How to Perform L-Lateral Raises

If you want to blast the medial head of your deltoids and add that “rounded cap” to your shoulders, look no further than l-lateral raises. These are great because the bend in your elbow (“L” shape) allows more weight to be lifted when compared to conventional lateral raises. This will greatly improve your strength while also increasing the weight you can lift on your shoulder press. Read on to learn how to perform l-lateral raises.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Dumbbells
• Mirror

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. It is beneficial to stand in front of a mirror to monitor your technique.
2. Standing with each dumbbell at your side, bend your elbows by raising your forearms up. Stop when the shape of your entire arm is the letter “L.” Now, shift the stress off of the forearm (toward the front of your body) and onto the side deltoids (toward the back of your body). Your palms should be facing each other.
3. Keeping the letter “L” with your arms, flare your shoulders out to the side, as if you were performing normal lateral raises. Your back should remain straight and your lower body should be stationary.
4. Raise the dumbbells on each side to shoulder level and bring your elbows higher than your wrists so that the thumb-side is lower than your pinky-side. Picture pouring out a glass of water, with the dumbbell as your cup. This will ensure that extra squeeze in your side deltoids.
5. Lower the dumbbells to your sides and repeat until desired amount of repetitions is completed. It is recommended to do three sets of eight to twelve repetitions.

Tips & Warnings

• These can be done either with two arms or just single-armed. You will be able to handle more weight with two arms, but using one arm will be more beneficial in terms of concentration and form, and may give you the better burn.
• Bend your knees or grab the side of a cable pulley or squat rack for added leverage when squeezing out cheat repetitions. This will also allow you to go with a heavier weight than normal one-armed l-lateral raises.
• Raise your elbows higher than your wrists to get maximum growth in your side deltoids.
• Bringing the dumbbell past your side on the way down will take the stress of the side deltoid and place it onto the front deltoid.
• Do not raise bring the weight higher than shoulder level. Doing so will place unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint.