Dumbbell Lying Rear Lateral Raise

What it is

This exercise is an isolation movement designed to strengthen your shoulder muscles. You perform it lying chest-down on an incline bench, using dumbbells to target your rear deltoids. It focuses on building strength and definition in the back of your shoulders.

Technique tips

• Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement.
• Raise the dumbbells until your arms are parallel to the floor.
• Maintain your arms perpendicular to your torso as you lift.
• Briefly hold the contraction at the top of the movement.
• Lower the dumbbells slowly and with full control.
• Exhale as you lift and inhale as you return to the start.

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.