14 Best Middle Delt Exercises for Bigger, Broader Shoulders + Workout

Whether you are fully dressed or wearing a stringer vest, well-developed shoulders are always on show. After all, it’s your shoulders that give your upper body its width and contribute so much to that all-important V-taper.

You must target all three deltoid heads to sculpt broader shoulders, meaning you can’t just rely on overhead presses. The medial deltoid head is particularly important for achieving the coveted capped shoulder aesthetic.

In this article, I reveal the 14 exercises I use as a personal trainer to help my clients transform their shoulders.

14 Best Middle Delt Exercises

Build your middle delts with these fourteen tried and tested exercises!

1. Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
2. Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3. Cable Lateral Raise
4. One-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
5. Dumbbell L-Raise
6. Lean-Away Dumbbell Lateral Raise
7. Side-Lying Lateral Raise
8. Power Lateral Raise
9. Doorway Isometric Lateral Raise
10. Sliding Lateral Raise On Wall
11. Wide-Grip Barbell Upright Row
12. Dumbbell Monkey Row
13. Iron Cross Walk
14. Victory Dumbbell Or Resistance Band Raise

1. Standing dumbbell lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

Dumbbell Lateral RaiseIf you want to target your middle delts, this classic exercise is an excellent place to start. Simple but effective, this move is guaranteed to add size to your side delts. 

Saini recommends leading with the shoulders on the lifting phase to ensure the medial delts are the primary movers, not the traps or forearms.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Cable variation
Regression	Use resistance bands

Learn how to do this exercise here.

2. Seated dumbbell lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

If standing dumbbell lateral raises have a disadvantage, it is that it’s all too easy to use your back and legs to lift the weight. As the saying goes, cheats never prosper, and if you find yourself swinging rather than lifting the weights up, you may not get all the benefits that this exercise has to offer. Seated dumbbell lateral raises are much more cheat-proof and also take some of the pressure off your lower back.

Saini suggests visualizing pouring water out of a pitcher as you raise the dumbbells. This visual cue will promote external shoulder rotation, enhancing medial delt activation.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Perform standing
Regression	Unilateral variation

Check out our guide to find out how to do this exercise.

3. Cable lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Cable machine
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

Cable lateral raises keep your delts under constant tension, which is good for muscle growth. With no “dead spots” in the movement, you won’t be able to take any sneaky mid-rep rests, and you’ll probably get a better pump, too. 

“Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement to reduce joint stress and allow for a greater focus on the targeted muscles,” says Saini.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Perform single-arm variations
Regression	Dumbbell lateral raise

Read more about this exercise here.

4. One-arm cable lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 (per arm)
Equipment Needed	Cable machine
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

Training one arm at a time means you can focus on your mind-muscle connection to get better results from your workouts. As an added advantage, unilateral (one-sided) exercises like one-arm cable lateral raises allow you to identify and fix strength imbalances. 

Saini suggests anchoring your opposite hand on a stable surface for balance and core engagement.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Perform standing or leaning away variations
Regression	Dumbbell lateral raise

Discover how to do this effective middle delt exercise in this article.

5. Dumbbell L-raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Anterior deltoids, Medial deltoids

Dumbbell L-raises are done with your arms bent to 90 degrees. This shortens the lever so you can lift more weight. It also lowers joint strain and increases posterior deltoid activation. Still, it is a useful alternative to keep your middle deltoid workouts fresh, interesting, and effective.

Saini recommends initiating the movement by retracting the scapulae and focusing on driving the medial delts as high as possible.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your elbows to 90-degrees. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your abs.
2. Without changing the angle of your elbows, raise your upper arms until they are parallel to the floor.
3. Lower your arms back to your sides and repeat.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Lateral dumbbell raises
Regression	Perform one arm at a time

6. Lean-away dumbbell lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells, bench, or incline surface
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

This lateral raise variation takes some of the work away from the start of each rep and increases muscle tension as your arm reaches parallel. It’s another helpful variation to add extra variety to your middle delt workout.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and grasp a pole, rail, squat rack, or cable machine with the other.
2. Lean out to the side and let the dumbbell hang down toward the floor. Your palm should be facing your leg, and your elbow slightly bent but rigid.
3. Raise the dumbbell up and out to shoulder height. Keep your body stationary.
4. Lower the dumbbell back down and repeat.
5. Do the same number of reps on each arm.

“Find a suitable gripping spot that suits your biomechanics,” says Saini. This can improve your performance in the exercise.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Increase incline angle, use cables or resistance bands
Regression	Decrease incline angle, perform standing lateral raise

7. Side-lying lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12 (per arm)
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells, incline bench
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

Where lean-away lateral raises increase the overload at the top of each rep, side-lying lateral raises increase the overload at the start.

Besides working your middle delts, this exercise also emphasizes your supraspinatus, which is the rotator cuff muscle responsible for initiating abduction.

How to do it:

1. Set the backrest on an adjustable bench to 30-45 degrees. Sit sideways on your bench, and then lean your upper body against the backrest. Hold a dumbbell in your free hand.
2. Keeping your elbow slightly bent but rigid, raise your arm up until it’s perpendicular to your body.
3. Lower the dumbbell back down and repeat.
4. Do the same number of reps on each side.

Use this exercise as a pre-exhaustion technique before compound movements like overhead presses, suggests Saini.

Difficulty	Easy
Progression	Cable lateral raise
Regression	Standing variation

8. Power lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids, trapezius

The power lateral raise involves strategic lower body and back engagement, so you can use heavier weights. The added stimulation can trigger greater muscle growth. 

Saini recommends incorporating this exercise into a power-focused training day to maximize its benefits. Pair it with other explosive movements like plyometric push-ups or medicine ball throws.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. Your elbows should be slightly bent but rigid.
2. Lean forward slightly and bend your knees.
3. Stand up and use this momentum to help you lift the weights up and out to the side.
4. Don’t worry if you can’t lift the dumbbells all the way up to shoulder height; just lift them as high as you can.
5. Lower the weights under control and repeat.

Difficulty	Hard
Progression	Add a slight pause at the top of the movement
Regression	Standard lateral raise

9. Doorway isometric lateral raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 30-60 seconds hold
Equipment Needed	Doorway
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

The best middle delt exercises involve a large range of motion. However, you can also build and strengthen your muscles isometrically or statically. This is a useful exercise if you have no training equipment but still want to pump up your middle delts.

Experiment with different elbow angles to target different portions of the deltoid muscle, suggests Saini.

How to do it:

1. Stand in a doorway. With your arms slightly bent but rigid, place the backs of your hands and forearms against the inside of the doorframe.
2. Without holding your breath, push your arms out against the doorframe as hard as you can and as long as you can.
3. Relax for a moment and then repeat.

Difficulty	Easy
Progression	Dumbbell lateral raise
Regression	Decrease hold time

10. Sliding lateral raise on wall 

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Wall
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids

This is another useful exercise when you want to work your middle delts but don’t have access to any training equipment. For this move, all you need is a wall.

Per Saini, this exercise can be a great way to introduce lateral raise variations for beginners or those with shoulder issues.

How to do it: 

1. Stand sideways onto a smooth wall, with your arm bent to 90-degrees. Place your forearm against the wall. 
2. Abduct your upper arm just like you were doing a single-arm side raise.
3. Push your body away from the wall and slide your forearm up. 
4. Return to the starting position and repeat. 
5. You can also do this movement minus the slide, which could be useful if you only have a rough wall to train against. 

Difficulty	Easy
Progression	Dumbbell lateral raise
Regression	Increase the distance between your feet and the wall

11. Wide-grip barbell upright row

Sets & Reps	3 x 6-10
Equipment Needed	Barbell
Target Muscles	Trapezius, Medial deltoids

Upright rows don’t look much like lateral raises, but, in actuality, the movement is very similar. As you row the barbell up the front of your body, your upper arms abduct and move away from the midline of your body, which is a movement powered by your medial deltoids.

Upright rows are a controversial exercise because they can be hard on your shoulder joints. However, wide-grip upright rows are often better tolerated than the narrow-grip version. As an added benefit, upright rows are also a great upper trap exercise. You can also do this exercise using a cable machine.

Be very cautious with this exercise if you have a history of shoulder impingement, warns Saini. Alternatives like dumbbell upright rows or lateral raises might be better suited for some.

Difficulty	Hard
Progression	Use dumbbells for a greater range of motion
Regression	Banded lateral raise

12. Dumbbell monkey row

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Rhomboids, trapezius, posterior, medial deltoids

While this exercise looks kinda funny, it’s actually a very effective medial deltoid exercise. Like regular upright rows, it works because it involves plenty of upper arm abduction. However, with the dumbbells under your armpits, it may be a little more shoulder-friendly than the barbell version. Like regular upright rows, dumbbell monkey rows are also a useful upper traps exercise.

This exercise is a great way to target the often-neglected rhomboids and lower trapezius muscles, explains Saini.

Difficulty	Hard
Progression	Dumbbell upright row
Regression	Perform one arm at a time with a lighter weight

13. Iron cross walk

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-20 steps (per side)
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids, core

Weighted carries like farmers’ and waiters’ walks are an excellent way to combine conditioning with strength training. Walking while carrying weights is also an effective way to build mental toughness and burn fat. This weighted carry variation hits your middle delts and core in a unique way.

Saini recommends focusing on maintaining a controlled pace throughout the exercise. Avoid rushing through the movement, as this can reduce muscle activation.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lift your arms up and out to your sides so your arms are parallel to the floor.
2. Turn your wrists so your knuckles are pointing upward.
3. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
4. From this starting position, walk around your training area while keeping your arms raised. Continue until you are unable to keep your arms up.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Cover a bigger distance
Regression	Use lighter dumbbells

14. Victory dumbbell or resistance band raise

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells or resistance bands
Target Muscles	Medial deltoids, anterior deltoids

Need to train all three deltoid heads with an emphasis on your middle delt? This is the exercise for you. Besides being a terrific delt builder, this exercise is good for general shoulder mobility and stability and works your lower, middle, and upper traps. It’s an excellent choice if you’re in a hurry but still want a comprehensive shoulder workout.

Saini suggests using this exercise as a finisher at the end of your shoulder workout, as the high-rep nature of this movement can help flush the muscles with blood and enhance the pump.

How to do it:

1. Put a resistance band around your wrists and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Start with the weights in front of your hips, palms facing inward.
2. Lift the dumbbells forward and up while pushing your arms out to form a V overhead.
3. Lower the weights back down, allowing your hands to come back together in front of your hips. Do not relax completely; keep some tension on the band at the bottom of each rep.
4. Go light; focus on pushing your arms out against the band rather than lifting heavy weights.

Difficulty	Moderate
Progression	Increase weight or resistance
Regression	Perform one arm at a time

Middle Deltoid Workout

If you want broader shoulders, you need to prioritize your middle delts and dedicate one to two workouts a week to training them. Hit your middle delts hard and with a variety of exercises to shock them into growing.

Before you begin, remember to spend a few minutes warming up to increase performance and reduce the risk of injury. Do a few minutes of cardio followed by some dynamic joint mobility and flexibility exercises. Finish your warm-up with a few sets of light dumbbell or cable lateral raises.

Middle Delt Workout
	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Recovery
1	Power lateral raise	3	6	2 minutes
2	Wide grip barbell upright row	3	8	90 seconds
3	Seated dumbbell lateral raise	3	10	60 seconds
4	Iron cross walk	2	30-60 seconds	60 seconds
5	Victory dumbbell/resistance band raise	2	15	45 seconds

Deltoid Anatomy

Your shoulders are made up of three main deltoid muscles or heads, which are often just called the delts for short. The three deltoid heads are:

• Front/anterior deltoids: Located on the front of your shoulder and responsible mainly for flexion of your upper arm, the anterior delts are involved in all overhead pressing and chest exercises, as well as front raises.
• Rear/posterior deltoids: The posterior delts are located on the back of your shoulder and are responsible for extension and horizontal extension of your upper arm. They’re also an essential muscle for better posture. The posterior delts are involved in most back exercises and can be trained more directly with exercises like reverse flyes, band pull-aparts, and face pulls.
• Medial/lateral deltoids: Also known as the middle delts, this deltoid head is located on the side of your shoulder and is mainly responsible for your shoulder width. Its main function is the abduction of your upper arm, which means lifting it up and out to the side.

Wrapping Up

Shakespeare once said, “Clothes maketh the man.” While the famous playwright had a point, he was only partly right. After all, even an expensive suit won’t look as good as it should if it’s hanging on narrow, bony shoulders!

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the world of fashion was dominated by big shoulder pads. That’s because broad shoulders look powerful and confident. Thankfully, oversized shoulder pads are mostly a thing of the past, but big shoulders will always be attractive.

Use the exercises and workout in this guide to beef up your middle delts and broaden your shoulders. Work hard enough and, maybe, one day, you’ll need to turn sideways to walk through doors!

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