Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Side Lying One Hand Raise
How to do the dumbbell side lying one hand raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your side on the floor or a bench with a dumbbell in your top hand resting against your hip. Keeping your arm nearly straight, raise the dumbbell in an arc up toward the ceiling until it is above your shoulder. Lower it back to your hip under control and repeat for reps, then switch sides.
- 1Feel your side delt working through the full arc
- 2Lead with your elbow and keep the wrist neutral
- 3Lower slowly to keep tension on the shoulder
Common mistakes
- Don't swing the weight up with momentum
- Avoid rolling your torso back to cheat the lift
- Don't shrug your shoulder toward your ear
Muscles worked
The dumbbell side lying one hand raise mainly works the side delts, with the front delts assisting.
- Side DeltsPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell side lying one hand 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.