Isometric wall lateral raise

Standing next to a wall, you push against it with the back of your hand, arm away from your body, and hold. It's the only way to give the side delt direct work with no equipment at all: an isometric mainly trains the angle you practise, so it's a reasonable stopgap, not a replacement for the lateral raise. A resistance band solves the problem completely.

• Isolation
• Bodyweight
• Beginner

How to do it

• Side-on to the wall, arm by your side and elbow slightly bent
• Push the back of your hand into the wall as if you wanted to raise the arm
• Build the effort up over the first 2 seconds and hold
• Repeat at mid height (around 45°) to cover more of the range

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 30–45 s per side · sustained high effort

Tempo: 2 s building up the effort and hold for the rest of the time, without holding your breath

Common mistakes

• Shrugging, lifting the shoulder towards the ear
• Holding your breath through the whole isometric
• Pushing with the torso by leaning into the wall

Muscles worked

Primary

• Side delt

Secondary

• Anterior deltoid

Alternatives

• Banded Lateral Raise (single-arm)
• Lateral Raise
• Cable Lateral Raise