10 Side Delt Exercises (Dumbbells, Plates, and Cables)

Table of Contents

• Shoulder Anatomy and Side Delts
• Why Work Out Your Side Delts
• Can You Isolate Side Delts?
• 7 Side Delt Exercises with Dumbbells and Plate
• 3 More Side Delt Exercises With Cables 
• 3 Effective Side Delt Workouts to Try 
• Wrapping Up

Are you looking to build an impressive set of shoulders that look good and complement your physique? If so, you need to be doing the right side delt exercises. 

Your side delts largely determine the overall shape of your shoulders and contribute to their roundness.

In this article, we’ll look at shoulder anatomy and discuss the ten best exercises for building huge deltoids.

Shoulder Anatomy and Side Delts

The shoulders, also known as the deltoids, are three-headed muscles that envelop the shoulder joint and are responsible for various arm motions. [1]

First, we have the anterior delts, which make up the front portion of the muscle and play a role in most pressing exercises, including the bench press.

Second are the rear deltoids, which make up the back of the muscle and contribute to upper back aesthetics. One of their functions is to extend the shoulders, causing the arms to travel out to the side and behind the body. [2]

Wedged between these two is the lateral deltoid, also known as the middle or side deltoid. This is the middle portion of the muscle and is most active during shoulder abduction, which occurs when you lift your arm up and away from your body’s midline. [2] One of the best lateral delt exercises is the lateral raise. [3] 

The side delts also contribute during push activities and play a crucial role in shoulder joint stability while assisting the front delts when raising our arms forward or overhead.

Why Work Out Your Side Delts

Aesthetics

A good reason to do side delt exercises is that it rounds out the cap of the shoulder muscle to help you build an impressive set of shoulders, which look great and accentuate your upper body. 

Stability

The deltoids play a crucial role in shoulder stability and overall function. [4] Well-developed delts can improve joint integrity and reduce the risk of injuries.

Strength

The side delts are involved in numerous upper-body motions. Developing them improves performance in many gym activities, including overhead and bench presses, upright rows, and pull movements (rows, pull-ups, etc.).

You may also like: Pull Exercises at Home

Athleticism

The side deltoids are also crucial to performance in sports like tennis, basketball, and swimming. Activities where the shoulders play an important role include throwing, punching, and lifting objects to the side or overhead.

Can You Isolate Side Delts?

You cannot fully isolate your side delts because other muscles will contribute to some degree. That said, you can emphasize the middle deltoid with specific exercises, such as variations of lateral raises, upright rows, Arnold presses, steering wheels, etc. By including these exercises in your workout programming, you can fill out the shape of the shoulders and improve overall strength and functionality.

7 Side Delt Exercises with Dumbbells and Plate

1. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Grab a pair of dumbbells.
• Stand tall with your arms hanging at your sides.
• Bring your chest out, engage your abs, and inhale.
• Exhale and lift the dumbbells up and out to your sides in one fluid motion until your wrists and elbows align with your shoulders. Avoid swinging or shrugging your shoulders as you raise the dumbbells.
• Lower the weights and inhale.

2. Side Plank

• Lay an exercise mat on the ground and sit down.
• Turn to your right and place your right forearm flat on the floor. 
• Extend your legs and stack them (one foot on top of the other).
• Engage your abs to lift your hips off the floor into a straight body plank position and hold.
• Once finished, perform the same exercise for your left side.

3. Upright Rows

• Grab a pair of dumbbells.
• Stand tall with your arms hanging in front of you and the weights in front of your hips.
• Bring your chest out, engage your abs, and inhale.
• Exhale and pull the weights from your hips to your chest in a fluid, straight line, keeping your wrists straight and elbows up. 
• Pause when your elbows align with your shoulders.
• Slowly lower the weights to your hips as you inhale.

4. Dumbbell Arnold Presses

• Grab a pair of dumbbells.
• Sit on a flat gym bench, chair, or plyo box.
• Bend your arms to 90 degrees and hold the dumbbells up in front of your chest with your palms facing in.
• Keep your chest up and engage your abs. Inhale.
• Exhale and press the dumbbells up and overhead as you rotate your wrists out to face forward.
• Inhale as you lower the dumbbells back down, rotating your wrists in to return to the starting position.

5. Shoulder Presses (Seated Military Press)

• Grab a pair of dumbbells.
• Sit down on a gym bench with upright back support.
• Position your upper back against the support.
• Keep your chest up, engage your abs, and lift the dumbbells up to your shoulders with your palms facing forward. Inhale.
• Exhale and press the dumbbells straight up.
• Inhale and lower the weights back down until your elbows are slightly lower than shoulder level.

6. Dumbbell Overhead Presses

• Grab a pair of dumbbells.
• Stand tall and lift the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
• Keep your chest up, take a deep breath, and squeeze your abs.
• Exhale and press the weights straight up overhead.
• Inhale and lower the dumbbells back down to your shoulders.

7. Bus Drivers (aka Weighted Steering Wheel)

• Grab a weight plate by its sides and stand tall.
• Take a breath, engage your abs, and raise the plate in front of you with straight arms.
• Rotate the plate to the left, hold briefly, then rotate it to the right. Keep your arms extended in front of you throughout the exercise.
• Continue alternating between left and right, breathing steadily as you do.

3 More Side Delt Exercises With Cables

1. Face Pulls

• Set the pulleys of a cable machine in a high position and fasten a rope attachment.
• Select the appropriate weight and grab the ends of the rope.
• Take a couple of steps back, engage your abs, and inhale.
• Exhale and pull the ends of the rope apart simultaneously, pulling the center of the rope towards your face as you squeeze your upper back.
• Inhale as you bring the ends back together and extend your arms.

2. Cable Lateral Raises

• Set the pulleys of a double cable machine in a low position and attach handles.
• Stand in the middle.
• Grab each handle with the opposite hand.
• Stand in the middle, lift your chest up, and engage your abs. Inhale.
• Exhale and lift your arms up and out to your sides until your wrists, elbows, and shoulders align.
• Inhale and lower your arms.

3. One-Arm Cable Lateral Raises

• Set a pulley in a low position and attach a handle.
• Stand with your left shoulder to the cable machine.
• Grab the handle with your right hand.
• Stand sideways to the stack, engage your abs, keep your chest up, and inhale.
• Exhale and raise your right arm up and out to the side.
• Inhale and lower your arm.
• Once finished, rotate your body 180 degrees and repeat with your left arm.

3 Effective Side Delt Workouts to Try

Do you have to devote a full workout to training side delts? No. You can easily incorporate some of the exercises above into your shoulder workout, or you can build a full shoulder workout using them.

Here are a few ideas for working your side delts using different equipment.

At-Home Side Delt Workout With Dumbbells

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (sec)
Seated Military Presses	3-4	8-10	120
Dumbbell Upright Rows	3	10-12	120
Dumbbell Lateral Raises	3	12-20	60-90

Side Delt Workout With Dumbbells and Plates

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (sec)
Dumbbell Arnold Presses	3	8-10	120
Dumbbell Upright Rows	3	12-15	120
Bus Drivers	3	30 total	90
Dumbbell Lateral Raises	2-3	12-20	60-90

Cable ​​Lateral Deltoid Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (sec)
Cable Lateral Raises	3	12-15	90
Face Pulls	3	12-15	90
One-Arm Cable Lateral Raises	3	15-20	60-90

Since the shoulders do not have opposing muscle groups the way your chest and back do, you can combine your shoulder work with other large muscle groups—for example, train your shoulders and legs together. Alternatively, try these combinations:

• Shoulders and chest
• Shoulders and chest + triceps
• Shoulders and arms
• Shoulders and back

Wrapping Up

Training your side delts is highly beneficial for several reasons. Here are some core takeaways from this article:

• The side deltoid is the middle portion of the shoulder muscle. Its primary function is arm abduction (lifting your arm away from the body to the side). 
• Developing the side deltoids makes them appear rounder, accentuating your upper body.
• Other reasons for developing side deltoids include building strength, stabilizing the shoulders, and improving athletic performance.
• Some of the best side delt exercises include lateral raises, upright rows, Arnold presses, overhead presses, and bus drivers.
• Good lateral shoulder workouts combine effective exercises to create an adequate stimulus and promote the necessary overload for growth and strength gain.