SETUP: Take an overhand-grip on the bar, with your hands positioned at shoulder-width distance. Keep your chest up & shoulders back for good posture.
LIFT: Pull your elbows out to the side until they reach shoulder level, or slightly higher if you can comfortably do so. A lot of people use the cue “elbows to ears” with this exercise, but I’m not a fan of this because it makes the trainee pull up instead of out. Think of it as a barbell version of a lateral raise and you’re on the right track!
TIP: This is a classic exercise but it can do a lot of damage when performed incorrectly. A shoulder-width grip is 100x better than the bulls**t narrow-grip you see people on social media wrecking their forearms and front delts with on this exercise, but if the damage has already been done via years of incorrect form prior to reading this I suggest performing the exercise with a pair of dumbbells – they’ll give you freedom to keep the weight in a diagonal position at the top of the rep rather than the strictness of a straight bar, which keeps space in the shoulder joint and feels painless.
