# Cable Side Lying Single Arm Lateral Raise - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9491/cable-side-lying-single-arm-lateral-raise/ - Media ID: 9491 - Primary muscle: Shoulders - Body part: Shoulders - Equipment: Cable Handle - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9491/cable-side-lying-single-arm-lateral-raise.mp4 ## Description The Cable Side Lying Single Arm Lateral Raise is a side-lying variation of the lateral raise performed on a flat bench with a single handle attached to a low pulley. You lie on your side with your working arm on top, reach across your body to grip the handle, and raise your straight arm up in a wide arc until it points toward the ceiling. Because the cable pulls from behind and below you at a low pulley, the resistance on the side deltoid is strong at the bottom of the rep and shifts as your arm travels, giving you a tension profile that a dumbbell simply cannot match. The main target is the lateral deltoid, the middle head of the shoulder that builds width and rounded shape. The anterior deltoid assists as the arm moves slightly forward of the body, and the upper traps and rotator cuff stabilize the shoulder blade and joint throughout the arc. Lying on your side also removes most of the momentum and torso swing that creep into standing lateral raises, so the work stays on the shoulder. This setup suits lifters who want more constant tension on the side delts, people whose dumbbell lateral raises have stalled, and anyone rehabbing or prehabbing the shoulder with lighter, controlled loading. Because you work one arm at a time, it also exposes and helps correct left-to-right strength differences. Bodybuilders often use it as a finisher after overhead pressing, while general lifters can use it as a primary side delt movement on shoulder days. Setup matters more here than in most raises. The bench height, your position on the bench, and the distance from the pulley all decide whether the cable pulls in a clean line through the shoulder joint or drags your arm backward and forward. Get these right and the movement feels smooth and targeted; get them wrong and the cable will fight your position the entire set. To perform it well, keep your torso stacked and still, raise the arm in the same plane your body occupies, and lead with the elbow slightly rather than flicking the hand upward. The arm travels in a wide arc from roughly hip height up until it is near vertical. Control the lowering phase for two to three seconds; the eccentric is where this exercise earns its reputation, since the cable keeps pulling as your arm comes down. Use a light weight at first. The side delt is a small muscle and the side-lying position removes all leverage tricks, so the honest range is shorter than most people expect. Stop a rep if you feel pinching at the top of the shoulder, and keep the raise below the point of discomfort while you build tolerance. ## Instructions 1. Set a flat bench a few feet in front of a low pulley and attach a single handle to the cable. 2. Lie on your side on the bench with your body stacked and aligned, legs together or knees slightly bent for balance, and your lower arm extended to brace against the floor or bench. 3. Reach your top arm across your body to grip the handle with a neutral grip, palm facing down toward your bottom hip, and let the cable rest over or just behind your lower torso so it pulls in line with your shoulder. 4. Brace your core and press your lower arm into the floor to lock your torso in place before the first rep. 5. Start with the working arm down across your lower body and raise it in a wide arc, keeping a very slight bend in the elbow, until your arm is nearly vertical above your shoulder. 6. Pause briefly at the top with the side of your shoulder doing the work, not your upper trap shrugging toward your ear. 7. Lower the arm slowly back across your body along the same arc until the cable tension is still present but the weight stack has fully settled. 8. Exhale as you raise the handle and inhale as you lower it under control. 9. Complete all reps on one side, then roll to your other side, reset your grip on the handle, and repeat for the same number of reps. ## Tips & Tricks - If the cable drags your arm behind you, you are lying too far from the pulley; shift toward the machine until the cable runs in a straight line from the pulley through your shoulder joint. - The most common mistake is turning the raise into a partial front raise. Keep the arm in the plane of your body so the side delt, not the front delt, does the majority of the work. - Shrugging the working shoulder toward your ear shifts load to the upper traps. Keep space between your ear and shoulder as the arm lifts. - Do not swing the arm past vertical at the top. Leaning the arm over your head changes the leverage and removes tension from the lateral deltoid. - A common failure point is dropping the arm too fast on the way down; because the cable pulls continuously from the low pulley, a rushed negative robs you of half the exercise. - Keep the wrist neutral and the grip relaxed. Squeezing the handle hard tends to recruit the forearm and upper trap and stiffens the arc. - If your lower shoulder fatigues before your working shoulder, place a pad under your torso or rest your head on your lower arm instead of pressing it hard into the floor. - Start with a weight you can lift for 12 to 15 strict reps. Going heavy here almost always produces torso rotation, which turns it into a different, sloppier exercise. - Stop a few degrees short of the range if you feel a pinch at the top of the shoulder; the supraspinatus can get compressed near full elevation under cable tension. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Cable Side Lying Single Arm Lateral Raise work? The lateral deltoid, or side shoulder, is the primary muscle. The front delt assists slightly, while the upper traps and rotator cuff stabilize the shoulder and shoulder blade throughout the arc. ### Why lie on a bench instead of doing a standing cable lateral raise? Lying on your side prevents torso swing and body English, and the low pulley loads the arm at angles a standing raise cannot. You get cleaner tension on the side delt with far less room to cheat. ### Is the Cable Side Lying Single Arm Lateral Raise good for beginners? Yes, as long as the weight is kept light. The bench supports the body and the fixed cable path makes the movement easy to learn, though beginners should master a dumbbell side raise first if even light cable loads feel awkward. ### How far should my arm travel during the raise? Raise from roughly hip height up until the arm is near vertical above your shoulder, then stop. Pushing the arm past vertical leans the resistance behind your head and reduces tension on the side delt. ### Why does the cable keep pulling when I lower my arm? Unlike a dumbbell, which loses tension as the arm descends, the low pulley pulls continuously against the direction of lowering. This makes the eccentric phase demanding, so lower the handle over two to three seconds instead of letting it fall. ### My shoulder pinches at the top of the rep. What should I change? Stop the arc a bit earlier, around 150 to 160 degrees of elevation, and check that the cable is not dragging your arm behind your torso. If pinching continues, reduce the weight and consult a qualified professional before pushing through it. ### What can I use if my gym has no low pulley near a bench? A side-lying dumbbell lateral raise on a bench or floor is the closest substitute, or you can anchor a resistance band low and perform the same arc. Both lose some of the constant tension but train the same pattern. ### How many sets and reps work best for this exercise? Two to four sets of 10 to 15 reps per side is a solid range, with lighter weights and higher reps toward the end of a shoulder session. Because the movement is strict and unilateral, quality reps beat heavy loads. ### Should I do both sides in the same set or alternate? Finish all repetitions on one side before switching. This keeps your setup consistent, avoids re-rigging the handle mid-set, and makes it easier to match reps between your left and right shoulders.