Cable Seated Lateral Raise
A beginner isolation movement that trains the shoulders with a cable machine.
Force Type
Pull
direction of effort
Difficulty
Beginner
training level
Variations
0
equipment swaps
Muscles
3
primary + secondary
The verdict
Cable Seated Lateral Raise has 7-step instructions, among the most thoroughly documented of the 127 shoulders exercises PlainExercise catalogues.
Ranked against the 127 shoulders exercises PlainExercise currently catalogues, not the full exercise-science literature.
Catalog lens
Two ways this record sits in the source corpus
These are placement measures for the documented record, not a score for exercise quality, safety, or suitability.
Instruction steps
#18 of 868
Most thoroughly documented
Numbered source steps, ranked across every documented exercise.
Instruction text
#45 of 868
Most thoroughly documented
A separate character-length placement prevents step count from standing in for explanatory detail.
Cable Seated Lateral Raise vs every catalogued exercise by instruction-text length
Where this record's instruction-character count sits among all 873 Free Exercise DB exercises with instructions, not a rating of the movement itself.
1,233 45th of 873 higher than 828 of 873 exercises
All exercises, banded by instruction-text character count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more exercises. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10
Cable Seated Lateral Raise is documented from the Free Exercise DB (CC0) extract, last ingested July 2026. Classification, muscle roles and instruction text are source facts; the placement and cohort measures on this page are computed by PlainExercise and are not a rating of the movement.
What the Cable Seated Lateral Raise Data Reveals · DEEP · PULL/ISOLATION
Cable Seated Lateral Raise stands out on mechanic class: joint involvement separates this page from isolation peers.
Longer step lists usually mean finer setup cues, not a harder movement by themselves.
Across 127 catalogued shoulders movements, the average instruction record is 623 characters and 4.2 steps; 82 of those (64.6%) clear the same ≥500-character rich bar used here. This page ranks #3 of 127 by instruction-character length (1.98× the cohort average).
Among the 81 exercises that also use a cable machine, average instruction length is 786 characters; 5 of those peers are longer than this record. Equipment-matched peers are the honest comparison when you are choosing a substitute implement for the same pattern.
Other well-documented shoulders movements (same ≥500-character bar):
- Clean and Jerk (8 steps, 2,551 chars)
- Clean and Press (7 steps, 1,667 chars)
- External Rotation (6 steps, 1,212 chars)
- Reverse Flyes With External Rotation (7 steps, 1,105 chars)
- Dumbbell One-Arm Upright Row (5 steps, 1,005 chars)
Context matters: taxonomy (level, mechanic, force, musculature, equipment) does not account for individual biomechanics, joint history, or recovery. Common-mistake framing below is derived from classification fields, not case-specific coaching. Not medical or personal-training advice. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting, especially with injuries, cardiovascular conditions, recent surgery, or pregnancy.
Cable Seated Lateral Raise catalog footprint
Among 127 exercises whose primary muscle is shoulders, Cable Seated Lateral Raise ranks #43 by catalogued variation count. The upstream file attaches 2 images to this slug. See the step-count ranking for shoulders for peer documentation depth.
Muscles worked
The Free Exercise DB classifies each muscle as primary or secondary. It does not measure activation, so we show involvement, not percentages.
Source: Free Exercise DB primary/secondary muscle classification. Actual recruitment varies by load and form.
Intensity context
For reference, here is where common activities sit on the MET intensity scale. Cable Seated Lateral Raise does not have a measured MET in the source data, its intensity depends on the load and effort you use. Estimate calories for any activity with the calorie calculator.
MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). A general reference scale, not a rating of this specific movement.
How to do it
- Stand in the middle of two low pulleys that are opposite to each other and place a flat bench right behind you (in perpendicular fashion to you; the narrow edge of the bench should be the one behind you). Select the weight to be used on each pulley.
- Now sit at the edge of the flat bench behind you with your feet placed in front of your knees.
- Bend forward while keeping your back flat and rest your torso on the thighs.
- Have someone give you the single handles attached to the pulleys. Grasp the left pulley with the right hand and the right pulley with the left after you select your weight. The pulleys should run under your knees and your arms will be extended with palms facing each other and a slight bend at the elbows. This will be the starting position.
- While keeping the arms stationary, raise the upper arms to the sides until they are parallel to the floor and at shoulder height. Exhale during the execution of this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- Slowly lower your arms to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions. Tip: Maintain upper arms perpendicular to torso and a fixed elbow position (10 degree to 30 degree angle) throughout exercise.
Common mistakes
- Rushing through reps before the pattern is grooved - at this stage, a slow, controlled tempo (2-3s down, 1-2s up) on Cable Seated Lateral Raise teaches the nervous system the movement far faster than speed does.
- Cutting the range of motion short - moving the shoulders through its full safe range on Cable Seated Lateral Raise is what most reliably separates effective reps from wasted ones.
- Using momentum instead of muscle, isolation movements like Cable Seated Lateral Raise reward strict form. If you're swinging the weight, it's too heavy.
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears on pull movements, keep shoulder blades down and back to load the correct muscles.
- Breathing out of sync with the lift on Cable Seated Lateral Raise - brace and inhale during the lowering phase, exhale on the exertion, especially important with a cable machine where control matters most.
Who this is for
- People new to resistance training who want to build a foundation in the movement pattern
- People who want to train the Shoulders and secondarily middle back, traps
- People who have access to a cable machine
Who this is NOT for
- People hunting equipment swaps, this record has none to offer; browse the peer shoulders exercises for alternate patterns instead.
- Anyone with acute pain in the joints or muscles involved, pain is a stop signal, not a soreness signal
- People with unresolved injuries in the loaded joints, seek clearance from a physical therapist first
- Anyone with a recent surgery, cardiovascular limitation, or pregnancy complication without physician clearance
Progression path
Once Cable Seated Lateral Raise feels comfortable with your current load, progress by (a) adding reps until you can complete 12+ per set, (b) increasing resistance by 2.5-5%, (c) moving to harder variations such as single-limb or longer lever versions, and eventually (d) stepping up to intermediate-level movements that train the same muscle.
See the Progression guide for a full framework on when to advance, and the Compound vs Isolation guide to decide when to prioritize this movement in your program.
Safety notes · CABLE · PULL/ISOLATION · FLOOR
- On PULL/ISOLATION shoulders work, warm up 5–10 minutes before loading Cable Seated Lateral Raise; keep first sets light until the path feels automatic.
- Sharp or joint pain is a stop signal. Muscle soreness during sets is normal; pain is not.
- Beginners on CABLE gear: cut volume before cutting form, drop a set rather than rush reps.
- General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.
Curated workout appearances
Cable Seated Lateral Raise is not currently featured in one of the 186 curated workout routines on this site.
Nationwide exercises with similar documentation depth
Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Cable Seated Lateral Raise, drawn across all muscles (not the shoulders-only related list below). Each metric produces a different neighborhood.
Similar instruction step count
Nearest catalog records by numbered steps.
Similar instruction text length
Nearest catalog records by upstream instruction characters.
Related exercises
Other exercises that target the Shoulders.
See all Shoulders exercises.
Using the cable seated lateral raise
Three ways to put it to work.
- Train the shoulders 2–3 times a week with 48+ hours between hard sets; pair this with other shoulders movements for balanced development. All shoulders exercises
- Match the load and rep range to your goal, strength, size, or endurance each call for a different scheme. Strength vs hypertrophy
- As an isolation movement, use it to target the shoulders directly after your compound lifts. Compound vs isolation
Form before load. If a movement causes sharp or joint pain, stop and substitute a safer alternative, this is general information, not medical or training advice.