Achieving your fitness dream of building bigger shoulders is possible with the Egyptian lateral raise.
This workout, also known as the horizontal lateral raise, is among the most popular training programmes for developing larger deltoids.
It is simple to perform but requires good technique mastery. This is is a one-handed lateral rise whereby you bend at an angle and hold on to a support with your other hand.
It aims to increase deltoidal hypertrophy – particularly the anterior and medial deltoids – with minimum stimulation and high-rep sets.
Although it is a simple exercise, it’s frequently performed incorrectly, resulting in discomfort or pain in the shoulders.
Therefore, here is how you do the Egyptian lateral raise correctly.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and slightly rotate your hips and knees.
- Keep your palms facing in, twist your elbows slightly while holding the weights at your sides.
- Set a goal of having your upper arms no higher than shoulder height while focusing on a tight core.
- Return to the starting position by lowering the hand weights with control.
As you do all this, take note of the following points to make this exercise effective.
- Focus on your mid-shoulders by using light weights.
- Pause for 1–5 seconds after exhaling and lifting the weight to shoulder level.
- Slowly return to the beginning place after releasing the load.
WHAT MUSCLES DO EGYPTIAN LATERAL RAISE WORK?
Egyptian lateral raise primarily work the deltoids.
DELTOIDS
The deltoid develops massively with every rep you take during this exercise.
As the middle section of the deltoid muscle work, the front and rear deltoid muscles – supraspinatus and serratus anterior move as well.
Besides, the deltoid muscles function in conjunction with the rotator cuff muscles to enable you to carry out a wide range of activities.
Shoulder boulders result from the contraction and relaxation of the deltoids.
In addition, this workout also works the Synergist and stabilizer muscles.
STABILIZER MUSCLES
- Erector spinae
- Triceps brachii
- Wrist extensors
- Gluteus maximus
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Adductor Magnus
SYNERGIST MUSCLES
- Rhomboids
- Infraspinatus
- Lateral deltoids
- Middle and lower trapezius
- Teres minor
EGYPTIAN LATERAL RAISE BENEFITS?
The horizontal raise exercise is an excellent strength exercise focusing on the shoulders. But, it has many other benefits as follows.
ENHANCE MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION
The horizontal raise helps you genuinely focus on your deltoid mind-muscle connections on each side because of its unilateral nature.
Your delts also play an essential role in keeping your upper body strong and mobile by promoting a solid mind-muscle connection.
UPPER BODY STRENGTH
The action in an Egyptian raise rests so much on the shoulders and arms to some extent.
And the more you work the shoulders, the more muscle mass you gain in your shoulders.
Adding lean to a movement increases its range of motion and, as a result, the amount of work put on the muscles. This results in increased muscular stimulation and hypertrophy.
Your triceps also bulk up.
ALTERNATIVES TO EGYPTIAN LATERAL RAISE?
Try out the following alternatives if you do not have cable pulley equipment to perform the Egyptian lateral raise.
DELTOID LATERAL RAISE
You raise the dumbbells with your hands in front of your body and twist your wrists as you do a side lateral raise with dumbbells.
This exercise targets the medial deltoids.
BAND SIDE LATERAL RAISE
A fantastic shoulder exercise you can do at home is the resistance band side lateral lift.
The unique resistance of the bands also generates increasing strain as the activity progresses.
LATERAL RAISE HOLD
You retain the peak position of the rise to increase the time under strain and apply isometric tension to the working muscle group.
This is the variation of the lateral raise hold.
ONE ARM SIDE LATERAL
It is possible to do unilateral training with the one-armed side lateral.
The variation allows you to lift harder and focus more on each side of the lateral deltoid head, the target muscle.
LANDMINE LATERAL RAISE
The side delts, core, forearms and grip strength are all worked out in this raise variation.
DEAD STOP LATERAL RAISE
You come to a complete halt at the bottom of each rep with this variation, thereby preventing any momentum from building up.
The more rigid an exercise is, the more muscle you create during the workout.
LEAN AWAY LATERAL RAISE
Increased motion ranges come with leaning away from the body while performing the lateral lift.
That will put more strain on the muscle, which will lead to further growth.
ECCENTRIC LATERAL RAISES
Extending the duration the arms are elevated helps build more muscle tension in this exercise. This increases the move’s resistance and difficulty.
Y RAISE
In addition to activating your middle delts and surrounding stabilizer muscles, the Y raise is a terrific exercise to perform.
EGYPTIAN LATERAL RAISE MISTAKES TO AVOID
While Egyptian lateral raise passes off as a simple exercise, execution is tricky.
TOO MUCH WEIGHT
This one is the most common and can lead to shoulder pain. It would be best to always work with optimal weight to avoid injury.
SWING MOVEMENT
Avoid swinging motions while raising your arms. Isolation movements require you to focus solely on the muscle on target rather than a general movement pattern.
Remember, the Egyptian lateral raise focuses on the lateral deltoid. Therefore, the technique must always remain unaltered.
TIGHT GRIP
While the general rule in the workout is a tight grip, it defeats logic in the horizontal lateral raise.
Why? Because it shifts concentration from the lateral deltoid to upper body muscles. So, you end up gaining nothing from the workout because of targeting the wrong muscle.
DIAGONAL MOVEMENT
A diagonally raised arm activates the anterior deltoid more and splits the resistance between the lateral and anterior deltoid muscle.
Maintaining lateral deltoid tension throughout the action requires keeping your arms sideways at all times.
CONCLUSION
Egyptian lateral raises are a terrific way to elongate and balance your shoulders. They make them appear broader and more muscular. The secret lies incorrect form, which many people often miss and end up experiencing excruciating shoulder pain.
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