Shoulders · Dumbbell
Support Head Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
How to do the support head dumbbell rear lateral raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set an incline bench upright and rest your forehead against the top pad while standing or kneeling behind it, a dumbbell in each hand hanging down. With a slight bend in your elbows, raise the dumbbells out to the sides until level with your shoulders, then lower slowly. Bracing your head removes momentum and keeps the rear delts isolated.
- 1Feel your rear delts doing all the work with your head supported
- 2Lead with your elbows in a wide arc, not with your hands
- 3Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, then lower slowly
Common mistakes
- Don't press your head into the pad to cheat the weight up
- Avoid shrugging your traps or using momentum to swing
- Don't let your elbows straighten and turn it into a triceps move
Muscles worked
The support head dumbbell rear lateral raise mainly works the rear delts and mid traps, with the lower traps assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Lower TrapsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the support head dumbbell rear lateral raise for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.