Butterfly Raises
How to Do Dumbbell Butterfly Lateral Delt Raises | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS]
Proper Form, Common Mistakes, Variations + Easier & Harder | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
QUICK DEMO
MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN Butterfly Raises
Anterior & lateral deltoids
OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
- ROTATOR CUFF (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis)
- SCAPULAR MUSCLES (serratus anterior, rhomboids, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, pectorals)
- BICEPS
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING our front & side delts
WHAT
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
Moving our arms forward & up, then out to the side. While just standing there.
The Dumbbell Butterfly Raise is perfect for women who want to improve their lateral delt shape, strength, and power. This exercise will also work your shoulders, arms, and core stabilizers to maintain balance, flexibility, and stability to help you move through the day with ease.
CREATIVE COOL SHOULDER EXERCISE COMIN' RIGHT UP
What I love about this shoulder exercise is that it's more interesting and creative than most exercises. I mean, it's called a BUTTERFLY raise - that alone should show us that it's funner - compared to "lateral raises" - I mean c'mon there is absolutely no comparison in artisticness there! Although I LOVE lateral raises, don't get me wrong, we should all do them, I'm just sayin'.
The butterfly raise works the muscles it works through a creative path of movement which I think is also more practical as to how we often move our arms in everyday life.
WORKS OUR LARGEST SHOULDER MUSCLE - NOT TREE LEAVES
This movement exercises the deltoid muscle. The deltoid? What's that?
Well, it isn't the type of deltoid that you can find on some trees.....turns out deltoid means triangular basically, and as an adjective if you see a tree with triangle shaped leaves (clue: quaking aspen trees are one) you can muse out loud "interesting...this tree has deltoid leaves" and sound super high-minded so you can potentially drive away any friends that super annoy you.
But for our purposes (we are not exercising tree leaves here today folks, although that sounds like less effort) the deltoid is our largest shoulder muscle - and not surprisingly it's triangular shaped. If we want to get super down to earth I guess we could tell people we're working our triangle muscles.
This shoulder muscle, the deltoid; lies on the top of the shoulder and crosses the shoulder joint to attach to the arm. What this tells us is that when we contract the fibers of this muscle, it will pull on the arm bone where it's attached and make the arm move. Cool right?
The deltoid muscle has three parts, kind of like 3 slivers of a pie slice - the front (anterior), side (lateral), and rear (posterior) parts. Each part is responsible for moving the arm in a different direction. This is important to consider when you are exercising - we want to include exercises that target each part of our shoulder.
EXERCISE THE FRONT & SIDE OF YOUR SHOULDER
Butterfly raises target both the front and side portions of the shoulder muscle. This is cool because many shoulder exercises work ony the front delt, or only the side delt - here we get both! All in one exercise.
The exercise is done by lifting the arms up to the front and moving them out to the sides. This will challenge your strength, shoulder stability and motor control.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
YOU WANT TO LIFT, HOLD & CARRY STUFF IN LIFE MORE EASILY?
Most of our daily activities involve moving our arms up to the front of us and/or out to the side - having strong deltoids improve your ability to lift, hold and carry in these positions.
SCAPULAR PLANE?? DON'T GO! KEEP READING!
This exercise also moves the shoulder into the scapular plane. When I first heard this term I was like, "ooooh this is going to probably not make sense to me." I do not have a fascination with super sciency sounding words, I tend to start turning off. I'd rather focus on creative sounding words like butterfly and quaking aspen. I used to write poetry and you can bet I never included the word scapular in any of my poems.
But we got this. The scapular plane is just pretty much a general area in space that we tend to move our arms within much of the time in everyday life. If you stick your arms our directly from your sides, really wide, and then angle them in about 30 degrees, that's about the right place.
If you imagine an opera singer sticking their arms out to sing a high note, you will probably be pretty close to being in that plane/position.
In fact, here's a picture:
The scapular plane is a very functional position - when we use our arms in many daily activities they are frequently in this plane. Things like cooking, reading, knitting, driving, writing, eating; we could really go on and on.
This makes a lot of sense when you think about the shoulder blade (have we ever thought about it before? I hadn't - but let's do that now). The shoulder blade is a small wing-shaped bone that lies on the rib cage, and the rib cage is rounded - because the ribs come from the spine and around the torso to attach on the sternum. The shoulder blade lies and moves along this curved surface - so the shape of the ribs is the scapular plane - the plane that the shoulder blade moves in. It does not move straight out and in but around the curved surface of the ribcage.
GREAT HEALTHY POSITION TO EXERCISE THE SHOULDER IN
An easier way to think of this is if you lift your arm up as if you were drinking a cup of coffee - chances are pretty good your arm is in the scapular plane. In this position there is less stress on the rotator cuff muscles and the ligaments and joint surfaces of the shoulder joint, making it a safer position to use when exercising the arms with resistance.
DECREASE INJURY & DEGENERATIVE CHANGES TO JOINTS
Butterfly raises will also strengthen the muscles used to stabilize the shoulder blades for healthier shoulder joint movement - which decreases injury and degenerative (wear and tear on the joints and ligaments) changes over time.
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR FRONT & SIDE DELTs IN EVERYDAY LIFE
The parts of the deltoid work together when lifting the arm - the direction the arm is being lifted will bias different parts of the muscle. When you lift a heavy load, or hold an object for a long time - more of the deltoid muscle will become active to help out - regardless of the position of the arm.
1. FRONT (ANTERIOR) AND SIDE (LATERAL) DELTOID WORKING TOGETHER
- Driving
- Holding a book
- Knitting
- Pushing a stroller
- Pushing a wheelbarrow
- Eating
- Carrying kids in front of the body
- Computer work
- Carrying kids on your hip
- Carrying grocery bag on one side
- Washing your hair
2. LIFTING TO THE FRONT OF THE BODY (FRONT/ANTERIOR DELT)
- Getting dishes out of the cupboard
- Hanging clothes in the closet
- Washing windows
- Lifting a child out of a crib
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
This is the classic version of Butterfly Raises. Dumbbells are used for resistance.
The muscles will be working the hardest when the upper arm is about halfway between resting by your side and lifted up in line with the shoulder (45° from the body). In this position there is no bias towards activating the front (anterior) or side (lateral) deltoid - they both will be working.
HOW TO FEEL WHAT MUSCLE IS WORKING
How to Feel What Muscle is Working
Place the opposite hand on top of your shoulder - lift the arm straight out to the side - you should feel the side deltoid contract.
Shift the fingers forward about half of an inch and lift the arm to the front. You should feel the front deltoid contract.
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW Butterfly Raises SHAPE OUR BODY
Toned, rounded/capped shoulders. Which then contributes to a more tapered, smaller looking waist!
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: Dumbbell Butterfly Raises
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
5-10 lbs
SETS & REPS:
2 sets of 8-10 reps
PACE:
Smooth and controlled up and down.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR Butterfly Raises
FEET: Feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed forward.
BODY STANCE: Neutral spine (the spine includes the neck) position, knees slightly bent, sternum lifted, space between the top of the shoulders and the ear lobe. Chest wide - this is important to avoid rounding the shoulders in.
ARM: Upper arms right by the sides, in line with torso. Elbows bent - with forearms parallel to the floor, (bent to right angle or 90 degrees) the position you would have your arms to carry a plate.
HAND/GRIP: Palms up (forearms in supination) - holding one dumbbell in each hand.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO Dumbbell Butterfly Raises
CUE: The elbows stay bent during the entire exercise. The upper arm slides forward and up - working the front deltoid, and then moves out to the sides - working the side deltoid. This should be a fluid, curving motion.
NOTE: IT'S REALLY BEST IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO FOR THIS. IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN.
Slide the upper arm forward until your hands are approximately at shoulder height.
Continue lifting the arms up as the elbows begin to move out away from the body. Continue lifting until the elbows are in line with the shoulders - at this point, your arms are not quite all the way out to the side. The hands will be about the level of the top of your head.
Reverse the movement to lower back down to the starting position..
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
From the starting position, squat down to set the weights on the floor.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH Butterfly Raises
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid lifting the arms too high
AVOID: Avoid lifting arms higher than shoulder or going overhead
WHY NOT?
- This can irritate the soft tissues that lie between the top of the shoulder blade and the upper arm bone.
WHAT TO DO:
- The upper arm should not be lifted higher than your shoulder.
- The hands will be about the level of the top of your head.
2. Avoid rounding shoulders Forward
AVOID: Avoid letting your shoulder blades drift forward, rounding your shoulders.
WHY NOT?
- This promotes the rounded postur that we already have issues with in everyday life - we want to use exercise as a time to train a healthier posture.
WHAT TO DO:
- Pull your shoulder blades down and back and hold them there.
3. Avoid straightening or locking the knees of standing legs
AVOID: Avoid straightening or locking your knees.
WHY NOT?
- If your knees are locked you may feel pressure or discomfort in the low back or knees.
- This tends to decrease the lumbar curve, pull on the hamstrings and decrease the muscle activity of the legs.
- Locking the knees puts stress on the knee joint and can make it more difficult to maintain a neutral spine.
WHAT TO DO:
- You want your knees to be soft aka have a slight bend.
4. Avoid moving Your torso
AVOID: Rocking your torso back and forth as you lift the weight.
WHY NOT?
This uses momentum rather than your muscles to move the weight, so will not be effective at fatiguing the muscles.
WHAT TO DO:
Keep your torso still and upright during the movement. Utilize your core muscles to resist being pulled forward or pushed back as you life.
5. Avoid bending at your wrists
AVOID: Avoid bending your wrists.
WHY NOT?
- Poor alignment (bent forward or backward) or repetitive movement through the wrist can lead to joint and/or soft tissue irritation or injury over time.
- You may be substituting wrist movement for arm movement.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep wrists in line with the forearm and still throughout the exercise.
6. Avoid rotating Your forearms
AVOID: Avoid rotating the forearms. It is common to rotate the forearms - turning them palm up/down - instead of moving the upper arm in the shoulder joint as the arm is lifted up.
WHY NOT?
- This will shift the muscle activity from the shoulder to the forearm
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the forearm still and concentrate on moving the upper arm bone.
7. Avoid momentum
AVOID: Using momentum.
WHY NOT?
- This doesn't work the muscles, but rather uses momentum to get the weight up.
WHAT TO DO:
- Move only the arms - keep the torso still and upright.
8. Avoid pushing the upper arm far back
AVOID: Holding the arms out straight to the side
WHY NOT?
- May irritate the soft tissue in the shoulder.
- One benefit of this exercise is working the shoulder muscles in the scapular plane
- Working in the scapular plane is a safer and more functional position
WHAT TO DO:
- Move the arm in - angled about 30° towards the front - the position of your arms if you were holding them for a hug.
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS OF Dumbbell Butterfly Raises
Single Arm
One Arm at a time
Do the movement one arm at a time. This allows you to focus on the movement of each arm independently.
This is a good option if you are having difficulty with form.
It will work the core stabilizers differently - the obliques and the quadratus lumborum (muscles on the sides of your core) will be more active to stabilize against the weight.
MAKE IT HARDER
HARDER
MAKING THE Butterfly Raise MORE CHALLENGING
ISO HOLDS
Isometric Hold
MAKE IT EASIER
EASIER
MAKE Butterfly RaiseS MORE DOABLE
Two STAGE MOVEMENT
Break move into Two Parts
The exercise can be done in two stages to simplify the movement and to improve your awareness of the different fibers of the deltoid working.
Begin by lifting the arms out to the front - concentrating on the portion of the deltoid muscle on the front of the shoulder.
About a third of the way up, move the arms out to the sides and continue to lift up - you should feel the muscle activity shift to the side of the shoulder.
Alternating
Alternating
Complete one rep with one arm and then one rep with the other arm, switching off each rep.
There are two options for this variation:
- Lift one arm up and hold it at the end position, lower it back down and then lift the other arm up - continue with this pattern for the desired number of reps. This will give the muscle a small rest between reps.
- Lift one arm up and hold it at the end position, lift the other arm up - so both arms are up. Lower the first arm down and then lower the second arm down. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Seated on a chair
Seated on a chair
Sit upright on the edge of a chair without arms or a bench. The closer the feet are together the less stable you will be, causing your core muscles to work harder. So just choose what feels doable for you. It's great to have the core muscles work harder if you're up for it today.
This variation will work the core muscles less than the standing version.
SEATED ON STABILITY BALL
Sit upright on a stability ball
This variation will work the core muscles more than sitting on a chair but less than the standing variation. The closer the feet are together the less stable you will be.
SCIENCY STUFF
SCIENCY STUFF
SPIFFILICIOUS FACTS ABOUT MUSCLES & MOVES
The deltoid muscle forms a cap or half-circle of muscle that surrounds the top half of the shoulder joint. The three portions of the muscle orginate from the collar bone (clavicle) and the upper portion of the shoulder blade (scapula) like a fan. All three portions of the deltoid cross over the joint, then share a common attachment on the deltoid tubersosity (a bony protuberance on the humerus).
The deltoid muscle works in coordination with the rotator cuff muscles to stabilize the shoulder joint during all movement of the arm. The supraspinatus is one of the rotator cuff muscles. The supraspinatus originates on the upper part of the shoulder blade and travels under the flat bony surface of the shoulder blade - the acromion process. The muscle travels through the acomion arch, which is like a small tunnel between the acromion process, ligaments and the head of the humerus. Muscles and bursa that lie in the acromion arch are vulnerable to damage that can result from improper exercise form, repetitive overhead lifting, poor posture, and muscle imbalances.
Interestingly, the supraspinatus muscle refers pain to the deltoid tuberosity. Leading many people to believe they have injured their deltoid muscle when in fact the pain is coming from a supraspinatus injury.
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Dumbbell Butterfly Raise
The core stabilizers work to hold the spine in a neutral position throughout the exercise. The biceps are active to hold the elbows bent to 90° (forearm parallel to the floor) and the forearms in supination (soft side/palms up).
The biceps and anterior deltoid begin the movement by contracting concentrically to lift the upper arm up and beginning to move it out of external rotation. As the arm lifts up and rotates the muscles surrounding the shoulder blade (pectoralis, traps, levator, serratus anterior, and rotator cuff) ) work to move the shoulder blade and to keep the shoulder joint stable.
At approximately 30° of upward motion, the lateral deltoid becomes more active to lift the arm as it travels outwards. The anterior deltoid continues to rotate the upper arm towards being in a neutral rotation (the shoulder joint has rotated from an externally rotated position to a neutrally rotated position - so a relative internal rotation movement).
To control the return to the starting position, the same muscles work eccentrically.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
