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Claim
Strong Support
quantitative
Analysis v3

In people trained in resistance exercise, performing lateral raises with dumbbells or cables twice a week for 8 weeks results in a 3.3% to 4.6% increase in the thickness of the side shoulder muscle.

60
Pro
0
Against

Mechanism

Synthesis from 1 study

How it works

When the side shoulder muscle is stretched under heavy load, the tension inside the muscle fibers turns on signals that make more contractile proteins. These proteins build up over time, making the muscle thicker. This happens whether the weight feels heavier at the start or end of the movement, as...

Most probable mechanism

In Simple Terms

When the side shoulder muscle is stretched while under load, the internal tension activates signals that tell the muscle to build more contractile proteins, making the muscle fibers thicker over time. This happens whether the resistance is heavier at the start or end of the movement, as long as the muscle is fully stretched and worked to exhaustion.

Causal chain
1

The lateral deltoid muscle is stretched to its lengthened position during shoulder abduction, placing the sarcomeres on the descending limb of the length-tension relationship and increasing passive tension through titin filament extension.

Supported by evidence
which leads to
2

Mechanical tension from stretched muscle fibers activates intracellular mechanosensing pathways, including titin-based signaling, which triggers phosphorylation of mTOR and MAPK kinases.

Indirect evidence only
which leads to
3

Activated signaling cascades increase ribosomal activity and mRNA translation, leading to elevated synthesis of myofibrillar proteins such as actin and myosin.

Indirect evidence only
which leads to
4

Protein synthesis exceeds proteolytic breakdown, resulting in net accumulation of contractile proteins within muscle fibers.

Verified by multiple studies
which leads to
5

Increased myofibrillar protein content expands muscle fiber cross-sectional area, which is measured as increased muscle thickness.

Verified by multiple studies

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

60

Community contributions welcome

60

Dumbbell versus cable lateral raises for lateral deltoid hypertrophy: an experimental study

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

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Source Study

Dumbbell versus cable lateral raises for lateral deltoid hypertrophy: an experimental study

Score: 60
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1611468

Similar Assertions

In people who already train with weights, doing lateral raises with dumbbells or cables for 8 weeks results in a 3.3% to 4.6% increase in the size of the side shoulder muscle.

60
0
91%

In people who regularly lift weights, training the side shoulder muscle with dumbbells or cables for 8 weeks results in the same small to moderate increase in muscle thickness, regardless of whether the equipment provides more resistance at the top or bottom of the movement.

60
0
90%

Among people who regularly lift weights, 8 weeks of lateral deltoid training with dumbbells or cables results in the same increase in muscle thickness, showing that the type of resistance (heavier at the top or bottom of the movement) does not change muscle growth when the movement range is kept the same.

60
0
89%

After 8 weeks of intense, supervised weight training, people who already train regularly gain only 3.3% to 4.6% more muscle in their side shoulder muscles, while people new to training typically gain more muscle under the same conditions.

60
0
84%

When trained individuals perform cable lateral raises and dumbbell lateral raises with the same number of sets, reps, weight, and effort to muscle failure, both exercises result in the same amount of muscle growth in the side shoulder muscle.

60
0
78%