Machine
Machine lateral raise
The lateral raise machine is made to work your shoulders in a more isolated way, without worrying too much about balance. It’s a solid option if you’re new to training or want more control than with free weights. People often use it to add shoulder work without stressing the lower back too much.
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The essentials
- Line up your shoulders with the machine’s pivot.
- Raise to shoulder height, no higher.
Muscles worked
- Primary
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Setup
- Adjust the seat so the pads or handles line up roughly with your elbows when you sit up tall.
- Sit with your back against the pad and your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart.
- Select a light weight at first so you can learn the movement without using momentum.
- Place the outside of your arms on the pads (or your hands on the handles) with a slight bend in your elbows, not fully locked.
- Lift your chest a bit and keep your shoulders down, away from your ears, before starting your set.
How to do it
- Sit all the way back on the seat with your back in contact with the pad, looking straight ahead.
- Grab the handles or press the outside of your arms into the pads, keeping a small bend in your elbows.
- Inhale, brace your core lightly, and keep your shoulders down.
- Raise your arms out to the sides under control until they reach about shoulder height, without shrugging.
- Pause briefly at the top while keeping tension on the weight, without letting it slam.
- Lower your arms slowly back to the starting position over 2 to 3 seconds as you exhale, then repeat.
Common mistakes
Lifting too high and shrugging the shoulders
Instead : Stop around shoulder height and think about keeping your shoulders pulled down. If you feel a lot of tension in your neck, drop the weight.
Using body momentum to move the weight
Instead : Keep your back on the pad and your core steady. Choose a lighter weight so you can lift and lower with control instead of swinging your upper body.
Letting the weight stack slam down
Instead : Control the way down, taking 2 to 3 seconds to lower. Keep a bit of tension at the bottom so the weight stack doesn’t crash.
Locking out the elbows
Instead : Keep a slight bend in your elbows the whole time to reduce joint stress and better focus the work on your shoulders.
Coach tips
- Use a controlled tempo: about 1 second up, a brief pause on top, then 2 to 3 seconds down.
- Breathe consistently: inhale at the bottom before you lift, exhale as you raise your arms.
- Start with a comfortable range of motion; if you feel discomfort, shorten the height of the lift and talk to a professional if it keeps coming back.
- Once your form feels solid, you can slowly increase the weight or add a set to get more shoulder work in.
Variations
- Single-arm lateral raise on the machine to focus on one side at a time and reduce compensations.
- Top-half partial reps to keep constant tension on the shoulders during longer sets.
Sets and reps
People often do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps on this machine, usually near the end of an upper body workout. The load is usually moderate so you can keep good form and controlled movement.
Exercises on this machine
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Common questions
Where should my arms go on the lateral raise machine?
Place the outside of your arms against the pads around elbow height, with a slight bend in your elbows. If it has handles, focus on lifting your arms out to the sides rather than forward, and keep that little bend in the elbows the whole time.
Do I need to lift my arms higher than shoulder level?
You don’t have to. Lifting to about shoulder height is plenty to get the work done. Going much higher often makes you shrug your shoulders and can put more stress into your neck.
Does the lateral raise machine replace free weights?
It doesn’t have to. The machine is handy for isolating your shoulders without worrying about balance or your lower back. Many people use both: free weights earlier in the workout, machine work to finish with more controlled reps.
What if I feel sharp shoulder pain on this exercise?
Stop right away and don’t push through the pain. Talk with a health professional or another specialist before coming back to this movement.