Speed Tube-Assisted Lateral Raises

This exercise provided courtesy of Mike Clausen, founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006.

Benefits
Use dumbbells and a tube simultaneously to up the intensity of classic lateral raises. The addition of the tube adds resistance at the top of your motion, as you reach full flexion.

Muscles Worked
Shoulders (deltoids)

Starting Position
Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand. Take an exercise tube and hold one handle in each hand, along with the dumbbells. Allow the center of the tube to rest on the floor, and stand on it with one foot and the other foot staggered slightly behind it. Stand upright with arms at your sides and palms facing inward, with knees very slightly bent (see Photo 1).

Exercise

1. From the starting position, quickly raise both arms directly out to the sides, lifting the dumbbells and pulling on the tubes. Keep your arms straight and your palms in the same orientation throughout. Continue to lift until your arms come to level with your shoulders—but no higher than that (see Photos 2 and 3).
2. From the top of the lift, reverse direction and swiftly lower your arms back to the starting position, keeping them straight throughout. Do not allow your arms to return all the way to your sides—keep some flexion in your deltoids as you move immediately into your next lateral raise (see Photos 4 and 5).