Strength Training: Low-Pulley Front Raises

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog.  I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy during this rainy weather. Today, in this post I will be educating you on how to perform low-pulley front raises. This workout works many muscles which are both the middle and anterior deltoids and the pectorals.

The pectorals or, also known as pecs, are the major muscles that make up your chest. Low-pulley front raises strengthen the pectorals along with the deltoids and also make the muscles more toned and firm when flexed. In order to do this exercise follow the following steps. First, stand shoulder width apart with your arms by your side holding the dumbbells with a semipronated grip. A semipronated grip is the same grip you use to hold a hammer. To grasp the dumbbells in a semipronated way you lay the dumbbell in the palm of your hands and then form a fist around the dumbbell (Delavier 47). Next, inhale and slowly raise the arm forward up to eye level so your arm is parallel to the ground. After that, exhale and slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position. I would recommend to do 10 reps each arm when you begin this workout and you can slowly increase until you are completing 15 reps each arm.

Low-pulley raises are great to improve the strength of your deltoids. Delavier writes "This exercise is excellent for people who have difficultly developing the anterior deltoid. The semipronated grip engages the humerus in external rotation, which at the beginning of the movement stretches the anterior fibers of the deltiod, allowing you to feel them working" (Delavier 47). Which means that this exercise improves the deltiod muscles. Also, the way in which you grip the dumbbells stretches the anterior fibers of the deltoid making the burn you feel from the workout more dramatic and makes you aware that you are performing the exercise properly.

After performing this workout, I learned some tips that may be helpful. When doing this workout it is important to extend your arms but don't over extend them. You want to still be able to bend your elbow. Do not lock your elbow because it can cause pain after completion of the exercise which is a sign of overuse. Another, helpful tip is make sure to contract your abdominal muscles because you want to maintain good posture to avoid back pain. Finally, a variation of this exercise is wearing a harness. Wearing a harness helps keep your abdominal muslces contracted to prevent back injury.

Ultimately, I enjoyed doing this workout for the most part. I liked the burn I felt due to the semipronated grip because it truly shows you are gaining something from this workout and strengthening your muscles. However, I did have some elbow pain after completing this exercise from overextending and locking my elbow. But, with more experience and practice this will no longer be a problem for me and the exercise will be truly enjoyable and beneficial. Thank you for reading yet another one of my blog posts. I hope you can use this exercise during your next trip to the gym. I am appreciative of your support and interest in my writing. Now that you know I injured myself from improper technique, have you ever suffered a injury from performing a exercise improperly?

Works Cited
Delavier, FreÌdeÌric. Strength Training Anatomy . Third ed., Human Kinetics, 2010.