Most lifters assume chest or back muscles dominate upper body size.
They’re wrong.
Shoulders actually claim that title as the largest muscle group by volume, and well-developed delts create that powerful, wide appearance everyone wants.
In a recent video, fitness expert Sean Nalewanyj revealed eight critical mistakes that sabotage shoulder growth during lateral raises—and fixing them could be the difference between mediocre delts and impressive, three-dimensional shoulders.
Jump to:
- Why Shoulder Training Deserves Your Full Attention
- Mistake #1: Standing Completely Upright
- Mistake #2: Raising Weights Directly Sideways
- Mistake #3: Leading With Your Hands
- Mistake #4: Aggressive Shrugging
- Mistake #5: Trying to Eliminate Traps Completely
- Mistake #6: Rotating Pinkies Upward
- Mistake #7: External Hand Rotation
- Mistake #8: Ignoring the Lengthened Position
- Implementing These Corrections
Why Shoulder Training Deserves Your Full Attention
Well-developed shoulders don’t just make you look powerful. They create an optical illusion that makes your waistline appear smaller.
The lateral head specifically benefits most from direct, isolated work since it’s responsible for that wide, sweeping appearance. Getting lateral raises right becomes essential for anyone serious about building impressive delts.
Mistake #1: Standing Completely Upright
Maintaining a fully vertical torso shifts tension toward front delts instead of targeting the lateral head.
The fix: Lean forward slightly to approximately 70 degrees. This adjustment redirects the line of pull directly onto side delts.
Nalewanyj recommends performing lateral raises while leaning against a high incline bench. This locks your torso in position and prevents momentum from compromising form.
Mistake #2: Raising Weights Directly Sideways
Despite “lateral” meaning “to the side,” lifting straight outward actually increases shoulder joint stress while reducing force production from delts.
Instead, raise weights into the scapular plane—a diagonal angle roughly halfway between straight out front and straight to the side. This biomechanically optimal position maximizes delt activation while protecting joints.
Mistake #3: Leading With Your Hands
When hands rise higher than elbows at the top of each rep, you’re shifting stress from side delts onto rotator cuff muscles.
This typically happens when using excessively heavy weights. Keep hands and elbows aligned throughout the entire movement.
Lateral raises are not some kind of heavy power exercise. No one’s ever going to come up to you in the gym and ask hey bro how much do you lateral raise.
Think moderate weight with slightly higher reps, emphasizing technique over ego.
Mistake #4: Aggressive Shrugging
Shrugging weights upward recruits traps instead of side delts. This usually results from using too much momentum out of the bottom position.
A helpful mental cue: Think about reaching outward toward walls rather than just lifting upward. This adjustment maintains tension where it belongs—on lateral delts.
Mistake #5: Trying to Eliminate Traps Completely
While aggressive shrugging is problematic, attempting to completely remove traps from the movement creates different issues.
The humerus and scapula work together during shoulder abduction. When you prevent natural scapular upward rotation by locking shoulders down, you actually reduce shoulder stability and decrease force production from side delts.
The goal during a lateral raise is not zero traps. The goal is to maximize the net amount of tension on the side delts period.
Mistake #6: Rotating Pinkies Upward
This common tip—rotating hands so pinkies face upward—places shoulder joints in a compromised position that increases injury risk over time.
Nalewanyj speaks from personal experience. He used this technique in his younger training days, and now even one rep in that rotated position causes sharp pain.
From a risk-reward perspective, it simply doesn’t make sense. There’s no real upside for side delt stimulation, but accumulated stress on rotator cuff tendons can lead to long-term problems.
Mistake #7: External Hand Rotation
The opposite problem—thumbs facing directly upward—shifts the line of pull more onto front delts.
The sweet spot: Keep hands in a mostly neutral position. This aligns resistance with side delts while protecting shoulder joints from unnecessary stress.
Mistake #8: Ignoring the Lengthened Position
Standard dumbbell lateral raises maximize tension where side delt fibers are in medium to shortened positions—at the top of the movement.
There’s minimal tension at the bottom when fibers are more lengthened. For optimal results, incorporate lengthened-position variations at some point in your training.
Options include:
- Leaning lateral raises with dumbbells: Reverses the resistance profile, making the bottom harder and top easier
- Cable lateral raises from waist height: Accomplishes the same lengthened-position emphasis with constant tension
Implementing These Corrections
These adjustments apply regardless of which lateral raise variation you’re using. Whether performing standard dumbbell raises, cable variations, or machine versions, these biomechanical principles remain constant.
Check off each mistake to ensure you’re maximizing tension on side delts while minimizing shoulder joint stress. Building wide, three-dimensional deltoids requires attention to these details.
The difference between impressive shoulders and average ones often comes down to technique refinement rather than training volume. Focus on quality execution, and those wide, powerful delts will follow.
