Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise
Trains the Serratus.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set an incline bench to about forty-five degrees and lie back with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Press both dumbbells up until the arms are straight above your chest.
- Keep the elbows locked straight for the whole set.
- Push the dumbbells further upward by letting the shoulder blades travel forward around your ribs.
- Your shoulders will lift an inch or two off the pad — that is the whole range.
- Let the shoulder blades settle back against the pad under control.
Common mistakes
- Bending the elbows. The arms stay locked; once the elbow bends this is a partial press and the movement it was meant to isolate disappears into it.
- Chasing height. An inch or two is the range — the movement happens between the shoulder blade and the ribs and there is nowhere else for it to go.
- Expecting it to train the deltoid. The arm does not move at the shoulder joint at all; what moves is the shoulder blade travelling forward, which is the serratus anterior.
- Going heavy. The range is tiny and the muscle is small; a weight chosen for pressing will simply be held.