Top 6 Weightlifting Mistakes #3 – The Deltoid Fly

#3 – Deltoid Fly

The third worst mistake occurs during a deltoid or “delt” fly which works the shoulder muscles. All too often I see people in the gym swinging the arms to bring the weights up, going beyond shoulder height.

The idea is to lift the most weight, right? Wrong. If you do a delt fly correctly, or any exercise for that matter, that means you’re doing it in the hardest way possible, which luckily is also the safest way for your joints.

One problem with trying to gain momentum from your torso in order to swing those weights up is that you’re making it easier (in other words, you’re cheating). By keeping your torso completely still and lifting the weights in a slow, controlled manner, you will be making the exercise more difficult, thus effectively increasing the intensity.

The bigger problem, however, is bringing the weights above shoulder height. Over time this can cause an issue known as “impingement syndrome” in which one of your shoulder muscles gets pinched and irritated. Raising your arm above your shoulder compresses the small space between your clavicle (collar bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) which is where this muscle lives. I really recommend to you take measures to avoid impingement syndrome: it is pretty painful and takes a very long time to heal.

The Overhead Press?

You may be wondering: if it’s bad to bring the weights above shoulder height, should I be avoiding an overhead press? The answer is: yes, you may want to avoid an overhead press if you ever have shoulder pain. While these are effective at working your delts, they put the shoulder joint in a bit of a compromised position. So, even if you do overhead press with no problems, I would not do them exclusively for your shoulder work. Mix it up with upright rows and delt flies to spare your joints.

Read the complete series here:

T0p 6 Weightlifting Mistakes

#6 – Lat Pulldown
#5 – Bench Press
#4 – Bicep Curl
#3 – Deltoid Fly
#2 – Lunges & Squats (posting 8/13/14)
#1 – Deadlift (posting 8/20/14)