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Overview
Doing dumbbell laterals with the palm facing upward shifts the stress of the exercise from the middle (median) deltoid muscles to the front (anterior) muscles. While the movement of the exercise is essentially the same as for the regular dumbbell laterals, the rotation of the wrist makes all the difference in shifting the stress of the exercise to the front of the shoulders.
Setup
Take one relatively light dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Let each weight hang down on either side of your body, then rotate your wrists so that the palms are facing outward. Your elbows should be bent just slightly throughout the movement.
Movement
Use the strength in your front shoulder muscles to pull the weights outward and upward in a semicircular motion until the weights reach the level of your shoulders. Squeeze your shoulders for a moment at the top before lowering the weight back to the floor.
Be sure to bring the weights directly up and to the sides instead of slightly forward as you would when doing regular laterals. Bringing the weight forward and in front of the body shifts the weight away from the deltoids to the lat muscles.
Tips From the Trainer
This exercise can be done with the palm facing upward or facing forward. Each of these variations will work the deltoid muscles in a slightly different manner. For a more strict exercise, you can lean against a wall or sit in an upright bench.
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