Cable Seated Lateral Raise

What it is

You perform this seated exercise using a cable machine to isolate and strengthen your shoulder muscles, specifically your deltoids. It also secondarily engages your middle back and trapezius muscles. This isolation movement is a great way to build well-rounded shoulder definition.

Technique tips

• Set up with the bench perpendicular between two low cable pulleys.
• Lean forward with a flat back, resting your torso on your thighs.
• Grasp the opposing cable handles with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Raise the cables out to the sides until your arms are shoulder height.
• Exhale as you lift and inhale as you slowly lower the weights.
• Maintain upper arms perpendicular to your torso; avoid swinging the weight.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.