There are many exercises that play an important role in running the front delts, but only a few of them target the front section well, so if you are looking to get big and build those muscles well, you need some extra load in order to increase metabolism, and no doubt An exercise like Plate Front Raise will help with this.
Let’s find out together!
How do you do a front plate raise ?
In order to have a good training you need some warm-up, you must prepare the muscles to go with a heavy plate. For this it is better to make them ready and at the peak of their activity, also the warm-up exercise can contribute to the operation of other muscles of the body such as the hips and hand muscles.
Warm up:
Hold a lightweight plate well, hold it from both sides, work the muscles of your hands and shoulders well.
Stand straight and your arms swing well to the left and right. As a kind of stretching the muscles of the arm and forearm and improving the mobility of the hips, do a few repetitions until you are ready for the main exercise.
How to do plate front raise professionally.
- Choose a plate with a weight that you can handle and that matches your fitness level.
- It is best to choose a plate that has holes to facilitate the passage of the hand and to tighten your grip on it firmly.
- Stand straight, push your chest forward.
- Hold the plate well, your hands straight down.
- Lift the plate, keeping your hands straight, and stop when the plate is directly in front of your face.
- Lower it down and stand up when the plate is under your belly.
Pro tip:
Beginners should choose suitable weights, you may be able to handle heavy weights, but you may suffer from muscle stiffness and pain after training, yes we would like to target the muscles and put pressure on them, but it is better to start slowly and we would like to get the most benefit from this exercise, Also focus on keeping your arms straight throughout the exercise and don’t move your arms too far up.
Training program:
Beginner : 3 sets / 10 – 12 reps / 1 to 2 min rest
Intermediate : 4 sets / 10 – 12 reps / 1 to 2 min rest
Advanced : 5 sets / 10 – 12 reps / 1 to 2 min rest
Plate front raise muscles worked
The main muscle that the Plate Front Raise exercise targets is the anterior shoulder muscles (anterior function deltoid) and secondary muscles are targeted, such as the biceps muscle, the anterior serratus (it is a muscle on both sides of the chest), as well as the pectoralis major muscles.
Anterior delts: It is what gives that round circumference of the shoulder, it is located just above the glenohumeral joint and serves mainly as an abductor of the shoulder and stabilizer of the head of the humerus and also helps in the anterior elevation. (Source)
Biceps Brachii: As we have already mentioned, the biceps muscle only provides assistance in this exercise, so you do not train the biceps muscle and you will not be able to make it huge because it does not expand or contract with it throughout the exercise.
Front plate raise benefits
This exercise helps to build the shoulder muscles and strengthen them well. It is also effective in increasing the cell volume (hypertrophy), and this makes you appear with huge, broad and strong shoulders.
And of the benefits that you can gain in general.
- Scale up:
- One of the advantages of the exercise is that it helps to increase the size of the muscles and contributes to the formation of the front part.
- Other pressing movements improve:
- It paves the way for you to improve your abilities to do many exercises, especially pressing movements like chest presses on the bench, and this is a good thing, because you will get the most benefit with other exercises, perhaps some alternatives will also improve your performance with them.
- Improve shoulder mobility:
- In addition to helping to increase size and strength, it also helps to improve movement, which in turn has many benefits, the most important of which is that it reduces shoulder injuries during exercise.
Plate front raise : Front delts effect
From the medical side or from the point of view of sports and health experts, studies are conducted on the symptoms of some types of exercises on the muscles and reveal the dark sides in them, and it is good to be aware of these studies in order to cover all aspects of the exercise and the extent of muscle response to it.
In a study published by the NCBI website, the aim was to know the effect of the front raise with a straight elbow on the anterior deltoid muscle mainly, as the exercise contributed to activating the anterior deltoid and the clavicle head of the pectoralis major muscle.
In general, both muscles showed the greatest activity compared to some variables of the same exercise, when the humerus moves toward flexion through the sagittal plane, an increase in the mean EEG root was reported in the anterior deltoid and the clavicle head of the pectoralis major muscle.
There is also an effect on some muscles, but secondarily due to their activity being recorded at a low level, as both the posterior and middle deltoids play a small role in the front raise exercise, the upper trapezius also showed poor activity, perhaps this is due to the tendency of the scapula to rotate internally .
The conclusion obtained by the researchers in the end is that the front raise is effective in recruiting the anterior deltoid muscles. (Source)
Common mistakes people make during performing Plate front raise
When it comes to doing exercises in different ways or targeting muscles, everyone makes mistakes, even the experienced make mistakes sometimes, but in the ranks of beginners, the percentage of mistakes is greater and the possibility of injuries also increases, and this is due to the lack of experience, of course, so this exercise in itself beginners makes mistakes This is one of the reasons that may prevent them from obtaining satisfactory results or not obtaining results.
These are some mistakes that you should avoid making during your training of the front deltoid muscles:
swing weight:
Many beginners tend to swing their hands from the bottom up or vice versa, and the pros say this makes you give a dummy exercise to the muscle and provides limited muscle recruitment.
Fix it:
Concentrate on slow motion, tighten your grip on the board, and go in a steady motion.
Bad start:
It is the overall lack of preparation to do the exercise, as some trainers say that you can start the movement from the position of your feet, many beginners bring their feet together and this does not give strong support and control of the movement.
Fix it:
Space your feet more than the width of your shoulders and stand straight, also “UX” says, Slightly staggering one foot in front of the other can make a big difference, just make sure you do the same repetitions with each foot.
Bend the elbows:
This often happens with beginners, and there is no doubt that heavy weight is one of the reasons that force them to bend the elbows, and this causes the load to be transferred to other parts of the arm or forearm, and this leads to the lack of full benefit of the front deltoid.
Fix it:
Having some slight flexing is normal, says Heather L. Tyler, just don’t over-flex your elbows and recommends going with gradual weights to get the perfect movement pattern.
Go with heavy weights:
Often, some beginners assume the role of champions. They do not pay attention to the effect of heavy weight on the muscles, especially if they continue this from the beginning, they may be injured or this may affect the movement, especially if their grip is weak and the forearm as well.
Fix it:
Getting used to the weight is what you should pay special attention to, the muscle should try weights from light to heavy, this will help you get rid of all the mistakes mentioned above.
Doing the wrong exercise:
Many beginners suffer from muscle stiffness and pain after the Plate front raise, and this happens when you target the muscles in an improper way or overwork them and do a lot of repetitions.
Fix it:
So the best thing is to hire a professional trainer to help you do the exercises correctly.
3 Best alternatives to the Plate Front Raise
Sometimes you may not want to target the muscles with the same exercises, also this may not be useful for them as you can rely on other alternatives as a kind of stimulation and then set new challenges and target the muscle more.
That is why this may be one of the best alternatives to training the front deltoid muscles, which has been trained by several professionals and has given results.
1- Shoulder Press
It is one of the famous exercises in the fitness halls, as it allows placing great pressure on your shoulders and helps to gain mass and strength. It is usually done with dumbbells or weight plates machines because it is designed to target the muscles of the upper part of the body, and it is also adept at putting the front delts under intense tension.
2- Front Delt Raise (Dumbbell)
It is a similar exercise to the one we are talking about today, but it differs in terms of performance, because the dumbbell grip makes a difference in the way the muscle is targeted, it allows greater range of movement compared to plate front raisel, and with your grip directed downward this isolates the front deltoid well and puts it under pressure throughout the exercise.
3- Landmine Shoulder Press
Usually, the outer bar is relied on to train the upper chest muscles, but it can also target the shoulder muscles by pressing upwards. The movement of the arm allows to target the outer part of the shoulder as well, not only the front delts and is good for stretching the muscles and keeping them tense throughout the exercise.
Useful links
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