The Lu raise is a lateral raise that keeps going past shoulder height until the dumbbells finish overhead. It is named after Lü Xiaojun, the Chinese Olympic weightlifting champion who popularised it as shoulder and upper-back work for the overhead lifts.
That full arc is the exercise. Some written guides describe a “Lu raise” that stops at shoulder height, which is just a lateral raise — this guide covers the overhead version, which is the motion attached to Lu Raise (Dumbbell) in Brolic. Match the endpoint you actually use to the record you keep.
Muscles worked
The lateral deltoid through the first half of the arc, then the anterior deltoid and the upper back — trapezius and serratus anterior — as the arms travel overhead and the shoulder blades rotate upward.
That upward rotation is why describing this as an isolated side-delt exercise is incomplete. It is a shoulder-girdle movement as much as a deltoid one, and that is most of the argument for doing it rather than a plain lateral raise.
Hand position: the detail that gets left out
Start thumbs-up, not palms-down. A standard lateral raise uses a palms-down grip; the Lu raise starts in a “full can” position — thumbs pointing up, as if holding a drink can — with the arms about 15–30° forward of straight out to the side rather than in a flat side plane.
Raise thumbs-up to roughly shoulder height, then rotate as you continue overhead, and rotate back as you lower. The rotation is not decoration: getting overhead with the arm internally rotated crowds the shoulder, while the thumbs-up start and the rotation through the top give the joint room to finish the arc.
If that rotation does not happen comfortably, shorten the range rather than forcing the top position.
Perform the raise
Stand with a stable base, a dumbbell in each hand and room to move both arms freely. Keep a modest elbow bend and hold it.
Raise the arms through the controlled arc described above and continue upward as far as you can go without a large backward lean. Lower along the same path under control — do not let the bottom half drop just because it feels familiar.
Start much lighter than your lateral raise weight. Something in the range of 2 to 6 kg per hand is a normal working load here even for experienced lifters, because the overhead portion is the limiting factor and the lever is long throughout. Learning the path with a load that is too heavy just produces a lateral raise with a hip drive on the end.
Let the shoulder blades rotate. Cueing them to stay pinned down while demanding an overhead finish asks for two contradictory things at once.
What changes compared with a lateral raise
- Endpoint. Shoulder height, above shoulder height and full overhead are three different records unless you deliberately standardise one.
- Elbow bend. Bending progressively as the set continues shortens the lever and makes later reps easier.
- Body movement. A hip drive or backward lean changes how the dumbbells get to the top.
- Pace. A controlled return and a dropped return are different executions.
None of that establishes which version builds more muscle. A larger range, a famous lifter, or a stronger sensation is not evidence of superiority. The practical question is whether the overhead portion is something you want to train and can repeat.
Logging
Record the weight of one dumbbell and the endpoint you used. If a session stops at shoulder height, extra reps there are not progress on the full-arc version — note the change rather than letting the numbers imply an improvement that did not happen. The free workout log covers it, and the weekly-set tally will show what your shoulders are already getting before you add more.
Common questions
Do the dumbbells have to touch overhead? No. Contact is not the definition. Use a controlled endpoint matching the version you are copying.
Dumbbells or plates? Lü Xiaojun performs it holding light change plates by the rim, which fixes the grip thumbs-up throughout. Dumbbells are the common substitute and are what Brolic’s entry records. Either works; the plate version simply removes the choice of grip.
Should I replace all my lateral raises with it? Nothing establishes that. The Lu raise trains overhead range that a lateral raise does not, but it is also harder to load. Many people run both.
My shoulder pinches at the top. Check the thumb rotation first, then reduce the range. Do not work through pinching to reach the name’s endpoint — a shorter, comfortable arc is a real exercise and the pain is not a cue.
Why does another guide show only shoulder height? Because the name is used inconsistently. Keep your demonstration, your cues and your logged range aligned rather than blending contradictory descriptions.
Sources and method
- Lü Xiaojun: Lu raises during AWC2020 — the originator performing the movement, with the full overhead arc. He uses change plates rather than dumbbells.
- Andrew Bueno: Lu raise — the dumbbell version through the same full arc.
- Rehab Hero: Lu raises — teaches the thumbs-up “full can” start, the scapular-plane angle and the rotation through the top. The Lu raise section begins at 6:01.
- Brolic’s bundled motion for Lu Raise (Dumbbell), inspected September 7, 2026 — confirms the intended overhead endpoint.
Load and hand-position guidance above is a starting point for learning the movement, drawn from the demonstrations cited. It is not an optimum established by a trial, and no comparative growth claim is made against the lateral raise.