Shoulders
The main muscle group listed for this exercise.
Exercise guide
One-Arm Side Laterals
One-Arm Side Laterals is a beginner-friendly shoulder exercise performed with dumbbells. It also involves the arms and back.
Dumbbell
The equipment listed for this variation.
Beginner
The recorded setup and movement complexity.
Shoulders
One-Arm Side Laterals also involves arms, back.
Strength
Movement pattern: general. This is an isolation exercise.
Beginner
This level reflects the setup and movement complexity recorded for this exercise.
Instructions
How to do One-Arm Side Laterals
- Pick a dumbbell and place it in one of your hands. Your non lifting hand should be used to grab something steady such as an incline bench press. Lean towards your lifting arm and away from the hand that is gripping the incline bench as this will allow you to keep your balance.
- Stand with a straight torso and have the dumbbell by your side at arm's length with the palm of the hand facing you. This will be your starting position.
- While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the dumbbell to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and your hand slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass. Continue to go up until you arm is parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this movement and pause for a second at the top.
- Lower the dumbbell back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
- Switch arms and repeat the exercise.
Related workouts
Workout templates that use this exercise.
If you want to see this movement inside a more complete training session, start here.
3-Day Full Body Split
A three-day split that spreads total weekly work across three full-body sessions.
View workout4-Day Upper Lower Split
A simple four-day split that gives each half of the body two quality sessions each week.
View workout5-Day Bodybuilding Split
A traditional five-day bodybuilding split for lifters who enjoy focusing on one or two regions per session.
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View exerciseRelated tools
Related calculators for this exercise.
Use these calculators when you want to connect the exercise itself to calories, protein, strength targets, or training volume.
FAQ
Common questions about One-Arm Side Laterals.
What muscles does One-Arm Side Laterals work?
One-Arm Side Laterals primarily trains the shoulders and also involves the arms and back.
Is One-Arm Side Laterals beginner-friendly?
Yes. It is listed as beginner-friendly.
What equipment do I need for One-Arm Side Laterals?
This variation uses dumbbells.
Track this exercise for free in Logbook.
Once the movement is in your plan, use Logbook to record sets, reps, load, and progress without guessing what happened last week.