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Most lifters end up training their upper traps way more than their side delts on standard lateral raises because their shoulders naturally shrug as fatigue sets in.

Here is how to lock the tension entirely onto the side delts:

Bench Setup: Place an incline bench about a foot behind the cable pulleys at a 20° to 30° angle.
The Crossover Advantage: Crossing the cables over creates full mechanical tension right at the bottom, loading the delts in their deepest stretched position.
Shut Off the Traps: Depress and retract your scapulae, keeping your shoulders pinned down and back so your traps stay out of the pull.
Follow the 'Y' Path: Keep a slight, fixed elbow bend and raise out and up in a natural Y-shape until you reach ear/head level.
Own the Negative: The real growth happens on the eccentric—lower the cables under strict control and pause briefly in that loaded stretch before your next rep.
Ditch the swinging, lock down your shoulder blades, and let the delts do the work. 🧱

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Most lifters let their elbows drift forward on cable pushdowns, shifting tension to the front delts and shoulders.

Notice Nick Walker’s setup: elbows pinned firmly to the sides, torso braced with a slight hinge, and full extension driven strictly through the elbows with zero body momentum.

Video Source: Nick Walker

Flaring your elbows high on dumbbell presses shoves all the tension directly onto your rotator cuffs and front delts.

Tuck your elbows to around 45 degrees, sink into the stretch without losing back tension, and drive straight over mid-chest rather than up toward your ears.

Want evidence-based lifting setups and weekly workout splits that actually build muscle?

Video Source: Christian Caldwell

"When the board meeting is actually the 2001 Mr. Olympia press conference
Absolute units in suits. No notes. 😤💼💪 "

Here is how 6-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates structured his peri-workout nutrition:

Pre-Workout Fuel: Train after two solid meals. Start with a whole-food breakfast (oatmeal and eggs), followed 1–1.5 hours before training by a light protein shake and easy carbs (like a banana).
Pre-Workout Stimulant: 30 minutes before hitting the gym, take your pre-workout stimulant for focus and drive.
Post-Workout Spike: Immediately post-training, drink fast-digesting whey isolate paired with simple sugars (dextrose or sucrose) to trigger an insulin spike and shuttle depleted glycogen and amino acids straight into muscle tissue.
The Absorption Window: Take your creatine and glutamine right after training alongside those simple sugars for maximum absorption.
Fuel up early, spike post-workout recovery, and optimize every ounce of effort. 🧱

Audio Credit:

"Flaring your elbows high on dumbbell presses shoves all the tension directly onto your rotator cuffs and front delts.

Tuck your elbows to around 45 degrees, sink into the stretch without losing back tension, and drive straight over mid-chest rather than up toward your ears.

Want evidence-based lifting setups and weekly workout splits that actually build muscle?

Video Source: Christian Caldwell"

Free-weight curls often lose tension at the bottom and top of the movement, but cable work keeps the bicep under continuous mechanical load.

Watch how Chris Bumstead controls every inch of the rep:

Instead of letting his elbows drift forward to heave the weight up, he keeps his upper arms pinned strictly by his sides. Using independent cables and revolving handles allows his wrists to rotate naturally into a fully supinated position at the peak contraction.

Notice the cadence: a smooth, explosive pull up, a brief squeeze at the top, and a controlled descent right into a full loaded stretch at the bottom. No swinging, no lower back hyperextension.

If your bicep training has plateaued, step up to the cables, lock your elbows in place, and focus purely on the contraction.

📩 Want smarter training cues backed by real exercise science? Join our Science-Backed Gym Fitness Weekly Newsletter for straightforward, research-driven lifting breakdowns delivered straight to your inbox every week. [Link in bio]

Video Credit: "

Most lifters load up the cable stack on rope pushdowns and flare their elbows, shifting all the load onto the front delts and elbows instead of the triceps.

Notice CBum’s setup here on the cross-body / overhead single-arm cable extension:

Direct Line of Pull: Aligning the cable with the arm allows constant tension without joint strain.
Chest Stabilization: Keeping the opposite hand braced against the ribcage locks the torso in place so momentum can't take over.
Controlled Extension: The focus is purely on elbow flexion and complete lockout at the end range, keeping the upper arm pinned.
Building arms that actually fill out sleeves comes down to ex*****on, proper mechanics, and smart progressive overload.

Ready to fix your lifting mechanics and cut out junk volume?

Join our free Weekly Newsletter for no-nonsense workout programming, recovery habits, and hypertrophy breakdowns sent straight to your inbox every Sunday.

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Video Source: Chris Bumstead ()