We do not know that one of the most well-known ‘deer’ of gyms is the criticism that ‘you are doing that move wrong’. Although we laugh about it most of the time, this criticism is often correct and appropriate. We took the initiative to prevent this mistake and tried to tell the truth of the wrong actions. The first move we explored in our ‘The Right of Movement’ series is the lateral raise. Let’s explore the correct lateral raise with a pair of dumbbells together.
How Is Lateral Raise Done?
We tell you the most important point you need to pay attention to when doing the lateral raise: you should do it with your hips bent forward slightly. In this way, you will not overload your shoulder joints.
- Take dumbbells in both hands. Have your arms at your sides. Keeping your back in a natural position, lean forward slightly with support from the waist and hips. This position allows your side delts to work best as you raise your arms to perform the exercise.
- Lift the weights to the side, but with your palms facing the floor and not higher than 90 degrees. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, lower the weights in a controlled manner. Do not rest your muscles between repetitions.
Clue
Most athletes complete this exercise gradually with the pinky toes pointing up while lifting weights, which works better for the lateral delts. However, doing the movement this way can cause shoulder impingement over time. Leaning your torso forward a bit creates more direct strain on your delts without twisting your wrists. In this way, you can develop muscles safely without causing injuries to the shoulder joints. You can also do the lateral raise movement with the weight cable. This will increase the resistance you will feel.
Most Common Lateral Raise Errors
Lifting Too Heavy
The shoulders have relatively small and weak muscles compared to other muscle groups. Therefore, they do not need higher weights like other muscles to develop and grow. At the same time, the power spent for the weight lifted passes through many joints and muscle groups until it reaches the shoulders. This poses an extremely high risk for joint injuries. For this reason, it is important that you do not work with more loads than you can handle while performing the lateral raise.
Keeping Arms Straight
In order for the weight you lift to reach your shoulders, you need to keep your arms slightly bent, not straight. Both of your arms should be bent about 20 to 30 degrees from your elbows. Your body should be slightly bent, just like your arms. You should take a position by bending your legs slightly from your knees. Thus, you can reduce the load on your waist and apply the lateral raise movement more accurately.
Not Pausing at the Top of the Movement
The lateral raise is an isometric movement. As in all other exercises, a pause of 1-2 seconds should be made at the top of the movement. Thus, it is possible to maintain the form, concentrate on the targeted muscle and do the best mentally. All of this also makes a significant difference in muscle growth.
Lifting Weights Forward, Not Sideways
We left the biggest mistakes made for last; Lifting weights forward rather than sideways. The lateral raise is a movement that needs to be done slightly outward with the weight-loaded arms in a slightly open position (approximately 45 degrees) to activate the shoulders. If you lift forward, you’re only working your arms and chest. This means that you are applying a completely different move. So make sure you are in the correct position when doing the lateral raise.
Read More About:The Collective Power of Compound Movements and Isolated Movements
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