What's the Right Way to Do a Lateral Raise?

People love to police lateral raise form. Elbows here, thumbs there, stop at this height, don't lean, don't swing. I've gotten flack for how I do them for years. My side delts still overpowered everything else on me. That isn't an accident.

The goal is tension on the side delt, not a pretty raise

If you're building a muscle, the "correct" form is whatever puts tension on that muscle. That is a different game from training a movement for a federation rulebook.

There's no one correct form for a lateral raise. If you're trying to create tension on that muscle, the correct form is whatever puts tension on that muscle. And so that's really what you need to be focused on. This is different than if you're training for a movement. Like, the best movement for a squat is what keeps you within the rules of what a squat is in a federation, you know, in powerlifting. If you're training squats for quads, it's different.

Once you accept that, half the internet form arguments disappear. Nobody can draw one free-body diagram that is "correct" for every person's arm length, tendon insertions and shoulder structure. You're not performing a named lift. You're loading a head of the deltoid.