Can someone help me name this workout?

[qurban]

I’m sure most of you have seen it. Someone holds a light plate or dumbbell in one hand while standing upright, bends their elbow about 90 degrees so the weight is just in front of them, then they sway the weight outward while keeping the upper arm stationary... what is this workout? What is this targeting? It doesn’t seem like it’d do much since it’s not really fighting gravity, and it’s not a heavy enough weight to be a stabilizing routine. Anyone got an idea?

Solution edit: @farahnaz783 and @barbarafellowship were able to figure it out. It was a bilateral external rotation, except without the resistance bands. It’s supposedly good for warmups, stretching, and rehabbing torn shoulders.

 

[barbarafellowship]

@qurban Bilateral External Rotation ?

I do this as rehab for my torn rotator cuff in my shoulder. I think there are options without bands, and instead you use a light dumbbell or other weight.

Is this what you’re seeing?

 

[qurban]

@barbarafellowship Yes, this but without the resistance bands! Like they’re literally just methodically swinging a plate from in front of their chest outward in a horizontal rotation.

 

[barbarafellowship]

@qurban I’m pretty sure it’s just for shoulder rehab. I don’t think it’s working any muscles, but instead stretching tendons/ligaments that you are about to work.

I guess there could be other uses for the movement though.

 

[onepassionate1]

@barbarafellowship It's definitely working muscles. That's one of the reasons it's prescribed. I'm on a phone currently so can't give a detailed answer, but if you look into some anatomy and see the origins and inserts of the rotator cuff muscles and the planes they move in it may help. Defintely a good thing to be doing regularly like it sounds like you are.

 

[btyler101]

@barbarafellowship Always called these band pull-aparts, they had me do them in PT for a work injury

 

[farahnaz783]

@qurban External rotation. It works the rotator cuff and front deltoids.

 

[igwe]

@farahnaz783 This one seems to be the right answer. It’s a shoulder stability building drill.

 

[qurban]

@farahnaz783 Even without any great level of resistance? It just looks like you’re swinging a plate. Like you’re practicing opening a fridge.

 

[farahnaz783]

@qurban I use cables but yes low weights can give you a work out across your shoulder. It’s about form and reps and really it’s about either rehabbing from an injury or strengthening the muscles to prevent an injury so low weights are recommended.

 

[qurban]

@farahnaz783 I think you might’ve nailed it then. Most of the people I see doing it are pretty buff, so I was wondering if this was a really specific target workout or maybe a stretch.

 

[btyler101]

@qurban I feel like people do these as a shoulder warmup too, like a "prehab" movement. The more bodybuilder types in my gym seem to like them.

 

[dawn16]

@farahnaz783 I do these as part of my warm-up for shoulders, they're great.

 

[maat]

@qurban

plate twists?

 

[qurban]

@maat No, standing upright. From what I can tell it’s a shoulder-focused workout.

 

[maat]

@qurban we used to do it standing upright as a sort of warmup? but this was 20 years ago, it didn't seem to do much but we called it plate twists (while standing withit out and twisting)

??

 

[qurban]

@maat Nope, in my mystery routine, the core stays stationary, the only thing that moves is the forearm in a horizontal rotation outward, then back in, only one arm at a time.

 

[btyler101]

@qurban I see people doing that at the gym all the time. Don't know what its called or what it is supposed to do. It doesn't look very effective for building muscle, I always assumed it was some kind of warmup.

Edit: Think I found it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/front-plate-raise

 

[qurban]

@btyler101 That’s why I’m trying to see if anyone on here has a good explanation. One guy was close but his link showed people using resistance bands. This is all free motion without resistance, from what I can tell.

 

[btyler101]

@qurban This is what I was talking about: https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/front-plate-raise