Three In One Rotator Cuff Raises

Why Is This Exercise So Effective?

Maintaining a strong rotator cuff muscle group is essential for optimum shoulder stability and strength. This exercise combines aspects of three different rotator cuff exercises, improving your efficiency when you exercise your rotator cuff muscles.

How To Do It

• Start in a standing position with your upper arm vertical, your forearm crossed in front horizontally and your shoulder internally rotated.
  
  
• You will be holding the dumbbell in front of your abdomen.
  
  
• This is similar to the start position of what is called the Lying “L” Raise (a common rotator cuff exercise) where you lying on your side on a bench. In this exercise you are in a standing position.
  
  
• During this entire movement, your should keep a constant 90 degree bend in your elbow.
  
  
• Externally rotate and abduct your shoulder (raise your upper arm up and to the side while bringing the dumbbell up and back).
  
  
• What this is that while you raise your upper arm to a horizontal position, raise your forearm to a vertical position.
  
  
• This should be accomplished in a smooth motion.

• It is a much more time-efficient method of working the rotator cuff as you hit three basic types of rotator cuff movements all in one movement.

• This movement can be done with the cable as well.
  
  
• You can do this exercise one arm at a time, alternating arms while holding two dumbbell or doing both arms simultaneously.

How to incorporate this exercise into your workouts:

This exercise should always be done last in any workout.

• I would recommend doing at least one or two sets of this exercise after every single workout you do.
  
  
• This will ensure that your shoulders become as solid and strong as possible.

Common Errors

1. Throwing the weights up

It is not advisable to use momentum on this exercise. You will get far more out of it if you strive for slow, controlled movements, focusing on continuous tension. Throwing the weight up is simply the equivalent of going through the motions and it is always possible that you could injure the sensitive structures of the rotator cuff.

2. Improper timing on the movement

The movement should be a smooth, balanced transition from one position to the other. Choppy or jerky timing will reduce the effectiveness of the movement.

3. Moving your upper body excessively

If you find your torso bobbing forward and backward in an effort to get the weight up, you are using too much weight. This exercise is most useful when done with strict form and with continuous tension. Be sure you aren’t trying to heave the dumbbells.

Tricks

1. Alternative to where you start and finish the exercise

You can try an alternate starting position that will keep more tension on the shoulders. Instead You can try an alternate starting position that will keep more tension on the shoulders. Instead of holding your forearms horizontal and holding the dumbbells directly in front of your abdomen, try to keep your forearms up with the dumbbells held just under your chin.

You will almost look like a boxer in the guard position. It also resembles the top position of a two-dumbbell hammer curl if you finish with the dumbbells just under your chin. When you start the movement, let the dumbbells dip down slightly before you swing them around and start the rotator cuff movement.