Cable Seated Lateral Raise
The cable seated lateral raise has you sit sideways next to a low pulley, hold the handle in your outside hand, and raise your arm out to the side up to shoulder height. It isolates your side delts with steady cable resistance, and it suits anyone who wants fuller shoulder width without relying on dumbbells, which lose tension right where this exercise needs it most.
Why it works
Your side delts lift your arm out to the side, and the resistance they need to fight changes as your arm rises. A dumbbell only resists gravity, which pulls straight down, so tension drops off near the top of the raise when your arm is closest to horizontal. A low pulley pulls at a different angle, keeping meaningful tension on your side delts through the top portion of the raise where a dumbbell goes nearly slack.
Set up
- Sit sideways on a bench next to a low pulley with a handle attached.
- Grab the handle with your outside hand, letting your arm hang across the front of your body.
- Sit up tall with your torso stable and your inside hand braced on the bench if needed.
How to do it
- Raise your arm out to the side until it reaches roughly shoulder height.
- Pause briefly at the top of the raise.
- Lower your arm back down slowly, resisting the cable the whole way.
- Complete all reps on one side, then switch and repeat on the other.
Form cues
- Lead with your elbow, keeping a slight bend throughout the raise.
- Raise to shoulder height, not higher, to keep the load on your delts rather than your traps.
- Keep your torso still and avoid leaning away from the cable to help lift the weight.
- Control the lowering phase instead of letting the cable yank your arm back down.
Breathing: Exhale as you raise your arm out to the side, inhale as you lower it back down.
Common mistakes
Leaning your torso away from the cable to help swing the weight up.
Fix: Sit tall and keep your torso still, letting your shoulder do the lifting instead of your body's momentum.
Raising the arm above shoulder height and shrugging at the top.
Fix: Stop the raise at shoulder height and keep your shoulder down and away from your ear throughout.
Letting the arm swing down quickly after the raise.
Fix: Lower under control for the same count you used to raise, resisting the cable the whole way down.
How to program it
- Side delts are a small muscle that tolerates frequent training well, so two to three sessions a week per side works for most people.
- Higher reps, around 12 to 20 per side, tend to build shoulder width better than heavy, low-rep sets on this isolation movement.
- Place it after your main pressing work, since it makes a solid finisher rather than a session opener.
Safety notes
- Keep the weight light enough to raise with your shoulder rather than your torso's momentum.
- Stop the range at shoulder height rather than raising higher, which shifts stress toward your neck and traps.
- If you feel pinching at the top of the shoulder, lower the range slightly and reduce the load.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps of cable seated lateral raise should I do per side?
Two or three sets of 12 to 20 reps per side works well, since this small muscle responds better to volume than to heavy loads.
What's the difference between a cable lateral raise and a dumbbell lateral raise?
A dumbbell loses tension near the top of the raise since gravity pulls straight down, while the cable's pull angle keeps your side delts working through that same top portion.
Can I do this without a cable machine?
A dumbbell lateral raise or a lateral raise with a resistance band train the same movement without a low pulley.
Why do I feel this more in my traps than my shoulders?
That usually means you're raising your arm too high or shrugging at the top. Stop at shoulder height and keep your shoulder down and away from your ear through the whole set.