EXECUTION
- Assume an erect standing position with the feet shoulder width apart.
- Keep the arms alongside the body holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, i.e., with the palms facing the body
- Inhale and hold your breath as you raise the arms sideways to a completely overhead position.
- Keep the arms basically straight with only a slight bend in the elbow joints.
- Rotate the arms outward if you experience any jamming in the shoulders as the arms approach the level position. In this case you will finish with the palms facing one another in the top position.
- Maintain an erect trunk position throughout execution. If necessary contract the erector spinae of the lower back to ensure this position.
- Exhale as you return the arms to the initial position under control.
- Execute at a moderate rate of speed. An initial slight thrust when the arms are alongside the body is often advantageous.
PITFALLS
- Raising the arms only to the level position. In time this causes tightening in the shoulder joint resulting in limited flexibility. Also the trapezius, deltoid and serratus anterior do not undergoe full shortening.
- Using too much weight. Extra weight in this exercise limits your range of motion severely and makes it more difficult to elevate the shoulder girdle. As a result there is less involvement (shortening) of the deltoid, serratus anterior and trapezius muscles. Also, the heavy weights force you to bend the elbow more which results in different stress on the muscles and a shorter range of motion.
- Exhaling on the exertion. If you exhale as you are raising the arms you will find a “collapsing” of the trunk which weakens the muscle pull. This can limit your ability to raise the weights completely overhead and more importantly can cause injury to the spine or shoulders.
When doing lateral arm raises most bodybuilders typically raise their arms to the shoulder level position, i.e., so that the arms are level with the floor. This is needed when using very heavy weights, but it limits the range of motion in the shoulder and creates excessive forces in the shoudlers joint which can lead to shoulder problems. More effective is to execute lateral arm raises through the full range of motion (arms completely overhead) to bring about an even greater contraction of the deltoid and the other muscles involved. In this article I will describe the full range, overhead lateral arm raise.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
In the shoulder joint the anterior and middle deltoid and the supraspinatus muscles are involved. The anterior deltoid covers the front of the shoulder while the middle deltoid sits on the top, outer side of the shoulder. It is responsible for the outer contour of the shoulders. The supraspinatus lies under the upper pectorals and is one of the rotator cuff muscles. In the shoulder girdle the major muscles involved are the upper and lower portions of the trapezius, the serratus anterior and the levator scapulae. The trapezius is a large diamond shaped muscle running from the base of the skull to the beginning of the lumbar vertebrae and out to the sides where it is attached to the scapula. The serratus anterior is located on the sides of the ribcage under the arm pit. It is covered by the scapula at the rear and the pectoralis major in front. Its lower sections show clearly through the skin when the arm is raised against resistance. The levator scapula is a small muscle on the back and sides of the neck beneath the upper part of the trapezius.
MUSCLE AND JOINT ACTIONS
The supraspinatus and deltoid muscles are responsible for shoulder joint abduction in which the arm moves sideways from alongside the trunk outward to an overhead position at which time it is again in line with the body. The supraspinatus is mainly involved in the initial lifting of the arm sideways and the deltoid becomes most powerful from the arm level position to completely overhead. The deltoid is relatively ineffective in moving the arm from alongside the body to about 60? away from the body. The upper and especially the lower portion of the trapezius together with the serratus anterior rotate the scapula upward to allow the arms to go overhead. When viewed from the rear the scapula rotate on an axis through their middle so that the left scapula rotates clockwise and the right scapula rotates counter-clockwise. As the arms approach the level position and above the levator scapulae and the upper trapezius contract to elevate the shoulder girdle. This action is needed to allow the arms to rise above level.
SPORTS USES
In bodybuilding and in general fitness the overhead lateral arm raise is especially valuable for shoulder safety, full development of the shoulders and mid-back and functional full range motion in the shoulder joints. Since the supraspinatus is the main muscle holding the humerus (upper arm) in the glenoid fossa (shoulder joint socket) it prevents shoulder joint dislocations. Aesthetically, this exercise does more than any other exercise (except possibly the overhead press) to shape the outside contour of the shoulders, give width to the shoulders and a V-shaped appearance to the body (as opposed to a pear shape when the shoulders are narrow and the pelvic girdle is wide). Shoulder joint abduction and the muscles involved are very important in weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding. For example, full range lateral arm raises make execution of the overhead press more effective and it aids in the top-pull in weightlifting and in the ending phase of the deadlift. Shoulder joint abduction is a very important action in all sports that require you to raise your arms as in reaching upward. This includes blocking in basketball and volleyball, reaching the apparatus in gymnastics, catching overhead flies in baseball and the guarding stance and rebounding in basketball. However, these movements are not done against a heavy resistance. The lateral arm raise also plays an important role in swimming during stroke recovery in the freestyle, butterfly and backstroke. For more information on this and other exercises, see KINESIOLOGY OF EXERCISE by Dr. Michael Yessis.