for example, during the shoulder press.

Arms bent or straight

The straighter the arms are, the farther the hands are from you and the heavier the weight they hold becomes. Lateral raises with straight arms can therefore be heavier than lateral raises with a slightly heavier weight and bent arms. Normally, you want to make the exercise more challenging through correct execution, which would mean straightening the arms as much as possible.

However, the more you straighten the arms, the greater the stress on the elbow joint and the muscles that stabilize it. Bending the arms a little more can make it easier to concentrate fully on the upper arms.

Keep the wrist at elbow height

Rotating the shoulder inward or outward reduces the contribution of the middle head of the deltoid. If your wrist is higher than your elbow (at the highest point of the exercise), your shoulder is externally rotated and the anterior head works harder. If the wrist is (considerably) lower than the elbow, your shoulder is internally rotated and the posterior head works harder.