Side delts (lateral deltoid): exercises and how to train

The side delt starts on the acromion of the shoulder blade and sits on the outside of the shoulder. It lifts the arm out to the side and up and helps the other heads stabilize the shoulder joint. The side delts are what make your shoulders look wide, and they get little work from bench pressing, so they need their own training.

Group

Shoulders

Main muscle in

6 exercises

Helps in

0 exercises

On the map

front and back

How to train it

Raises and overhead presses form the base: Dumbbell lateral raise, Cable lateral raise, Overhead press and Seated dumbbell press. On raises, lead with the elbows, lean slightly forward and keep your torso still. Side delts tolerate volume well, and 8–16 hard sets a week, mostly raises, usually works.

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Back

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Best side delt exercises for wider shoulders

Here are two lateral raise variations, two overhead presses and the upright row. Raises are the only moves where the side delts do most of the work, so they come first. Presses add heavy load alongside the front delts, and the upright row brings in the upper traps.

Dumbbell lateral raise

Dumbbells

The dumbbell lateral raise is the go-to side delt exercise, because lifting your arm out to the side is exactly what the side delt does; the front delt only assists. The downside: tension is near zero at the bottom and peaks when your arm reaches horizontal.

Raise your arms slightly forward, about 20–30 degrees in front of your body, where most shoulders move comfortably.
Think about pushing the dumbbells out toward the walls rather than lifting them up.
Pause for one second at the top; if you can't, the weight is too heavy.

Cable lateral raise

Cable

The cable loads your side delt from the very start, with your hand by your hip, exactly where a dumbbell has almost no tension. Working one arm lets you hold the machine and kill any swinging. The catalog also credits the rear delt here.

Stand side-on, half a step from the machine, and hold the upright with your free hand.
Start from a position where the cable is already taut with your hand by your hip, so tension starts immediately.
Raise your elbow over 1–2 seconds and lower it over 2–3, keeping your torso completely still.

Seated dumbbell press

Dumbbells

Overhead presses are front delt dominant, but the side delt is still a prime mover and gets a full set's credit. Its share grows the wider your elbows go, though pressing with elbows straight out is rough on the shoulder. The scapular plane, slightly forward, is the compromise.

Set the bench back at 75–85 degrees rather than fully upright, so your elbows sit naturally in the scapular plane.
Pull your shoulders down away from your ears before the first rep and keep them there.
Stop just short of locking out at the top and start the next rep, keeping tension on your delts.

Overhead press

Barbell

The standing barbell press is the heavy shoulder builder of the group. The bar lets you add weight in small jumps. Your front delts lead, but your side delts still get a full set's credit. Use it to build shoulder strength and leave the width work to raises.

Grip the bar so your forearms are vertical at the bottom, with your elbows slightly in front of the bar.
Take a big breath and brace before each rep so your lower back doesn't arch as you press.
At lockout, shrug slightly toward your ears so your shoulder blades rotate up and the joint has room.

Upright row

Barbell

The upright row hits your side delts and upper traps together and lets you use more weight than any raise. With a wide grip and elbows no higher than your shoulders, many lifters tolerate it well. If it still bugs your shoulder, swap it for lateral raises; they build width just as well.

Use a grip wider than your shoulders, with your hands roughly over the outside of your thighs.
Think about driving your elbows out to the sides and letting the bar simply follow them.
Lower the bar over 2–3 seconds and start the next rep without resting at the bottom.

Side delt workout: sample session

Run this on a shoulder or upper-body day, after your bench press and rows, or as a short block at the end. Before the Seated dumbbell press, do two warm-up sets at about half and three-quarters of your working weight; raises barely need one. Pick loads that leave 1–2 reps in reserve. One session like this a week is enough.

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Seated dumbbell press main mover: every set counts in full	3 × 8–12	105 s
Dumbbell lateral raise main mover: every set counts in full	4 × 10–15	75 s
Cable lateral raise main mover: every set counts in full	3 × 10–15	75 s

Counted for this muscle: 10 sets per session — the same way the GymAssist log counts it.

Use double progression. Build the Seated dumbbell press to 12 reps on all three sets and the raises to 15, then go up one dumbbell size. This session counts as 10 side delt sets, the middle of the usual 8–16 a week. If you train shoulders twice, add 3–4 sets of raises on the second day.

Common mistakes

Swinging the weight up. When your back and legs launch the dumbbells, your side delts only work through the first third of the rep and momentum does the rest. Drop a size or two, stand near a support, and lift over 1–2 seconds, lowering over 2–3.
Shrugging into the raise. If your shoulder rides up toward your ear, your upper traps take over the raise. Set your shoulders down first and think elbow out, not hand up. If your shoulder hurts, cut the weight and range; see a doctor if the pain persists.
Going too heavy on lateral raises. A lateral raise is a long-lever move, so even 20 lb dumbbells are a lot for a small muscle. Heavy weights shorten the range and hand the work to your traps. Use a light weight for 10–15 reps with a pause at the top.
Relying on presses alone. Overhead presses work your side delts, but the front delts lead, and bench pressing barely touches them. If your shoulders aren't getting wider, check your weekly raise volume. Most of your side delt sets should come from lateral raises.

Exercises where it is the main mover

Seated dumbbell press Dumbbells Dumbbell lateral raise Dumbbells Overhead press Barbell Arnold press Dumbbells Upright row Barbell Cable lateral raise Cable

Weekly sets in ready-made programs

A set where the muscle is primary counts in full, a set where it assists counts as half — the same way the log’s stats count it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you build side delts?

Do lateral raises about twice a week and pair them with an overhead press. Use Dumbbell lateral raise and Cable lateral raise for 10–15 reps, stopping 1–2 reps shy of failure, plus a heavier press for 8–12. Add reps, then weight, and keep strict form, because swinging shifts the work to your traps.

Do overhead presses work side delts?

Yes, but less than they work your front delts. The side delts help lift your arms overhead and act as a prime mover in the Overhead press and Seated dumbbell press, while the front delts do most of the work. The wider your elbows, the bigger the side delt share. For visibly wider shoulders, add lateral raises.

How many sets for side delts per week?

Most people do well with 8–16 hard sets per week, mostly lateral raises. Beginners can start at 6–8, and experienced lifters sometimes go higher, since the side delts are small and handle volume well. Split them over two or three sessions to keep every set strict.

Are cable or dumbbell lateral raises better?

Neither is clearly better. They load your side delts differently, so using both makes sense. Dumbbells are easy to set up and hardest near shoulder height. Cables keep tension from the very bottom, where a dumbbell barely loads the muscle. Many lifters use dumbbells for most sets and add cables as a second raise.

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