Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
A single-arm cable lateral raise done leaning away from the machine, which lengthens the side delt at the bottom.
How to do it
- Set a cable pulley to its lowest position and attach a single handle.
- Stand side-on to the stack and grip the machine upright with your near hand.
- Take the handle in your outside hand with a neutral grip across your body.
- Straighten the supporting arm and lean away from the stack until your torso is angled out.
- Raise the working arm out to the side with a slight elbow bend until it reaches shoulder height.
- Lower slowly back across your body, then finish the set and switch sides.
Key technique cue
Lean moderately so the support arm doesn't haul you up; lower slowly.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Leaning so far that the supporting arm hauls you upright, which turns the raise into a row.
- ✕ Shrugging at the top, which passes the load from the side of the deltoid to the upper traps.
- ✕ Bending and straightening the elbow through the rep, which quietly shortens the working lever.
- ✕ Dropping the handle back fast, which skips the lengthened position the lean was set up to create.
Benefits
- ✓ Leaning away increases the loaded range at the bottom compared with a standing raise.
- ✓ Working one arm at a time makes left-right differences visible.
- ✓ Constant cable tension holds the side of the deltoid under load through the whole arc.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
- Cable Low Single Arm Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Seated Full Lateral Raise
- Leaning Single Arm Lateral Raise
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Step 3
About the exercise
This is the single-arm cable lateral raise with the torso angled out. You grip the machine upright with the near hand, straighten that arm and lean away from the stack, then raise the outside arm out to the side until it reaches shoulder height. The joint action is the same shoulder abduction as the upright single-arm version, and the cable keeps constant tension through the arc, so arching the back or swinging into the rep only takes load off the deltoid.
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