While you're likely not going to get kicked out of a gym for this unique shoulder exercise setup, you WILL get a lot of strange looks for sure..fair warning.
It's worth it, though, as this actually got my side delts sore...which is something that almost NEVER happens.
The base exercise here is the normal dumbbell lateral raise...an exercise that almost everybody is already well familiar with.
Being so familiar with it, you know that there basically zero tension/resistance on the side delts at the bottom of the exercise...the "stretch" position.
Now, this can be remedied by doing cable laterals, band laterals or leaning laterals.
Those methods can be effective, however I'm always on the lookout for methods that can work BETTER... and this one...as weird as it looks... DOES.
It's going to allow you to put direct and strong tension on the lateral delts at the bottom of every rep, following that up with a powerful, full range of motion contraction all the way to the top.
How to Set Up Bench Lift Lateral Raises
Now, first off, sometimes I don't know how I come up with this stuff either...
Grab a couple of light dumbbells that you can easily do for lateral raises (I'm using 20's here) and kneel in front of the end of a flat bench.
Set the front "bells" of the dumbbells underneath the end of the flat bench. The hex dumbbells will work the best for this since you can set the flat ends under the bench.
Now lift the bench end up a few inches with the dumbbells by starting a lateral raise.
Once you've got it lifted, use the INTENTION of pulling the dumbbells out from under the bench to develop tension in the side delts. Don't ACTUALLY pull the dumbbells out from under the bench, though.
The idea here is to develop isometric tension in the side delts in that bottom stretched (ish) position.
When you've done that for 3-5 seconds and developed a strong contraction, then, without releasing that contraction, you're going to lean forward a bit, set the bench back down on the floor.
Then do a powerful lateral raise all the way to the top.
Lower the dumbbells down under control then set the heads under the bench end again and repeat.
Now, this may LOOK strange but actually works extremely well. I'm not kidding when I say my shoulders actually got sore from this one, which is a rarity for me.
That strong isometric contraction in the bottom position is far different from anything I've experienced before and it'll light up your side delts like crazy.
But yeah, you'll get some strange looks...
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Want more unique and challenging exercises to work your entire body with simple equipment? All you need is just a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. Check out The Best Home Gym Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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