# The Lateral raise



## drago78 (Oct 1, 2007)

Through out my training I have employed lateral raises whe training shoulders. I have found for me that light weights high reps seem to be the order of the day. High weights seems to lead to excessive swaying and less work on the delts. Anyway, I have been experimenting with different holds on the dumbbells eg thumbs up , pinkies up, I feel that this helps to hit the delts in a different way.

I am experimenting with Gironda's 8x8 protocol, 15 seconds rest between sets. Really seems to be paying dividends so far.

I have a perverse pleasure in grabbing superlight dbs and getting the puuump as arnie calls it.

Anyone else a fan of the lateral raise?


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

any form of lateral raise is my favourite shoulder exercise. my gym just got in a machine lateral machine, really good


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## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

Yes lateral raises are excellent! and really work upper traps too! I bend my elbows and up the weight, reason? with arms out straight it puts your bicep tendon at risk of tearing off the attachment, bending the elbows eliminates this risk and upping the weight keeps the intensity the same.

SD


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## lukeee (Aug 17, 2009)

chilisi said:


> Try seated Lat raise. Will help with technique, inturn, making the exercises harder, using lighter weights.


x2 I do mine seated on a flat bench with my feet up on it, works great for me.


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## tom0311 (Nov 17, 2008)

lukeee said:


> x2 I do mine seated on a flat bench with my feet up on it, works great for me.


Same here. Quite often do one arm at a time as I find my form going a bit crap when doing 2.


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## SD (Sep 3, 2004)

chilisi said:


> Makes more sense that watching people, standing up, swinging a weight far to heavy for them, using there lower back, more than there shoulders


You been watching me in the gym again Chil??  Anyway how else am I supposed to get ridiculous back pumps?? :lol:

SD


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## lukeee (Aug 17, 2009)

chilisi said:


> Makes more sense that watching people, standing up, swinging a weight far to heavy for them, using there lower back, more than there shoulders


Sometimes couple them with doing seated plate raises, i grab a 20-25kg plate in both hands, feet on the floor and raise it by really concentrating on using my delts and try to lower it as slowly as possible, mullers me :thumb:


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2010)

Question for you lot.

Arms straight? or arms bent??

Im always straight arm, slight forward lean 1 arm at a time.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2010)

SD said:


> Yes lateral raises are excellent! and really work upper traps too! I bend my elbows and up the weight, reason? with arms out straight it *puts your bicep tendon at risk of tearing off* the attachment, bending the elbows eliminates this risk and upping the weight keeps the intensity the same.
> 
> SD


Really?


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## tom0311 (Nov 17, 2008)

mikex101 said:


> Question for you lot.
> 
> Arms straight? or arms bent??
> 
> Im always straight arm, slight forward lean 1 arm at a time.


Very slightly bent while seated just so my elbows are not locked out.


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## a.notherguy (Nov 17, 2008)

mikex101 said:


> Question for you lot.
> 
> Arms straight? or arms bent??
> 
> Im always straight arm, slight forward lean 1 arm at a time.


always bent arms for me.

if i do it with straight arms i can feel something in my left shoulder pop.... even if im using the smallest dumbells i can find (1.5Kg!)

doing it with bent arms and the problem goes away 100%


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## lukeee (Aug 17, 2009)

arms slightly bent for me


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## egyption t (May 21, 2009)

well,...for me,...thumb up,..pinky down,..and u can try also the FST-7 tech.,..7 sets at the end of ur shoulder workout,moderate wieght,8-12 reps,with just one min rest in between,...really bitching man


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2010)

might give bent arms a go then, it seems to be the norm but all i see day to day is loons waving there elbows about and moving the weight 2" somehow.

planks

might progress past 12kg DB's too! lol


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## Nelson (Mar 22, 2009)

I do these on the cables, one arm at a time, arm slightly bent... :bounce:


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## UnitedFan (Jul 27, 2008)

I bend my arm slightly too. I've always done it that way, I didn't know there were risks the other way at all. A lucky escape!


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## Falcone (Sep 14, 2008)

Ive heard this is the best exercise for shoulder width while OHP is the best for mass. Would OHP followed by Lat raise be enough for shoulders once every 3-4 days?


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## BillC (Jun 11, 2009)

Seated , just a slight bend in elbow like you'd do for fly's, heavy (well heavy for me, currently use 25kg db's for 12 reps) as going light does naff all, little finger knuckle should be higher than forefinger at the top., slight pause then down. I do them as a tri-super set of db press/lateral raise, rear raises.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2010)

my shoulders have never been small, but ill try this seated bent arm little finger in the air lark and report back :thumb:


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## Gerry_bhoy (Dec 25, 2008)

Should I do these before or after a military press.

Before to pre-exhaust so that the shoulders fail before the Tri's on the OHP?


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## Gerry_bhoy (Dec 25, 2008)

Gerry_bhoy said:


> Should I do these before or after a military press.
> 
> Before to pre-exhaust so that the shoulders fail before the Tri's on the OHP?


Bump


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## nws (May 18, 2009)

Gerry_bhoy said:


> Should I do these before or after a military press.
> 
> Before to pre-exhaust so that the shoulders fail before the Tri's on the OHP?


Personally i would do them after, i always like doing my main heavy movement 1st.

I do my side lats standing, feet planted solid, no bodyrock, arms bent, "pouring a kettle" style.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Elbow's high, thumbs down, lean fwd, and don't swing. That isolates the side delt.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SenorSteve (Jun 6, 2010)

SD said:


> Yes lateral raises are excellent! and really work upper traps too! I bend my elbows and up the weight, reason? with arms out straight it puts your bicep tendon at risk of tearing off the attachment, bending the elbows eliminates this risk and upping the weight keeps the intensity the same.
> 
> SD


I dont think you will find anyone with a torn bicep from doing lat raises mate


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## Mbb newlad (Jan 27, 2008)

bent arm for me also when ive used straight arm it really hurts my elbow joint ive started to ise less weight and focus on better teq


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## carl stull (Jul 22, 2010)

SD said:


> Yes lateral raises are excellent! and really work upper traps too! I bend my elbows and up the weight, reason? with arms out straight it puts your bicep tendon at risk of tearing off the attachment, bending the elbows eliminates this risk and upping the weight keeps the intensity the same.
> 
> SD


WRONG! In no way will your bicep tear off from the attachment. The bicep has no action in abducting the shoulder joint.

Thumbs up puts more stress on the front delt.

Pinkies up will put more stress on the rear delt.

Doing lateral raises with accomadating resistance, such as on a cable system or superbands, is a great way to do the exercise as most of the weight is placed on the top portion of the lift where the medial delt is most activated.

I perfer face pulls for delts, using a rep range of 20 or more.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

I tore my outer bicep doing bench, brother tore his (partial) doing inclines.


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## Andy Dee (Jun 1, 2008)

anyone got a link to a youtube video which shows correct form?


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## carl stull (Jul 22, 2010)

hackskii said:


> I tore my outer bicep doing bench, brother tore his (partial) doing inclines.


A bench press is horizontal adduction of the shoulder, the bicep acts as the antagonist to the extending tricep, in other words you use your bicep on the eccentric/negative portion of the lift so yes it is possible to tear your bicep doing a bench press or any variation there off.


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## Gerry_bhoy (Dec 25, 2008)

With the elbow bend we're only taling about 20-30 degree aye?

Im a big fan of this exercise. Fairly low weights and a 3-4 second negatvie.

You see folk using weight to much weight, doing them 100mph, swinging their whole body up to get momentum with their form somewhere inbetween this and a front raise.


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## xpower (Jul 28, 2009)

I do them like this http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-do-a-lateral-raise elbows slightly bent


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## WannaGetHench (Aug 22, 2010)

Having trouble with these atm, feel it more in my traps than I can on side delts?


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## Smitch (Dec 29, 2008)

I do them one arm at a time while leaning on the mirror/wall with my other shoulder so i don't swing about.

Only use 12kg and it feels insanely heavy!!!!!


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