Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotation

oec:side-lying-dumbbell-external-rotation

An isolation exercise that strengthens the shoulder external rotators and posterior rotator cuff against gravity while lying on your side.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Dumbbell Side-Lying External Rotation, Side-Lying External Rotation, Shoulder External Rotation with Dumbbell, Side-Lying Infraspinatus Dumbbell Rotation

How to do it

Setup

Lie on an exercise mat on your non-working side with your hips and knees slightly bent for stability.
Support your head with your bottom arm or a pillow to keep your cervical spine neutral.
Grasp a light dumbbell with your top hand, bending your working elbow to a 90-degree angle and pinning the upper arm snugly against your flank.
Rest the dumbbell across your abdomen just in front of your navel.

Movement

Keep your elbow pinned to your side and rotate your shoulder to raise the dumbbell in an arc toward the ceiling.
Stop when your forearm is perpendicular to the floor or just past parallel with your torso, feeling the contraction in the back of your shoulder.
Pause briefly at the top without rolling your torso backward.
Slowly lower the dumbbell under control back to the starting position across your stomach.

Breathing

Exhale as you rotate the dumbbell upward; inhale as you lower the weight with control.

Cues

Keep your elbow glued to your ribs.
Rotate around the axis of your arm without moving the elbow.
Do not roll your chest open toward the ceiling.

Common faults

Rolling the torso backward to swing the weight up.: Keep your shoulders and hips stacked vertically perpendicular to the floor throughout the entire set.
Lifting the elbow away from the ribcage during rotation.: Maintain firm contact between your elbow and your side; place a small rolled towel between your elbow and torso and keep it pinned.
Using excessively heavy weights leading to wrist or momentum compensation.: Use very light dumbbells to isolate the rotator cuff muscles without engaging larger compensatory prime movers.

Safety

Avoid forcing end-range external rotation if you experience anterior shoulder pain or clicking.

Muscles

Infraspinatus prime mover
Teres minor prime mover
Rear deltoid synergist
Supraspinatus stabilizer
Rhomboids stabilizer
Middle trapezius stabilizer

Joints

Shoulder: External rotation
Elbow: Isometric stabilization
Shoulder blade: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Rotation, Mobility drill
Modality: Rehabilitation, Strength
Mechanics: isolation
Force: pull
Laterality: unilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: Dumbbell
Record: Repetitions and Load
Load: external, total

variation of Dumbbell External Rotation
substitute for Dumbbell Side-Lying External Rotation
substitute for Cable External Rotation
substitute for Cable Shoulder External Rotation
substitute for Dumbbell Seated External Rotation

Sources

wger: Shoulder External Rotation with Dumbbell, by Croak6728 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

side-lying-dumbbell-external-rotation.json