Seated Rear Lateral Raise
Learn how to perform Seated Rear Lateral Raise, a Shoulders exercise, with setup, breathing and common mistakes.
Seated Rear Lateral Raise · Preview
Setup
Sit on the edge of a bench, lean your torso slightly forward, grip the dumbbells, and lower your shoulders. The seated position helps limit torso momentum, so first anchor yourself through your hips and feet.
Start phase
Raise the dumbbells out and back to around shoulder height, thinking of your elbows spreading wider than your hands. Think of your rear delts opening your arms behind you to reduce neck and trap involvement.
End phase
Pause briefly at the top, then slowly bring the dumbbells back together. Controlling the return makes the rear-shoulder tension stronger even with a light weight.
Target muscles
This movement makes it easier to isolate the feeling of the rear delts opening and closing your arms. Keep your neck relaxed and check that the effort stays in the back of your shoulders.
Common mistakes
Raising your torso or pulling with your traps makes the area around your neck fatigue before your rear delts. Different hand heights shift the tension to one side, so match the speed and height on both sides.
Breathing
Exhale as you open your arms and inhale as you return. Avoiding sudden changes in speed helps you feel the rear-shoulder tension more clearly.
Coach tip
The heavier the weight, the sooner momentum takes over from your rear delts. Build a steady 1-second pause at the top with a light weight, then increase the load gradually.
