Leaning lateral raise

Also called leaning dumbbell lateral raise, lean-away dumbbell lateral raise, supported leaning lateral raise.

What is a leaning lateral raise?

A leaning lateral raise is a one-arm dumbbell raise performed while your free hand holds a fixed support and your body leans away from it. You keep that lean while raising the outer arm to the side. This guide covers dumbbells, not cables.

A woman leans away from a rack while holding its upright with her left hand, raising a dumbbell out to the side with her right arm in the second view.

How do you perform a leaning lateral raise?

Set up

Stand beside a fixed rack upright, hold it securely with your nearer hand and take a light dumbbell in the other hand.
Place your feet securely close to the support and lean your body away as one unit. Let the dumbbell hang below the outer shoulder with a slight elbow bend.

Execution

Hold the body angle steady and raise the dumbbell outward from your side.
Stop when the upper arm is around shoulder height. Keep the hand level with or a little below the elbow and avoid twisting toward the rack.
Lower to the hanging start without swinging past it. Complete the set, return upright and switch sides.

Common mistakes

Using the support arm to rock the body
Keep the lean fixed. If you pull yourself upright for each repetition, the setup changes as the dumbbell rises.
Using an unsecured support
Use a fixed rack upright that will not roll, slide or tip when you lean away.
Leaning farther as the set gets harder
Choose an angle you can hold with secure footing. Lower the weight rather than changing that angle mid-set.

Where it fits in a session

Use it for one-arm shoulder accessory work beside a fixed support.

Begin with a light weight. Keep the same support height, foot placement and lean on both sides so the setup is repeatable.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

None listed in this guide

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The side deltoids raise the working arm while the other hand holds the support.

Variations

Standing dumbbell lateral raiseUses an upright standing torso without a support hand.
Cable lateral raiseUses a cable rather than a hanging dumbbell; keep the pulley position and stance consistent.

Frequently asked questions

Is a leaning lateral raise a cable exercise?

The name can be used for different equipment. Here, the dumbbell is in the outer hand with the free hand on a rack. A cable version has a different line of pull.

Which hand holds the dumbbell?

Use the hand farther from the support. The nearer hand holds the rack while your body leans away from it.

How far should you lean?

Use a modest angle that lets you keep secure footing and your torso still. A larger lean is not a goal in itself.

When would you choose a leaning lateral raise?

The useful difference is the support hand and fixed lean. Choose a setup you can repeat comfortably, and compare your sets within that setup.

Sources

Elzanie A; Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK537056/