Lu Raises – Strengthen Your Shoulders Like an Olympian

Popularized by Chinese Olympic weightlifting champion, Lu Xiaojun, Lu raises are gaining traction as a superior alternative to lateral raises.

The exercise promises to improve shoulder strength and mobility… making it the perfect option for not just strength athletes but for anyone wanting to develop better upper body movement.

It is believed to have been a fundamental exercise for Olympic Chinese weightlifters, who have somewhat dominated many weightlifting categories in the last few years.

But the movement does require some subtle considerations, as well as understanding how it differs from regular lateral raises, to fully understand how you can use it to your advantage.

And then there’s the underlying question, of whether you should ditch the trusty lateral raises for this alternative?

In this exercise guide, we outline everything you need to know about Lu raises, including how to do them, the muscles worked, benefits, and who we think should do them (and who shouldn’t).

What are Lu Raises?

The Lu raise is a shoulder strengthening exercise that involves full range of motion at the shoulder joint so your hands go overhead (as opposed to stopping parallel to the floor like a traditional lateral raise).

The result is a continuous arc of movement that starts with the arms at the sides, moves through a lateral raise position, and finishes with both arms extended directly overhead. The weight is then lowered back through the same path in a controlled manner.

This extended range of motion is the defining characteristic of the exercise. It means the deltoids and supporting muscles around the shoulder joint are under load for significantly longer than in a conventional lateral raise, and that a different set of muscles are engaged as the arms move from the lateral phase into the overhead phase.

Lu Xiaojun typically performs the exercise with barbell plates gripped in each hand, with the plates held roughly parallel to the floor throughout the movement. Dumbbells work equally well and produce a very similar stimulus.

How to Perform Lu Raises

To do Lu raises:

• Stand in an upright position with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
• Hold a weight, such as a barbell plate or dumbbell in each hand.
• Hinge forward at the hips slightly and lift your arms out to the side (like you would a lateral raise).
• Continue to lift the weight upwards overhead, until your hands meet.
• Don’t rotate your hands during the movement.
• Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.
• Repeat for repetitions and sets.

Coach’s Tip – We’d recommend selecting a much lighter weight than you would for regular lateral raises. Your muscles will tire quicker due to the increased range of motion and time under tension. The exercise also benefits from slow, controlled repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Lu raises primarily work the deltoids, trapezius and the rotator cuffs.

• Medial Deltoid – the primary target of the lateral raise phase, responsible for shoulder abduction as the arms move from the sides to parallel. Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research confirms the lateral raise position produces among the highest medial deltoid activation of any shoulder exercise.
• Anterior Deltoid – takes over as the primary mover as the arms continue past parallel into the overhead phase, driving shoulder flexion to complete the full range of motion.
• Supraspinatus – one of the four rotator cuff muscles, the supraspinatus assists with initiating shoulder abduction and is active throughout the lateral phase of the movement.
• Trapezius – the upper and middle trapezius work to control scapular rotation and elevation as the arms travel overhead, playing a more significant role in the Lu raise than in a standard lateral raise due to the overhead finish.
• Rotator Cuff – all four rotator cuff muscles contribute to stabilising the glenohumeral joint throughout the full arc of movement, with the demand increasing as the arms approach and pass parallel.
• Serratus Anterior – assists with upward scapular rotation during the overhead phase, supporting the shoulder blade in the correct position as the arms move overhead.

Lu Raises with Dumbbells

Although Lu Xiaojun tends to perform this exercise with barbell plates, as shown in the video demonstration, you could use dumbbells to achieve the same outcome. The grip would be different to holding a barbell plate, but the way the muscles around the shoulder joint would be engaged would be very similar.

If you are using dumbbells, the start of the movement may feel very similar to traditional lateral raises, but remember to select a lighter weight as the full range of motion and requirement to lift the weight overhead means it’s a harder exercise.

Lu Raise Benefits

Loads the Shoulder Through a Greater Range of Motion

The most meaningful distinction between the Lu raise and a standard lateral raise is the range of motion through which the shoulder is loaded. A lateral raise typically covers around 80 to 90 degrees of movement.

The Lu raise covers roughly 180 degrees, from the sides of the body to directly overhead. Research consistently shows that training muscles through a greater range of motion produces superior hypertrophy outcomes compared to partial range alternatives.

For shoulder development, the Lu raise is one of the few isolation-style exercises that genuinely achieves this.

Trains Multiple Deltoid Heads in a Single Movement

The medial deltoid is the primary mover during the lateral phase of the raise. As the arms continue past parallel, the anterior deltoid becomes the primary driver through the overhead phase.

This means the Lu raise trains both the medial and anterior heads of the deltoid meaningfully within a single continuous movement, which makes it a more efficient shoulder exercise than either a lateral raise or a front raise performed in isolation.

Strengthens the Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Stabilisers

The sustained time under tension and the full range of motion place significant demand on the rotator cuff and the smaller stabilising muscles around the shoulder joint.

This is particularly valuable because these muscles are frequently undertrained in conventional gym programmes. Strengthening the rotator cuff reduces injury risk, improves joint stability, and supports performance in all overhead movements.

Great for Warm-Ups

At a light weight, Lu raises are an effective warm-up tool for priming the shoulders before heavier pressing or overhead work. The full arc of movement activates the rotator cuff, warms up the deltoids across both heads, and encourages scapular mobility in a controlled, low-risk manner.

Including a few light sets before compound upper body work can meaningfully improve movement quality in the session that follows.

Improves Shoulder Mobility

There are all sorts of exercises and movements you can do to improve shoulder mobility… but if you aren’t set on following along to a mobility app or program, then incorporating exercises that help improve mobility whilst primarily being a strength movement may be something to consider.

Consistently training the shoulder through its full range of motion has a meaningful mobility benefit over time.

The overhead phase of the Lu raise in particular encourages the kind of shoulder mobility that is required for overhead pressing, snatches, jerks and other compound movements.

For anyone whose training includes overhead work, the Lu raise functions as both a strength exercise and a mobility drill simultaneously.

Effective for Building Muscle (Hypertrophy)

Because the range of motion is so much greater than a standard lateral raise, and because the time under tension per rep is significantly longer, the Lu raise produces a substantial hypertrophy stimulus even with relatively light weights.

This makes it a useful option for accumulating shoulder volume without placing excessive load on the joint, which is a meaningful benefit for lifters managing shoulder discomfort or working through higher volume training phases.

Things to Consider

The main thing to consider about Lu raises is that you need a pretty good level of shoulder mobility to even attempt this movement. You may find it feels quite uncomfortable, in which case we’d recommend giving it a miss (until you improve your shoulder mobility).

Another consideration is that due to the larger range of motion, the amount of weight you’ll likely be able to lift is going to be much smaller than with lateral raises, which may feel counter-intuitive for those looking to maximize strength.

Ultimately, it’s clear the exercise is useful for professional weightlifters and those who need to generate significant power overhead… however, most casual gym-goers probably don’t need such raw overhead lifting power.

The risk of injury may suggest that regular lateral raises are more than enough for most people.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking to progress with overhead lifts, such as with powerlifting or for certain CrossFit exercises, then Lu raises are definitely worth giving a go.

Although it looks quite simple, we would categorize the Lu raise as an advanced strength exercise so if you’re a beginner you might be better off sticking with regular raises.

Lu Raises Vs Lateral Raises

The Lu raise and the lateral raise share the same starting position and the same initial movement path, but diverge significantly once the arms reach parallel.

The lateral raise stops at roughly shoulder height, keeping the primary demand on the medial deltoid throughout. It allows heavier loading and is a more straightforward movement to learn and control, which makes it the more accessible option and the better choice for those focused purely on medial deltoid isolation.

The Lu raise continues past parallel into the overhead phase, shifting the primary demand from the medial deltoid to the anterior deltoid and increasing the involvement of the trapezius, rotator cuff and serratus anterior. The load used will be considerably lighter, typically around 40 to 50% of what you might use for lateral raises, but the time under tension and the range of motion more than compensate for this in terms of overall shoulder stimulus.

For most lifters, the two exercises are not competing alternatives. They train the shoulder in genuinely different ways and complement each other well when used together. The lateral raise remains the better tool for targeted medial deltoid isolation and for progressive overload over time. The Lu raise is the better option for full shoulder development, mobility work, rotator cuff strengthening and warm-up use.

If you are choosing one over the other, your training goals matter.

Those focused primarily on aesthetics and medial deltoid width may get more from prioritising lateral raises with appropriate loading.

Those training for overhead performance, shoulder health, or overall shoulder development will likely get more from the Lu raise.

Bottom Line

The Lu raise is a genuinely effective shoulder exercise that earns its place in upper body training for a wide range of people, not just competitive weightlifters.

By extending the range of motion from a standard lateral raise all the way to overhead, it trains both the medial and anterior deltoid in a single movement, places meaningful demand on the rotator cuff and shoulder stabilisers, and builds the kind of shoulder mobility that carries over to overhead pressing and other compound movements.

It works well as a warm-up tool, as an accessory exercise in a shoulder or upper body session, and as a complement to standard lateral raises rather than a direct replacement.

Use a light weight, keep the movement slow and controlled, and prioritise the full range of motion over the load on the bar.

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Featured image and video credit – All Things Gym