We all know that one of the most well-known ‘stunts’ in gyms is the criticism of ‘you are doing that move wrong’. Although we often laugh at it, this criticism is actually correct and appropriate most of the time. We took the initiative to prevent this mistake and tried to explain the wrong actions. The first move we examine in our ‘The Truth of Movement’ series is the lateral raise. Let’s discover together the correct lateral raise performed with a pair of dumbbells.
How to Do Lateral Raise?
We are telling you the most important point you should pay attention to when doing the lateral raise: you should do it with your hips slightly bent forward. This way, you won’t put too much strain on your shoulder joints.
- Hold dumbbells in both hands. Keep your arms at your sides. Keeping your back in its neutral position, lean forward slightly with support from your waist and hips. This position allows your side delt muscles to work optimally as you lift your arms to perform the exercise.
- Lift the weights sideways, but keep your palms facing the floor and not higher than 90 degrees. Keep your elbows slightly bent and lower the weights in a controlled manner. Do not rest your muscles between repetitions.
Clue
Most athletes gradually complete this exercise with their little toes facing up while lifting weights, and in this way, the side delt muscles work better. However, doing the movement this way may cause shoulder tightness over time. Leaning your torso forward slightly creates more direct stretch on your delts without turning your wrists. In this way, you can safely develop muscles without causing injuries to the shoulder joints. You can also do lateral raises with a weight cable. In this way, the resistance you will feel increases.
Most Common Lateral Raise Mistakes
Lifting Too Heavy
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 on the lifted weight 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 not to work with more loads than you can handle when doing lateral raises.
Keeping Arms Straight
You need to keep your arms slightly inclined, not straight, so that the weight you lift reaches your shoulders. Both your arms should be bent at the elbows approximately 20 – 30 degrees. Your body should be slightly bent, just like your arms. You should take a position by bending your legs slightly at the knees. In this way, you can reduce the load on your waist and perform the lateral raise movement more accurately.
Not Pausing at the Peak of the Movement
Lateral raise is an isometric movement. As with all other exercises, there should be a 1-2 second pause at the top of the movement. Thus, it is possible to maintain form, concentrate on the targeted muscle and do your best mentally. All this also makes a significant difference in muscle growth.
Lifting Weights Forward Instead of Sideways
We left the biggest mistake for last; lifting weights forward rather than to the sides. Lateral raise is a movement that requires weight-bearing arms to be made slightly outward, slightly wider than shoulder width apart (approximately 45 degrees), in order to activate the shoulders. If you lift forward, you will only work your arms and chest. This means you are performing a completely different movement. Therefore, make sure you are in the correct position when doing lateral raises.
