Hey gal pal, we want you to do something today. Stand in front of the mirror, raise both your arms sideways, and check yourself out. Have you noticed something? Yes, we wanted you to pay attention to the wiggly underarm bulges that you have. And the simplest way to do damage control is by including lateral side raises to your exercise routine.
Let’s face it: after your belly area, underarms are one of the trickiest parts of your body to deal with! That’s because it is hard to work those muscles, especially if you aren’t as much into strength training. Fat keeps piling up, and then these bulges eventually decrease your upper arm strength.
So, let bygones be bygones, because you have the ultimate solution for this!
These are the muscles targeted by lateral side raises
Basically, when you do lateral side raises, you work out your shoulder muscles. But no trainer must have told you that this powerful exercise also helps to tone your underarms!
That means everything from your shoulders, upper arms, underarms, rear chest, traps, and wings are all targeted with this one exercise. Brilliant, isn’t it?
Here’s the right way to pull off a lateral side raise
There are two things that are important to do a lateral side raise – one, you need to have dumb-bells (ranging from 2.5 kilos to 5 kilos) and two, arms and shoulder warm up. So, you can do some shoulder rolls and arms rolls, along with bicep, tricep, and wrist stretches.
Sorted? Now, follow these steps:
1. Stand straight with a dumb-bell in each hand, and legs hip width apart. Tighten your core, keep your back straight, and inhale.
2. Now, by just using your shoulder and arms strength, raise both your arms sideways. Do this, as you exhale.
Tip: Both your arms should be in a straight line, forming a 180 degree angle.
3. With an inhale, bring them back to the start position and repeat.
How many reps do you require? Well, if you are doing it with a 2.5 kilo dumb-bell, then 25 reps. Anything more than that can be settled between 15 to 20 reps. And make sure to do at least 5 sets!
Here’s another secret for you. When your arms are stretched out sideways, then hold the raise for two to three seconds and then bring them back. This will activate the muscles beneath the underarms faster, and burn more calories too.
Wait, there’s more in store…
If you are struggling to enhance your upper arm strength, then doing lateral side raises is going to be extremely beneficial. They activate almost every upper body muscle, and help your upper arm stretch to its maximum.
And because lateral side raises also work on your shoulders, they will help you perform all those tedious strength training exercises that you were unable to pull off earlier.
So, just give lateral side raises a shot ladies, and enjoy well-sculpted and toned arms like never before!
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