How to Do Bent Arm Laterals

Bent arm laterals are a great way to work your posterior deltoid muscles as well as the pectoral muscles, allowing you to work the front and back of your upper body in one simple exercise. Bent arm laterals, when performed correctly, can also help to reduce pain in the neck and shoulders, and when performed with light weights can even be used for physical therapy and injury recovery.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Two dumbells
• Bench

1. Choose two dumbells that are heavy enough to challenge you, but which will not cause strain or injury as you exercise. Remember that as a general rule, it is better to work with lighter weights and perform more repetitions than to work with heavy weights and hurt yourself.

2. Lay with your back flat on a bench so that your elbows can drop below your body. Your knees and calves should rest on either side of the bench with your feet flat on the ground.

3. Hold the dumbells at shoulder level so that your palms are facing out and the bars of the weights are perpendicular to your body. Your elbows should be dropping below your shoulders. Inhale deeply and as you exhale, straighten your arms, pushing the dumbells directly overhead and lightly touching the ends of the weights together.

4. Keep the weights lifted as you complete your exhalation and then inhale the dumbells back down. Perform two or three sets of ten to 15 bent arm laterals, keeping your motions smooth and controlled and moving with your breath.