Front plate raises are a great shoulder exercise for building strength and mobility through a range of motion. I would program this exercise into the strength routine of my baseball, football, or even basketball players. Keep reading for how to implement…
WHY DO FRONT PLATE RAISES?
Technique and speed are essential as an athlete, but for physical sports such as football you need to have a strong upper body and shoulder complex to stay safe and make serious moves on the field.
The front plate raise works a number of important muscles throughout the chest, shoulders, back, core, and neck. One of the most common athletic injuries is the shoulder. Protect yourself by not only building enough muscle, but also staying mobile through the traps and shoulder joint itself. I like that the front plate raise uses your entire range of motion through the shoulder as you lift the plate overhead and control it back down.
Try this shoulder mobility routine to improve your upper body training even more.
How to do front plate raises:
You can do these seated or standing, however I recommend staying seated to start off. Sit up tall, engaging the core as you hold a plate in both hands. Make sure you’re using a weight that you can move without having to sacrifice form too much and “cheat” with the back.
Lift the plate with both hands up to shoulder height, and all the way overhead. Pause for a moment at the top, until you start to lower back down to shoulder height. Pause again at the bottom and continue. You can watch how to perform here.
*Avoid just dropping the plate back down to its starting position under the weight. Fight gravity and resistance moving evenly through the entire range of motion.
Programming
Front plate raises are a great auxiliary movement to pair with a pulling movement during an upper body workout. Here’s how to program upper body training for athletes.
Train this drill for about 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
