The lateral raise is one of the most common exercises in the gym. More often than not, they're performed with dumbbells and cables. But the plate-grip lateral raise is one of the best variations, and almost nobody does it.
This variation maximizes stress on the medial delt and it hits your grip. There are three ways to hold the plate. These go from easiest to hardest:
Based on your level of strength, a more centered grip minimizes the torque. Moving your grip outward increases stress.
Once you've got the grip down, complete the lateral raise by bringing the plates up just below 90 degrees. Lower to about 10 degrees away from the hip rather than flopping the plates into your sides of your legs This range of motion will help you keep constant tension on the delts.
To up the challenge, try this:
With an exterior grip, raise the plates so that they're in line with your arms. Try this for 4 sets of 12, with 90 seconds rest in between.