PURPOSE OF EXERCISE: To develop the
outside head of the deltoid, with
secondary benefit to the front and rear
heads.
EXECUTION: (1) Take a dumbbell in each
hand, bend forward slightly, and bring
the weights together in front of you at
arm’s length. Start each repetition from a
dead stop to keep yourself from
swinging the weight up. (2) Lift the
weights out and up to either side, turning
your wrists slightly (as if pouring water
out of a pitcher) so that the rear of the
dumbbell is higher than the front. (3) Lift
the weights to a point slightly higher than
your shoulders, then lower them slowly,
resisting all the way down. (A common
mistake with this movement is to rock
back and forth and swing the weights up
instead of lifting them with the deltoids.
Doing this cuts down on the
effectiveness of the movement and
should be avoided.)
VARIATION: You may have a tendency to
cheat a little when doing Standing
Lateral Raises—this can be avoided if
the same exercise is done in a seated
position.
