One-Arm Side Laterals
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
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.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to One-Arm Side Laterals
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.
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2
One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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3
Side Laterals to Front Raise
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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4
Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.
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5
One-Arm Kettlebell Clean and Jerk
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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6
One-Arm Kettlebell Jerk
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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7
One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press To The Side
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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8
One-Arm Kettlebell Para Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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9
One-Arm Kettlebell Push Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
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10
One-Arm Kettlebell Snatch
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do one-arm side laterals work?
One-Arm Side Laterals primarily works the shoulders.
What equipment do I need for one-arm side laterals?
One-Arm Side Laterals uses dumbbells.
One-Arm Side Laterals: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. One-Arm Side Laterals is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of one-arm side laterals?
Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row, One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise, Side Laterals to Front Raise train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my one-arm side laterals reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; one-arm side laterals can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your One-Arm Side Laterals with AI
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