Back

Rear Lateral Raise

The Rear Lateral Raise targets the back of the shoulders to improve balance, posture, and controlled upper body strength.

Strength

Bodybuilding

Shoulders

Dumbbell

Fatigue level

Low 2/3 High

Add to Workout

Rear Lateral Raise

Build

Published: May 29, 2025 · Updated: Mar 15, 2026

The Rear Lateral Raise is a bent-over shoulder exercise that targets the posterior deltoid by lifting dumbbells out to the sides with the torso angled forward. This position isolates the back of the shoulder, an area often underdeveloped relative to the front and side heads. EMG analysis of lateral raise variations confirms that body angle significantly shifts which portion of the deltoid is most active (Coratella et al., 2020).

You should feel the effort concentrated in the rear delts as the arms sweep outward, with the upper traps and side delts assisting. Keep your chest stable, maintain a slight elbow bend, and lift with a smooth, controlled tempo — avoid swinging or raising the arms beyond what you can control. Dumbbell-based lateral raise movements produce reliable and consistent deltoid activation, making them a dependable choice for shoulder training (Larsen et al., 2025).

This exercise fits naturally into shoulder or upper-body sessions, often paired with rows or other pulling work. Combining unilateral and bilateral training approaches can enhance overall shoulder strength and development (Liu et al., 2026), so programming rear raises alongside compound movements creates a well-rounded approach. Scale difficulty by adjusting load, slowing the tempo, or adding a brief pause at the top of each rep.

Content follows our evidence-based methodology

Report an issue

Thank you for your feedback!

Technique and form

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.

Common Mistakes: Rear Lateral Raise

Using your arms too much instead of your back

Focus on pulling with your elbows, not your hands. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together.

Jerking the weight up

Swinging or jerking uses momentum instead of muscle. Use a weight you can control through the full range of motion.

Moving too fast

Slow reps build more muscle during isolation exercises. Aim for 2 seconds up, 2 seconds down.

Rushing through reps

Slow, controlled reps work the muscle much better than fast, sloppy ones. Take your time on both the lifting and lowering phase.

Holding your breath

Breathe out during the hard part of the movement and breathe in as you return to the start. Holding your breath can spike your blood pressure.

Benefits of the Rear Lateral Raise

Builds stronger rear shoulder muscles

The Rear Lateral Raise directly targets your rear shoulder muscles, helping you build strength and size in this area over time.

Focused muscle targeting

As an isolation exercise, the Rear Lateral Raise lets you zero in on your rear shoulder muscles without other muscles taking over. This is great for bringing up a weak point or adding definition.

Increases overall strength

Regularly performing the Rear Lateral Raise with progressive weight builds functional strength that carries over to other exercises and daily life.

Equipment advantage

Dumbbells allow each side to work independently, helping fix strength imbalances, giving you a training benefit that's hard to replicate with other setups.

Train anywhere

The Rear Lateral Raise can be done at home with minimal or no equipment, making it easy to stay consistent even when you can't get to the gym.

Muscles Worked: Rear Lateral Raise

The Rear Lateral Raise is an isolation exercise that focuses your effort on the rear shoulder muscles. Here's a breakdown of every muscle involved.

Primary muscles

Rear Delts — Your rear shoulder muscles pull the weight back and stabilize the shoulder joint. These are the main muscle doing the heavy lifting during the Rear Lateral Raise.

Secondary muscles

Traps — Your upper back and neck area (traps) stabilize the shoulder blades and upper spine. While not the main focus, these muscles play an important supporting role.

Side Delts — Your side shoulder muscles raise the weight away from your body. While not the main focus, this muscle plays an important supporting role.

The Rear Lateral Raise primarily works 1 muscle with 2 supporting muscles assisting the movement.

Risk Areas

Rear Delts

Muscles worked during the Rear Lateral Raise

FAQ - Rear Lateral Raise

What muscles do Rear Lateral Raises primarily target?

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.

How can I ensure proper form during Rear Lateral Raises?

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.

How heavy should I go with Rear Lateral Raises?

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.

How often should I include Rear Lateral Raises in my training program?

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.

What are the best variations of Rear Lateral Raises for home workouts?

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.

Scientific References

Dumbbell versus cable lateral raises for lateral deltoid hypertrophy: an experimental study

Larsen S, Wolf M, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. · Front Physiol (2025)

An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders

Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, et al. · Int J Environ Res Public Health (2020)

Comparative effects of unilateral, bilateral, and hybrid combined resistance training on straight punch performance in adolescent boxers: a focus on dominant and non-dominant-side adaptations

Liu Y, Li L, Jiang M, et al. · Eur J Appl Physiol (2026)

Sources are peer-reviewed academic publications from PubMed.

Add to Workout

Rear Lateral Raise

Build your custom workout Let's build

Report an issue

Thank you for your feedback!

Built for progress

Take the guesswork out of training

Create personalized AI-powered workout plans that evolve with you. Train smarter, track every rep and keep moving forward, one workout at a time.

Pre-register now

Find out more

Be among the first to join!

Workouts with Rear Lateral Raise

Best Rear Delt workouts

The rear delts, or posterior deltoids, are often undertrained compared to the front and side delts: but they’re essential for a strong, balanced upper body. Located at the back of your shoulders, rear delts support posture, improve pulling mechanics, and help prevent shoulder injuries. These workouts target them directly with exercises like reverse flyes, face pulls, and rear delt rows to improve both aesthetics and performance.

Best Side Delt workouts

The side delts, or lateral deltoids, are responsible for the width and rounded shape of your shoulders. Well-developed side delts enhance upper body aesthetics and play a functional role in shoulder abduction and stabilization. These workouts focus on isolating the lateral delts using exercises like lateral raises, upright rows, and overhead presses. Whether you're training for appearance or performance, strong side delts contribute to balanced, injury-resistant shoulders.