Hands up who wants wide, strong shoulders? If so, you need to incorporate shoulder abduction exercises into your training.
Abduction is the movement of a body part away from the body’s central midline. When it comes to shoulders, it means lifting your arm up and away to the side. As the deltoid has a multipennate muscle fibre arrangement, it’s important to mix up the angles and exercises to get full training coverage.
1 - Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Muscles Worked - Middle deltoid (primary), anterior deltoid, and posterior deltoid.
Rep Range - 10-15.
Why Choose This Variation? - This is a fantastic abduction exercise for targeting the lateral deltoids.
• In a neutral stance, hold a light dumbbell in each hand.
• Start with your arms by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Keeping the same elbow angle, raise the dumbbells out to the side until your arms reach shoulder height.
• A top tip is to imagine you’re raising your arms from your elbows.
2 - Cable Lateral Raise
Muscles Worked - Middle deltoid (primary), anterior deltoid, and posterior deltoid.
Rep Range - 10-15.
Why Choose This Variation? - Although similar to the dumbbell variety, this version keeps a more consistent tension on your deltoids.
• Set the Cable Pulley Machine to the lowest position.
• Stand side-on and hold a D-handle with the hand furthest from the stack.
• Stand straight, keep a slight bend in your elbow and raise your arm across your body and up to shoulder height.
• Lower slowly and repeat before switching sides.
3 - Side Lying Lateral Raise
Muscles Worked - Middle deltoid, supraspinatus, posterior deltoid, anterior deltoid.
Rep Range - 10-12.
Why Choose This Variation? - The side-lying version changes where the exercise feels hardest. It focusses on the initial abduction movement, which targets the supraspinatus.
• Lie on your side on a Flat Weight Bench with your head resting on your lower elbow or palm for support.
• Hold a light dumbbell in your top hand with an overhand grip, resting on your thigh.
• Raise your arm up towards the ceiling, then lower again.
• To make this more challenging, don’t let the dumbbell rest on your thigh between reps.
4 - Resistance Band Lateral Raise
Muscles Worked - Middle deltoid, anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid.
Rep Range - 12-20.
Why Choose This Variation? - Using a Resistance Band for lateral raises is a useful option for home workouts, warm-ups or higher-rep shoulder training.
• Stand on one end of a resistance band.
• Hold the other end in one hand.
• Standing tall, raise your arm out to the side until it reaches shoulder height.
• Complete your reps then repeat with the other arm.
5 - Bent Over Lateral Raise
Muscles Worked - Posterior deltoids, traps, rhomboids.
Rep Range - 10-12.
Why Choose This Variation? - This movement may not be a pure shoulder abduction exercise, however it’s a valuable one that targets the posterior delts and upper back. You can also perform a supported version by lying chest down on an incline bench.
• Stand in a neutral position with your knees slightly bent.
• Holding a pair of dumbbells, hinge forward at the hips whilst keeping your back straight.
• Let the dumbbells hang below your chest with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Raise your arms out to the side until they reach shoulder height, lower down and repeat.
Shoulder abduction exercises are essential for building width, as well as stability. Using a combination of dumbbells, cables and resistance bands, you can train your deltoids comprehensively from different angles.
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Tags: Equipment > Benches ; Equipment > Cable Machines ; Equipment > Dumbbells ; Equipment > Resistance Bands ; Exercise Type > Strength
