3 tips to make the cable side raise even better

Geschatte leestijd: 3 minuten The dumbbell side raise is a great exercise for the side of your shoulders. But it can be improved. Most people perform the side raise with dumbbells. Unfortunately, this variant has a number of limitations. In this article, I will explain what the limitations are and how you can make the side raise even better for your shoulders. So, get those beautiful, full round shoulders.

Limitations of the dumbbell side raise

1. There is no constant tension.

With a dumbbell, there is no tension at the bottom. If necessary, you can hold this position for hours until your hands give up. There is virtually no tension on your shoulder. This is because there is no momentum. If maximal muscle growth is your goal, you want tension throughout the entire movement. Both at the top and bottom of the movement. Ideally, you want less resistance at the top than at the bottom, because you are stronger at the bottom than at the top. But unfortunately, that’s not possible.

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2. The exercise is difficult to increase resistance.

Dumbbells often increase in increments of 1 to 2 kilograms. With an exercise that uses a lot of weight, this is usually not a problem. Adding 2 kilograms to an exercise where you use a total of 30 kilograms is manageable. With the dumbbell side raise, you don’t use heavy weights. Suppose you use 4 kilograms, the next step could possibly be 6 kilograms. So, you’re suddenly taking 50% more weight. This can be problematic as it will have a huge impact on your technique, which will deteriorate. And of course, on the number of repetitions you can do. If muscle growth is your goal, increasing resistance/weight always takes precedence over progression on other variables such as doing more repetitions, for example. If you’re a big guy and maybe you’re using 16 kilograms or more and therefore think you can make these steps, think again. Because you’re advanced, you’ll progress less quickly than beginners. So, steps of 2 kilograms are already too much for you.

How to make the side raise even better

Below are 3 solutions to overcome the limitations of the dumbbell side raise.

1. Use a cable instead of a dumbbell

By using a cable, you solve the problem of not having constant tension. With the cable, you now have tension on the muscle throughout the entire movement. Both at the bottom and top.

2. Let the cable run between your legs

If you use a cable, you’ll encounter another problem, which is that the cable will get tangled with your legs. You have to let your arm go in front of or behind your body. This is not convenient because you want to train the side of your shoulder. The function of the side of your shoulder is to bring your arm up sideways. Then train this function. If you bring the cable in front of or behind you, you’re also training functions of other muscles that you don’t want to train, and it brings additional risk of injury. If you’re bench pressing, you push the weight above your chest, not towards your feet. Makes no sense. If you want to train a muscle, you do so by performing the function of the muscle under resistance. Of course, you want this to be accompanied by as low a risk of injury as possible. The solution is simple: let the cable run between your legs. When training your right shoulder, step with your left foot over the cable, your right foot is behind the cable. And vice versa. Problem solved.

3. Use microplates for massive gains.

Cable machines work with weight stacks. These often go up in increments of 2.5 kilograms. For an exercise like the side raise, these are too large steps. So, the steps need to be smaller. Fortunately, you can easily achieve this by using microplates. Microplates are discs from 100 grams to 1 kilogram. This way, you can still increase the weight of the exercise. Ideal! How does this work? Place the microplate on the weight stack and perform the exercise, simple. This way, you become a little stronger.

Summary

The dumbbell side raise is a great exercise for the side of your shoulders. And if you do the exercise with a cable running between your legs, it becomes even better. Especially if you use microplates to increase the weight of the exercise.