Single Arm Lateral Raise With Dumbbell

This is one of my favourite exercises and one held in high regard by the old time trainers. Besides being a fantastic shoulder builder, this exercise does not cause a whole lot of back discomfort. The exercise fixes your position thereby avoiding all possibility of cheating.

This is one exercise you don’t see being done very often these days but trust me, it is very effective.

Position

1. Place your left arm on a suitable support. I usually use the back of an incline bench. You can use an incline bench or the dumbbell rack.

2. Standing with your legs apart, hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Adopt a comfortable position with your torso bent slightly forward at a 70 degree angle.

Execution

1. Raise the dumbbell out to the side, keeping the palm of your hand facing downward. Try and really concentrate on using your shoulder to lift the weight. Remember, your arm should be slightly bent and unlocked).

2. Don’t start this exercise with a thrust. You will use the momentum instead of muscle to raise the weight which you don’t want.