If you want capped shoulders that round out your physique, lateral delts deserve your undivided attention. The lateral—or middle—deltoid is the key to building that wide-shouldered, athletic look. But targeting it effectively isn’t as simple as tossing in a few delt exercises and calling it a day.
For optimal lateral delt development, frequency and precision matter. Train them two to three times per week, and they’ll reward you; these muscles recover relatively quickly, so you can handle that added workload. But the real secret? Choosing exercises that actually zero in on your lateral delts rather than indirectly hitting them.
That’s where this series comes in. We’re ranking lateral delt exercises from best to worst—not to say any of these moves are useless, but some are better at blowing up your side delts. You’ll see which ones deserve a top spot in your weekly training plan, which are solid add-ons, and which are better left for other goals. Let’s get into it, with the best moves leading the charge.
Best Delt Exercises Ranked From Best To Worst
You can usually tell from the name alone; these delt exercises scream “side delt isolation.” Each offers unique advantages: a long-range stretch, consistent resistance across the movement, and clever positioning to minimize trap or front delt takeover. If lateral delt growth is the goal, this is your A-team.
1. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The gold standard. A properly performed dumbbell lateral raise, with controlled tempo and minimal body sway, places near-perfect tension on the lateral delts. Train them standing, seated, or using tempo sets (like 3-0-3) to crank up the time under tension.
Coach’s Tip: To keep tension on the lateral delt and not the traps, stop the raise slightly below shoulder height and initiate with your elbows, not your wrists.
2. Cable Lateral Raise
Cables offer a huge edge: constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. Unlike dumbbells, which go “light” at the bottom due to gravity, cables keep your side delts working from start to finish.
Coach’s Tip: Use a D-handle or go handle-free by grabbing the cable ball directly—this creates a more natural range and keeps the focus on the delts.
3. Incline Bench Lateral Raise
This variation reduces cheating by locking your torso in place, forcing your lateral delts to do all the work. The stretch at the bottom is intense, primarily when performed slowly.
Coach’s Tip: Position the bench at about a 30-degree incline and let your arms hang forward slightly to increase range and tension on the lateral delt.
4. Machine Lateral Raise
No balance, no bracing, just pure isolation. Machines eliminate compensations and allow for precise load manipulation. Plus, they’re great for high-rep burnout sets at the end of your shoulder workout.
Coach’s Tip: Lean slightly forward and experiment with grip (palms facing down vs. neutral) to maximize the lateral delt line of pull.
Average Lateral Delt Exercises
These moves aren’t bad—they’re just not as direct for side delt activation. They either recruit multiple shoulder heads or shift tension away from the lateral delts as you fatigue. Consider these your solid supporting cast, especially when volume or novelty is needed.
5. Shoulder Press
A powerhouse for building overall shoulder mass, but presses emphasize the front delts far more than the side delts. Still, they have their place as strength builders and compound openers.
6. Z Press
An underrated move that forces strict pressing form and strong midline stability. It activates all three heads of the deltoid, but again, front delts get more love than the sides.
7. Upright Row
A bit of a wild card—upright rows can torch your lateral delts if done correctly. Use a wider grip and stop when your elbows reach shoulder height to shift more work onto the side delts and off the traps.
Coach’s Tip: Swap the barbell for dumbbells or a rope attachment on the cable stack for better joint alignment and a safer shoulder position.
Below Average Lateral Delt Exercises
These moves may involve the delts, but they’re not optimal for lateral delt development, and in some cases, they could steer you away from your goals entirely.
8. Push Press
Great for power and overhead pressing strength, but you’re using momentum and leg drive to launch the weight. That takes isolation and time under tension away from the lateral delts.
9. Front Delt Raise
Solid for anterior deltoid work, but they bypass the lateral head entirely. If width is the goal, skip this one in favor of side-focused movements.
10. Banded Lateral Raise
While bands can be useful for travel or warm-ups, the resistance curve works against you—it is light at the start and heavy at the top, which is not ideal for building lateral delts through their full range.
11. ‘Cheat’ Lateral Raises
A controlled cheat can help you overload the eccentric, but most lifters go too heavy and start throwing weight around, turning this into more of a trap and momentum workout than a delt builder.
12. Face Pulls
Hear us out: Face pulls are a fantastic rear delt and rotator cuff exercise, however, when talking about lateral delt hypertrophy, it’s not a top-tier pick. Keep it for posture and shoulder health, not delt size size.
How To Train For the Best Lateral Delt Gains
Want to actually see those lateral delts pop? Here’s how to train smarter, not just harder.
Prioritize the top-tier exercises: Program 2 to 3 of the “best” builders into your weekly plan and rotate variations every 4 to 6 weeks to avoid plateaus.
Train shoulders 2 to 3 times per week: Lateral delts recover fast, especially from isolation work. Use that to your advantage with strategic volume.
Pair compound and isolation moves: Open with heavy presses, then chase the pump with lateral raise variations.
Use mechanical dropsets: Start with a more complex variation (e.g., incline cable lateral raise), then shift to easier ones (e.g., standing dumbbell raises or machine) without rest.
Control the tempo: Slow eccentrics (3 to 5 seconds on the way down) increase time under tension and drive more growth.
Play with angles: Small changes, like leaning slightly forward or raising from behind the hip, can completely shift the delt activation.
Watch your form like a hawk: Momentum is the enemy of isolation. Drop the ego and focus on strict reps that burn.