Exercise
Rear Lateral Raise
The Rear Lateral Raise targets the back of the shoulders to improve balance, posture, and controlled upper body strength.
Rear Lateral Raise
The Rear Lateral Raise is a bent-over shoulder exercise where you lift the weights out to the sides with your torso angled forward. This position shifts the focus to the back of the shoulders, helping you build strength that supports shoulder balance and overall upper body control.
You should feel the effort mainly in the back of the shoulders as your arms move outward. Keep your chest stable, maintain a slight bend in your elbows, and lift the weights with a smooth, controlled tempo. Avoid swinging and focus on raising the arms only as high as you can control.
This exercise fits well in shoulder or upper body workouts, often paired with pulling movements. You can make it easier by using lighter weights or a smaller range, or harder by slowing the tempo and adding a brief pause at the top while keeping strict control.
How to Perform the Rear Lateral Raise
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your body and arms hanging straight down.
- Maintain a slight bend in your knees and hinge forward at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
- Allow your arms to hang perpendicular to the floor with a slight bend in the elbows that remains constant throughout the movement.
- Exhale as you raise both arms out to the sides, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lift the weights until your arms are approximately parallel to the floor, ensuring your elbows remain slightly higher than your wrists at the top of the movement.
- Pause briefly at the top position, focusing on the contraction in your rear deltoids and maintaining a neutral neck position.
- Inhale as you slowly lower the weights back to the starting position with controlled movement, maintaining tension in your shoulder muscles.
- Keep your torso position stable throughout the entire exercise, avoiding any swinging or using momentum to lift the weights.
Important information
- Keep the weight light enough to maintain proper form – this is an isolation exercise where technique matters more than heavy weight.
- Make sure your wrists stay neutral (not flexed or extended) throughout the entire movement to prevent strain.
- If you experience shoulder pain, try rotating your hands slightly so your thumbs point up at the top of the movement.
- Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears – think about pressing your shoulder blades down and back.
FAQ - Rear Lateral Raise
Rear Lateral Raises primarily target the posterior deltoids (rear shoulder muscles) while also engaging the middle deltoids, rhomboids, and trapezius as secondary muscles. This focused activation is what makes the exercise so effective for developing the often-neglected back portion of the shoulders.
Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement, hinge forward at the hips (30-45 degrees), and lift the weights out to the sides rather than behind you. Focus on squeezing your rear delts at the top of the movement, and avoid using momentum or swinging the weights up.
Use lighter weights that allow you to perform 10-15 controlled repetitions with proper form. This is an isolation exercise where strict technique and muscle connection matter more than heavy weight—most lifters benefit from 5-15 pound dumbbells depending on experience level.
Incorporate Rear Lateral Raises 1-2 times weekly as part of your shoulder or upper body training days. Since rear delts are often underdeveloped and recover relatively quickly, some advanced lifters benefit from training them up to 3 times weekly with appropriate volume management.
For home workouts, try bent-over resistance band pulls, water bottle or household item raises, or seated rear raises using a bench or stability ball. You can also perform face pulls with bands as an effective alternative that targets similar muscle groups while requiring minimal equipment.
Rear Lateral Raise
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