By RealJock Staff

This exercise provided courtesy of Billy Polson, founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body, which was voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006.

Benefits
Making sure your shoulders are evenly balanced from front to back is a must. Use this exercise to both strengthen and develop the back of your shoulders. The incline bench will help you stabilize your body so you can completely isolate your rear deltoids throughout the movement.

Muscles Worked
Shoulders (rear deltoids)

Starting Position
Lie face down on an incline bench set to less than a 45-degree angle with your knees bent and toes resting on the floor on either side of the bench. Your chest will be at the top of the bench with your head and neck clear. With a dumbbell in each hand, hold them straight down from your shoulders, with palms facing inward (see Photo 1).

Exercise

1. From the starting position, simultaneously raise both arms out to the side. Your elbows should stay soft (slightly bent) throughout the exercise (see Photo 2).
2. Raise your arms only as high as the level of your back, and then lower to the starting position. Be careful not to arch your back as you lift (see Photo 3).
3. Repeat this exercise 12 times for a full set.

About Billy Polson: Billy Polson is the founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, which was voted the best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006. A competitive swimmer and triathlete in his own right, Polson has over 15 years of experience working as a coach and trainer, and was recently named by Men's Journal Magazine (December 2005) as one of the Top 100 Trainers in America.

sledgehammer wrote:

Laying on the incline bench for this exercise invariably causes the back to arch. Even your model shows an arched back in the photos!

I've found that squatting with back flat & parallel to floor while looking straight down at the floor accomplishes this exercise very well & is alot safer! One training trick is to squat in back of an incline bench & gently touch (not rest) your forehead to the top of the bench as a reference point for keeping your back & head in alignment.

Mar 31 5:16 AM

boxerjrod wrote:

i have a home gym but i need a work out chart.to show me what i need to do and how long should my work outs be.
if some one can help me out id appreciate it thanks

Dec 03 6:42 PM