Seated Back Supported Low Pulley Alternated Front Deltoid Raise
Page (book)
p. 426
Exercise order on page
3
Hypertrophy score
79 / 100 — Grade A
Body part: Shoulder · Muscle group: Front deltoids · Equipment: wall pulley, chair
Why this exercise
Front deltoid isolation with back support that eliminates momentum cheating. The seated, supported position prevents the body English that would reduce the effective lever arm — when you lean back or swing during standing raises, you shorten the moment arm and reduce the torque your deltoid must produce.
Lever ratio 12:1 — the anterior deltoid has a slightly shorter moment arm than the lateral (12:1 vs 20:1), but the cable still creates enormous internal tension per kilogram of external load.
Tension continuity 19/20 — cable tension remains constant as the arm rises through shoulder flexion. With dumbbells, tension peaks at 90° and drops to zero when the arm is vertical.
Alternating execution — single-arm work forces the front deltoid to work without contralateral compensation, and doubles the time under tension per arm per set.
Back support — eliminates lumbar extension cheating, ensuring that all force passes through the shoulder lever system.
Paired with exercise 4: exercise 4 targets the lateral (outer) deltoid; this targets the anterior (front) deltoid. Together they cover the two most hypertrophy-responsive deltoid heads through their respective lever systems.