There are a small group of exercises that you always see being done wrong in the Gym.
The Lat Pulldown, The Bent Over Row, Tricep Pushdowns, The Squat and my favourite of all….🥁 THE DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
Over my 20 years in this industry, I've occasionally seen unusual techniques with the DB Lateral Raise....
BUT I have never seen the DB Lateral Raise executed incorrectly so much as I have on Social Media, demonstrated by these CLUELESS INFLUENCERS
I'm more apt to catch Bigfoot battling the Abominable Snowman on a National Geographic episode than to see this being INFLUENCED correctly. I mean, at this point, I’d have better luck finding a unicorn in my backyard than expecting a proper influence! Maybe I should start a reality show: "When Cryptids Collide: The Influence Games!" I can already hear the theme music—it's a mix of suspense and the sound of a thousand Instagram filters being applied!
Aiming to revamp a straightforward exercise to INCREASE CLICKS and make it appear as though they TRULY UNDERSTAND the subject matter.
AND to top it off, the MAJORITY of them Refer to the Lateral Delt as THE MEDIAL DELT 🤣🤣🤣🤦
In short the DB Lateral Raise is an isolation exercise to target THE LARGEST and STRONGEST of your 3 DELTOID Muscles - THE LATERAL DELTOID
As with any Exercise, no movement is purely isolated. The Synergist (assisting muscles) are the Mid Fibres of the Trapezius and the DEEP RHOMBOIDS (yes influencers you cannot see or touch the Rhomboids which means you can’t target them specifically 🤣)
Your forearm flexors (via your grip), along with the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, and transversus abdominis, function as fixators (stabilizing muscles).
THAT IS IT!!!!
You start with the DB by the SIDE of your hip, not IN FRONT of the thigh and definitely not at your MIDLINE (here’s where I expect the first KNOW IT ALL comment to come from) 🤣
With your elbow slightly bent (DRAG AND LOCK), Inhale before Exhaling and lift the DB out, up and away from your body until it is Parallel to the ground starting with an Inward Grip, finishing with the grip Pronated (Palm facing down).
Ensure that your Trapezius muscles remain relaxed throughout the process.
Then you return the DB to the start position and repeat in a controlled manner
By doing this you are using all the muscles I’d previously mentioned - IT’S CALLED KINESIOLOGY
THAT IS IT!!!!!
NOW what I am seeing on the socials is these W*****S telling you to....
1. Internally Rotate your Arm (This Supposedly puts more emphasis on the Lateral Delt - IT DOESN’T! In fact if anything it shifts the workload onto your Anterior (Front) Delt.
2. Next, you are instructed to lean slightly forward before lifting
the DB up, out, and away from your body, ending in a Y position with your arms (imagine the letter Y hitting the gym and flexing its muscles—because who knew typography could get ripped?)
3.And during this you tilt your grip so the Thumb faces down (LIKE POURING A JUG OF WATER) before returning to the start position.
I am internally overwhelmed with a delightful cocktail of frustration, rage, and sympathy for these folks spreading this nonsense. It’s like watching a toddler try to assemble IKEA furniture—there’s a lot of chaos, some questionable decisions, and you just know someone’s going to end up crying!
NOW I’m gonna digress a little and mention that amongst the Plethora of BS that is out there - some exercises have been put into the “should be banned” category because of the negative impact on the good ole ROTATOR CUFF.
APPARENTLY the Lat Pulldown behind the neck is dangerous leaving the Rotator Cuff susceptible to injury - errr no it doesn’t if you’re doing it CORRECTLY
Similarly, Close Grip and Wide Grip Upright Rows get the same bad press. But when done correctly they DO NOT injure THE ROTATOR CUFF.
Guess what DOES cause injuries to the ROTATOR CUFF though?
Yep YOU guessed it/or not - IT’S the DB Lateral Raise when YOUR TOLD to INTERNALLY ROTATE your ARM to bring it more onto the LATERAL DELT 🤣
Then LIFT it out to the side and forward before pouring a jug of Water 🤣🤣🤣
AND if you START with the DBs in front of you it’s EVEN BETTER 👍🤣
What’s happening here is that by internally rotating your arm in you are engaging the Subscapularis (which is found on the INSIDE SURFACE of the Shoulder Blades and is 1 of the 2 DEEP muscles that form the ROTATOR CUFF.) And whose MAIN role is to turn the arm in….
The Subscapularis is assisted in this movement by the TERES MAJOR which is found on the outside edge of the Upper Back.
INITIAL arm movement away from the side of the body also stems from the SUPRASPINATUS - the other DEEP Muscle that forms the Rotator Cuff that is found UNDERNEATH the MID TRAPEZIUS FIBRES
YES Internal Rotation is used in a lot of COMPOUND Exercises BUT the Lateral DB Raise is very much ISOLATION.
So with not as many Synergist and Fixator Muscles involved in an Isolation exercise, (in this case the DB Lateral Raise), to expose these ROTATOR CUFF muscles to this type of EXPOSURE where a Weight (no matter how light) is lifted up, out and forward before being tilted like this IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE.
AND don’t even get me started on these Wannabees that are NOW ALSO saying to EXTERNALLY ROTATE your Arm for Lateral Raises where the Thumb is Pointing UPWARDS 🤣🤣🤣
I’m gonna leave it there but I will say this. You are going to believe what you want to believe BUT why do so many of these Wannabee Guru twats feel the need to change exercises that have served their purpose, continue to serve their purpose and that have been around for Donkey Years?
Think about it…..
COMMON SENSE NOT NONSENSE
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