Growing the size and mass of your shoulders is one of the best things you can do in the gym, whether you want to be healthy or even if you just want to become a big hit with the ladies. The Egyptian lateral raise is one of the best exercises that you can do for such a purpose, although we all have to admit that it can be a bit too difficult at first.
The Egyptian lateral raise falls into the category of isolated upper-body exercises to help bodybuilders build hypertrophy for the medial, anterior, and posterior deltoid muscles.
As long as you have a dumbbell and something too sturdy to hang onto, it means that you’re qualified to start doing the Egytian lateral raise exercise. You will definitely get the chance to perform this exercise at the gym as well.
What are the benefits of the Egyptian lateral raise exercise?
There is more than a single benefit to the Egyptian lateral raise exercise. Big shoulders are indeed imposing, which is why you should definitely do the Egyptian lateral raise exercise.
Isolating the deltoids
Let’s also not forget that the exercise in question will help you isolate the deltoids, which will help assist you in shoulder-based compound movements.
If you isolate and grow the deltoid, it will trigger benefits for your overhead shoulder press, bench press, and push-ups. And perhaps each and every one of us knows the huge benefits that push-ups have for anyone’s body.
Protecting the joints
As you train the delts, that will help you take a load off of your joints, especially the rotator cuffs. People who regularly lift weights often go through injuries related to the rotator cuff.
We all know that as we grow older, our bodies tend to become weaker. But the good news is that with the right and regular physical exercises, we can overcome our natural limitations a bit.
How to perform Egyptian lateral raises
In order to perform the Egyptian lateral raise exercise, you should do the following:
- Grab a lightweight dumbbell or plate. There’s no use becoming too greedy at this point and trying weights that are too heavy.
- Locate a support beam of some sort that’s sturdy enough.
- Adopt the right position by grabbing onto the support beam with one of the hands while you grab the weight with the other hand. You also need to bring your feet in close to the support.
- Extend the support beam holding arm as you hang all the way out. You need to keep your spine straight and your core tight. Lean in a bit. The next step is to let your arm naturally move with the torso.
- Raise your arm that holds the weight from the side of the waist all the way up to shoulder height.
- Lower the weight down gently. You have to try bringing it down slower than you raised it.
- Switch sides as you turn around on the support bean, and start repeating with the other arm. You should be able to do at least 10-20 reps per set.
Lateral raises, in general, represent a common exercise for strength training and bodybuilding that targets the user’s shoulder muscles. Such an exercise involves lifting dumbbells or other weights from the sides to shoulder level as you keep your arms in a straight position.