Lean-Away Cable Lateral Raise
Also known as: Cable Leaning Lateral Raise, Leaning Cable Lateral Raise, Lean-Away Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
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Description
Hold the cable column with one hand, lean away from it and raise a low-pulley handle out to the side with the other arm to build wider shoulders. Your side delts do most of the work, the rear delts help a lot and the front delts a little, and you'll feel the serratus anterior along the side of your ribs. The lean is what sets it apart: the cable meets your arm at a wider angle, so the raise is loaded right from the bottom, where a dumbbell feels almost weightless. Your support hand keeps the body still, so it's easier not to sway than in the upright version.
How to Perform
- Set the pulley to the lowest notch and clip on a single D-handle.
- Stand side-on to the column with your feet together right at its base, so the pulley sits next to your near foot.
- With your near hand, grab a fixed upright of the frame at about head height. Never hold the moving pulley carriage or the cable.
- Take the handle in your far hand. The cable runs diagonally across the front of your thighs, not behind you.
- Lean away until your support arm is almost straight and your body forms one line from feet to head, about 15–20° off vertical.
- Pull the working shoulder down, then raise the arm out to the side in a wide arc, elbow slightly bent and leading.
- Stop when your upper arm is roughly parallel to the floor and your palm faces down. Hips and support arm stay where they are.
- Take 2–3 seconds to lower back in front of your hip without letting the plates touch. Do all your reps on one side, then switch.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Aim for 12–15 reps here, and anything from 10 to 20 works; below about 8, the shrug and the sway take over.
- Stay on the same pin until you get the top number in every set with the lean held still, then go up one plate and start again lower in the range.
- One stack plate is often 2.5–5 kg (5–10 lb), which on a one-arm raise can mean 25–50% more weight. Use an add-on weight if the stack has one; if not, first stretch the lowering to 3–4 seconds and add a one-second pause at the top.
- The side of the working shoulder should burn from the first few inches of the raise. If it's mostly the top of your shoulder and your neck, you're shrugging or the pin is too heavy. A pinch at the top of the shoulder means stop a little lower and raise slightly in front of your body.
- Can't keep your body still? Lean less, or go back to the upright one-arm raise with a lighter pin. Once your reps look clean, a slightly bigger lean loads the bottom of the range more.
- Substitutes: Cable Lateral Raise if you'd rather stand upright, One-Arm Cable Lateral Raise, One-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise holding a post and leaning away the same way, Dumbbell Lateral Raise when every cable is taken.
Common Mistakes
- Standing upright or leaning toward the machine. The lean away is the whole point: feet at the column base, support arm straight, then tip away before the first rep.
- Swinging back toward upright as the arm comes up. Lock the support arm and hips, keep one body angle for the whole set and drop the pin a plate.
- Bending and straightening the elbow until the raise turns into an upright row. Set a slight bend at the start and keep it; the elbow leads and the hand never rises above it.
- Letting the stack crash at the bottom and starting each rep from a slack cable. Lower slowly and stop with the plates still apart.
Recommended Exercises
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