Muscles Trained: Deltoids (delts), forearms.

Intro: This exercise can be performed either standing or seated. This article will discuss the standing version. The unique thing about lateral raises is they hit a part of your shoulders that no exercise will really work. They will work the medial head of your shoulders and the result of that is increased shoulder width. Including them in your routine is an excellent decision for building a strong and good looking set of shoulders.

How it is performed: You will need two dumbbells to perform this exercise. With the dumbbells in your hands, stand with your legs about shoulder width apart from one another. Bend your knees slightly and hold the dumbbells with your palms facing each other at your thighs. Bend your elbows slightly and raise the dumbbells up to the side until they are about shoulder height. Your elbows should be about the same height as your wrists at the top of the movement. Lower the weight in a controller fashion to the starting position in front of your thighs.

Remember to not raise the weight too high above shoulder level. This can be potentially dangerous and is not recommended. The seated version is done with a bench and only a few variations. A section on that will be included in the future.