1,000 Health and Fitness Tips #0014: What Are Ideal Side Delt Exercises? (Hint: NOT Dumbbell Lateral Raises)
Choosing better options for growing the side deltoids
The classic dumbbell lateral raise is a useful option for training the side deltoids (i.e. the side of the shoulder ; a.k.a. side delts), but, due to the direction of gravity relative to the action of the side delts (nerd-speak, I know), it doesn’t provide much tension in the bottom half of the movement where the side delts are most stretched.Â
This is easy to understand if you consider that you feel no tension on your side delts when holding the dumbbells down by your sides–the position where your side delts are most stretched.
This is important because some research suggests that the stretched portion of repetitions is important for maximizing muscle growth. (I, II, III, IV)
For this reason, cable variations of side delt movements, such as using lateral raise machines and doing cable lateral raises with a handle attachment, are likely superior options to the dumbbell lateral raise because—due to the weight plates providing high resistance throughout the whole movement—they do offer tension in the stretched portion of the movement.Â
BONUS: Check out Jeff Nippard’s great cable lateral raise tips here.
P.S. I wish you and yours a belated merry Christmas, happy Chanukkah, and happy New Year.