Home Shoulder Exercise: Side Delts With No Equipment
Summary
This video demonstrates a bodyweight exercise specifically targeting the side deltoids, requiring no equipment and minimal space. The key concept behind the exercise is relative motion — the idea that a muscle can be trained by moving the body away from a fixed limb, rather than moving the limb away from the body. This approach applies conventional shoulder abduction mechanics to a bodyweight-friendly movement.
Key Points
- Traditional side delt training relies on dumbbells or barbells (e.g., lateral raises, overhead presses), leaving few bodyweight options beyond push-up variations
- The relative motion principle is central to this exercise: just as the core can be trained by rotating the top OR bottom of the body, the shoulder can be loaded by moving the body away from a fixed arm
- The side deltoid is responsible for arm abduction — taking the arm away from the body — and this movement can be replicated in reverse by moving the body away from a stationary arm
- The exercise is performed in a forearm plank position, meaning the core is simultaneously engaged throughout
- Difficulty can be increased by lowering the body into a deeper collapse at the bottom, creating a greater stretch on the delt
- The free hand can either be placed behind the back (hardest variation) or used as a kickstand on the floor for added stability (easier variation)
Exercise Details
Bodyweight Side Delt Raise (Forearm Plank Abduction)
Target Muscles
- Primary: side deltoid
- Secondary: Core / stabilizers (due to plank position)
Proper Form Cues
- Get into a forearm plank, positioned slightly higher up on the elbow than a standard plank
- Place a towel or pad under the elbow for comfort if needed
- From the plank, drive the body upward and outward away from the planted arm — the arm stays fixed while the body moves
- At the bottom of each rep, allow the body to collapse slightly lower than the starting plank position to achieve a full stretch on the working delt
- Movement pattern: down → out → up
Variations by Difficulty
| Variation | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Free hand used as a kickstand on the floor | Easier |
| Free hand held behind the back (3-point stance) | Harder |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not lowering far enough at the bottom — reducing the stretch limits the range of motion and effectiveness
- Skipping the upward drive — the movement should go out and up, not just sideways
Sets/Reps
- No specific sets or reps were mentioned; the exercise is demonstrated for feel, with the note that the shoulder “lights up” after just a few reps