The Powell raise is a side-lying dumbbell shoulder exercise performed on an inclined bench, with the working arm starting across the front of the body and raising up and over toward a position above the shoulder.
It is named after Mike Powell, the American long jumper who has held the world record since 1991. The exercise was reportedly named for him by his coach Charles Poliquin, and later popularised more widely through ATG’s coaching material, which discusses it among several shoulder-health movements. (ATG’s article describes Powell as an “Olympic world record holder”; his world record is in the long jump, while his Olympic medals were silvers.)
It is widely used as posterior-shoulder and rotator-cuff work. Different coaches use the name for somewhat different arm paths, so the version matters more than the label.
This guide covers the inclined-bench version attached to Powell Raise (Dumbbell) in Brolic.
Muscles worked
The posterior deltoid, along with the external rotators of the shoulder — infraspinatus and teres minor — and the mid-trapezius and rhomboids as the shoulder blade controls the movement.
Brolic tags the posterior deltoids for its entry. Other sources emphasise the rotator cuff or describe a more abduction-focused version; Rehab Hero’s description is one of those. That spread reflects genuine differences in execution, and it is a reason to be precise about your own version rather than to list every muscle anyone has mentioned.
Set up
Set the bench to roughly 45° and lie on your side along it, working shoulder uppermost, with your ribs and hip supported and your feet braced against the floor or the bench frame so you are not fighting to stay in place.
Hold a light dumbbell in the top hand and let the arm hang across the front of your body. Rehearse the path empty-handed or with the lightest dumbbell available before choosing a working weight.
Expect to use a very light load — 2 to 5 kg is a normal working weight, and starting heavier just recruits the torso. This is not an exercise where the number is the point.
The bench angle changes the arm’s relationship to gravity, so a flat-bench version and an incline version are not the same task at the same weight even though both get called a Powell raise. Record the angle.
Raise
Keep a small, consistent elbow bend. Raise the arm from in front of your torso up and over toward a finish above the shoulder, then lower under control along the same path.
The body should stay still. The main failure is rolling the torso backward to help the arm reach the top — at that point you are using bodyweight, not the shoulder. Two more to watch:
- The elbow bending progressively, which shortens the lever and makes later reps easier than earlier ones.
- The arm sweeping toward the hip instead of following the intended raise path, which turns it into a different movement.
Use the demonstration as a reference, not a reason to force an uncomfortable range. A cable or a different bench angle is a different loading arrangement and should be recorded as such.
Logging
Per side, and light. Record the bench angle alongside the weight — with loads this small, a change from 45° to flat will move the numbers more than a dumbbell increment will. Where the next dumbbell up is a large jump, adding reps at the same weight is easier to interpret than a heavier set through a shorter path. The free workout log has room for the setup.
Common questions
Is this a lateral raise or a reverse fly? Neither, though it borders both. The side-lying position and the across-the-body start are what make it its own movement; describe the path rather than borrowing another exercise’s name.
Can I do it without a bench? A cable version or another supported shoulder movement can serve the same purpose, but the conditions change. Keep a separate history.
How heavy should I go? Lighter than feels satisfying. This is a control and range exercise; the moment the torso starts helping, the added weight is not reaching the shoulder.
What do I search for in Brolic? Powell Raise (Dumbbell). Logging is per side, so record each arm and keep the bench angle in the notes.
Sources and method
- OPEX Fitness: Powell raise — a clean demonstration of the side-lying incline version described here.
- ATG: shoulder tests and skills — the naming attribution to Charles Poliquin and Mike Powell, a coach’s version of the movement, and an acknowledgement that several styles share the name. Its performance targets are not adopted here as universal requirements.
- Rehab Hero: Powell raise — illustrates the differing use of the name.
- Brolic catalog version 2026-09-05.3 — the side-lying dumbbell entry and per-side logging.
Bench angle and load figures are starting points drawn from the demonstrations cited. This guide does not establish that the exercise prevents or treats shoulder pain, or that a particular load ratio is protective.
