TRX lateral raises target the middle section of shoulder muscles: the lateral deltoid. Although some other TRX shoulder exercises, such as TRX Y deltoid fly train lateral deltoids, TRX lateral raise primarily targets side shoulder muscles. It is a perfect isolating exercise for the middle shoulder muscle.
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TRX Single Arm Lateral Raise
TRX single arm lateral raise is also called TRX side raise. For best body positioning, stand unilaterally with one side of the body towards the anchor point. By bending one knee, we can assist with the movement.
- Hold one TRX handle with one hand and overhand grip.
- Incline towards the opposite side of the anchor to create initial resistance.
- Raise the hand slowly above your head and bring it back to the initial position.
- Repeat for 8–12 reps.
- Repeat the same movement with the other hand.
Perform it for 2–3 sets.
In TRX single arm lateral raise, height of the anchor point is important. If the anchor point is too high, it limits the range of motion. So, a mid or low anchor point is preferably a better option.
We can also perform TRX single arm lateral raise in the following forms.
- TRX Low Anchor Lateral Raise is a variation of TRX single arm lateral raise that uses a low anchor point.
- TRX Lying Lateral Raise requires lying on one side of the body and holding the TRX handle with another hand. We can use high or low anchor point, but low anchor point provides a better range of motion.
- TRX Single Elbow Lateral Raise is again a unilateral TRX shoulder exercise. Instead of holding the handle, we put one forearm inside the foot loop, close to the elbow area. Then perform the uprising movement. We can do it in lying position.
- TRX Lying Elbow Lateral Raise is performed with one elbow in the strap while lying on the other side.
TRX Single Elbow Lateral Raise
TRX single elbow lateral raise is better done with low anchor point. For a full range of motion in this exercise, we must perform it in two parts for each arm.
- For the first part, we put the elbow which is towards the anchor point inside the foot loop and do a few reps.
- For the second part, we turn our side so that the elbow is facing away from the anchor point and do a few reps. This makes up a complete range of motion for one arm.
- Then, we do the same with the other arm.
However, for the lying variation of this exercise, we lie down on one side of the body while using the opposite elbow to do the exercise. We only turn side when we want to train the other arm. Subsequently, low anchor point provides a better range of motion for TRX lying elbow lateral raise.
TRX Lateral Raise with Weight
The form TRX lateral raise with weight is very similar to dumbbell lateral raise. Except, here we attach a weight to the anchor strap of TRX. Doing this exercise requires you to stand on top of a raised platform so that the weight does not touch the floor during the downward motion.
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For adding extra weight to TRX, you can use adjustable aqua Kettlebell weight,
or
sandbag and attach it to the TRX anchor strap. They have different weight measures. Sandbag is more suitable if you need heavier weight.
TRX Elbow Lateral Raise with Weight
In TRX Elbow Lateral Raise with Weight, instead of holding handles with hands, we put forearms inside foot loops, near elbows, and do the exercise.
TRX Upright Row with Weight
TRX upright row with weight combines TRX straps with weight training. We can do TRX upright row with low anchor point, but doing this exercise with weight is a better option to target side deltoids and traps.
Grip width adjustment determines which muscles should be most focused on in this exercise. As a general rule, the wider grip puts more emphasis on side deltoids, whereas narrow grip mostly challenges upper traps and front delts.
To implement a narrow grip option, we can hold one TRX handle with both hands, or directly hold TRX straps from a position close to the anchor strap.
For TRX upright row with weight, we should attach an external weight to the anchor strap of TRX. Then, use the handles to pull the weight up.
- Hold TRX handles in front of your body with pronated grip.
- Pull handles up toward your chest while keeping them close to your body and simultaneously drive your elbows high.
- Slowly bring the handles down to the initial position.
Even though we considered dedicated lateral shoulder exercises in this article, we can train lateral deltoid with other moves such as TRX Y deltoid fly and TRX shoulder press.
to design your exercise plan, here you can find a comprehensive reference and table of all TRX shoulder workouts based on target muscle.
