Practice › Gym › Lateral raise
Lateral raise form check: a live coach on your phone
The lateral raise builds the side of the shoulder, and it is easy to do badly: weights that are swung up, arms that go well above the shoulders, elbows that bend into a half-press. A good rep raises the arms out to the sides to shoulder height with a soft elbow bend and lowers under control. Because the arms move sideways, this one is filmed from the front.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the rep properly in front of your phone. Bodyweight squats, push-ups and lunges need nothing at all, and you can check the hinge and press patterns with a very light weight or none: the coach judges your movement, not your kit.
What good looks like
- Stand tall holding a weight in each hand at your sides, with a slight, soft bend in the elbows.
- Raise your arms out to the sides, leading with the elbows, until your hands are level with your shoulders.
- Stop at shoulder height without shrugging, and keep the same elbow bend all the way up.
- Lower for about three seconds until your hands are back at your sides, with no swinging.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Swinging the weights
Using your legs and back to throw the weights up means the shoulders do little. Use lighter weights and keep your body still.
Going above the shoulders
Raising past shoulder height shifts the load to the neck and upper traps. Stop when your arms are level with the floor.
Bending the elbows too much
Curling the weights up shortens the lever and turns it into a different exercise. Keep a soft, slight bend that does not change.
What Formanti checks on your lateral raise
The top of every rep, judged the same way.
- Arms: 65–110°. raise to shoulder height, no higher
- Elbows: 105–186°. a soft, slight bend: arms nearly straight
Your down
The low point of every rep, judged against the guide ranges.
- Arms: 0–35°. arms hang by your sides between reps
What you hear and see when you are off
Lower the weights all the way down
The coach says: “Lower all the way”
On screen: Lower the weights all the way down.
Drill: Raise for 2 seconds, lower for 3 seconds, and let your hands touch your sides before the next rep.
Raise to shoulder height
The coach says: “Raise to shoulder height”
On screen: Raise to shoulder height.
Drill: Lighter lateral raises with a 1 second pause when your hands reach shoulder height.
Stop at shoulder height
The coach says: “Stop at shoulder height”
On screen: Stop at shoulder height.
Drill: Lateral raises in front of a mirror, stopping when your arms are level with the floor.
Keep your arms nearly straight
The coach says: “Straighter arms”
On screen: Keep your arms nearly straight.
Drill: Lighter weights and a slow raise with a soft elbow bend that stays the same throughout.
Drills you can do alone
- Mirror raises: stand facing a mirror and stop each rep when your arms are level with the floor.
- Slow raises: two seconds up, a one-second pause at shoulder height, three seconds down, with lighter weights.
How to set up your phone
Phone at chest height, 2 to 3 metres in FRONT of you, whole body in view. Dumbbells or bands, both arms. Film from the front: the arms and legs move sideways, which only a camera in front of you can read. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
New: ranges from standard coaching references, not yet checked against real lifters.
Frequently asked questions
Why film a lateral raise from the front?
The arms move out to the sides, in a plane that is face-on to a camera in front of you. From the side the phone can still count your reps, but it cannot read how high your arms go.
Does the phone count a raise that is too high?
Yes, it counts it, and flags it: the check is that your hands reach about shoulder height and stop there.
More lifts to check
Deadlift · Squat · Push-up · Lunge · Overhead press · Bent-over row · Romanian deadlift · Bicep curl · Tricep extension · Glute bridge · Pull-up · Dip · Sit-up · Jumping jack · Plank · Wall sit