Bent-Over Raise
The Bent-Over Raise is an effective exercise for strengthening your shoulders and upper back. This exercise helps improve your posture and increase your overall upper-body strength.
Execution
-
1
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
-
2
Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back straight.
-
3
Let your arms hang straight down, with your palms facing each other.
-
4
Exhale and raise the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
-
5
Pause briefly at the top, then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
Benefits
- Improves shoulder stability and mobility.
- Helps prevent shoulder injuries by strengthening the surrounding muscles.
- Improves posture by strengthening the upper back and shoulders.
Common Mistakes
- ! Using too much weight, which can lead to poor form and possible injuries.
- ! Failing to keep your back straight, which can place pressure on the lower back.
- ! Bending the elbows too much during the raise, which reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.
Primary Muscles
This exercise primarily targets the deltoids (shoulder muscles), with secondary involvement of the trapezius (upper back) and rhomboids (between the shoulder blades).
Possible Alternatives
- For a lighter variation, perform the exercise without weights or with lighter dumbbells.
- To increase the intensity, try performing the exercise with a resistance band.
- Alternatively, you can try the seated bent-over raise for more stability and focus on the shoulders.
Run your fitness business with more structure
- Planning, member management and coaching in one platform
- Built for coaches, studios and gyms
- Fewer separate tools, more overview
