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How high should you raise your arms when doing front or lateral
arm raises? If you're like the majority of bodybuilders and
athletes who do these exercises, you'll probably answer, "To
the level position," that is, where the arms are parallel
to the floor.
The reason for such execution is based on the supposed prevention
of shoulder impingement, which is usually characterized by
pain in the shoulder when the upper-arm bone (humerus) jams
in the shoulder joint and pinches a nerve. However shoulder
impingement can occur only when a malfunction of the muscles
or some other problem already exists in the shoulder joint.
The mere act of raising your arms from directly up in front
of or from the side of the body to a completely overhead position
does not by itself cause shoulder impingement.
In fact, if you closely examine the muscle involvement in
these exercises, you'll find that moving from the level to
the overhead position offers the most productive range of
motion. This is the best range of motion for maximum involvement
of not only the deltoids, but also the upper and lower trapezius
muscles and serratus anterior. Stopping at the level position
eliminates most of the deltoid involvement and only partially
utilizes the trapezius and serratus muscles.
When the muscles that move the scapulae are well-developed,
they move and rotate the scapulae in synchronization with
arm movement so that the shoulder joint turns and opens up
in the direction of the movement. Synchronized rotation, abduction
(sliding to the sides of the ribcage) and elevation of the
scapulae are crucial in preventing shoulder impingement.
Aggravating the Problem
If the muscles aren't sufficiently developed or if you have
a problem with the rotation, abduction or elevation of the
scapulae, then the chances of shoulder impingement are increased.
In such cases, it isn't the exercise that causes shoulder
impingement, but a pre-existing problem that's Aggravated
by the exercise. A physician should evaluate the condition
to determine the cause and a plan to correct it.
Rehabilitation of the joint and its surrounding muscles will
most likely be needed. During this period, to allow for full
healing, the patient may have to curtail range of motion in
the shoulder and possibly eliminate certain exercises. This
might mean performing front and lateral raises, but only to
the level position. After the joint is healed, which may take
4-12 weeks, you should begin doing full-range arm raises without
weights until you can raise your arms with no discomfort.
Then begin using very light weights and very gradually (over
weeks and months) begin to use heavier weights.
To further substantiate the need for a full range of motion
when doing front and lateral arm raises, we can take a look
at overhead press exercises. When the overhead press from
behind or in front of the neck is executed, the elbows are
well below the level of the shoulder in the initial position.
Because of this, the arms travel from approximately 30-45
degrees below shoulder level to the 180-degree full overhead
position a range of 135-150 degrees. This is why overhead
presses are so effective for development of the deltoids and
the other muscles.
Lifting Heavy
Even if prevention of shoulder impingement isn't the main
reason for limited-range movements, many bodybuilders and
athletes stop at level because of the excessively heavy weights
that they use. Very heavy weights, however, aren't needed
when doing front or lateral arm raises with extended arms,
since a small weight at the end of a long lever (your arm
is acting like a lever in this exercise) can be quite heavy.
Moving from the level to the directly overhead position involves
maximal contraction of the muscles. Using heavy weights that
you can handle only up to the level position doesn't produce
maximum muscle gains or definition.
When using very heavy weights, to move them from thigh height
to the level position, you must vigorously contract the muscles
and literally swing the weights up so that they ride out and
up on their own momentum. If a vigorous swing isn't executed,
then you must severely bend the elbow to decrease the effective
resistance in order to raise the arms high enough. But with
severely bent elbows, you change the positioning of the elbow
so that you don't truly isolate the deltoid or the other muscles
involved.
Stopping at the level position plays an effective role in
total muscle development when you want to work some muscles
with greater isolation. For example, when doing lateral arm
raises, the supraspinatus does the bulk of the work from 0-90
degrees. In front-arm raises, the upper pectoralis major,
together with the coracobrachialis, undergo the strongest
contractions to get the arms to the level position. When above
level, however, the deltoid and trapezius become the predominant
muscles. Thus, doing limited-range arm raises should be included
in the repertoire of exercises for bodybuilders and athletes
alike.
Strengthening the supraspinatus is extremely important for
prevention of shoulder impingement, since this muscle plays
a key role in holding the humerus in the shoulder joint. Overdeveloping
the latissimus dorsi and lower peetoralis major muscles, however,
can depress the arm sufficiently to cause problems in the
joint. But when the supraspinatus is strong, it helps counteract
the downward pull of the lats and lower pecs.
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