The side lifts are a classic exercise for shoulder training.
Contrary to what is thought the technique of performing this exercise is rather complex. To perform the various repetitions in the best way it is necessary to have a great mastery of the movement and a great muscular perception.
If we want the effort to be mainly distributed on the lateral head of the deltoid it is necessary to keep the forearms as still as possible. If the grip is not firmly held, the dumbbells will "dangle" during the arc of movement and a more or less important part of the work will be transferred to the muscles of the forearm and to the external rotators.
If the shoulders are raised while the elbows are raised, much of the work will be done by the trapeze instead. Similar discourse if the trajectory of the movement beyond the height of the shoulders is continued.
It is also advisable to perform the exercise with the torso tilted forward to avoid involving the anterior deltoid too much in the movement.
The arm must then be twisted, ie the elbow must be in a higher position than the hand and the thumb must be in a lower position than the little finger.
Conversely, if the elbow is lower than the hand, and the thumb higher than the little finger, the involvement of the lateral deltoid will be minimal and much of the work will be done by the front bundles. Compared to the previous one, however, it is a more natural and safe movement, which respects the joint physiology of the shoulder.
See also: Slow forward, side raises and low back
