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Side-Lying Internal Rotation

beginner · isolation

Setup

Lie on your side on a mat, on the same side as the shoulder you are training: the working arm is the one underneath. Rest your head on a pillow or a rolled towel so your neck stays in line with your spine, and bend both knees a little so you do not roll. Bend the working elbow to 90 degrees with the upper arm against your ribs and the forearm resting on the floor, pointing straight out in front of you. Use a very light dumbbell — heavier is not better here. If lying on that shoulder already hurts, skip this version and use the banded internal rotation instead.

Execution

  1. Hold the dumbbell in the bottom hand, elbow pinned to your ribs, forearm starting on the floor and pointing forward.
  2. Exhale and rotate the forearm inward, lifting the hand off the floor and sweeping it up toward your stomach, keeping the elbow glued to your ribs the whole time.
  3. Pause a beat at the end of the range where you can still keep the elbow against your ribs, without shrugging the shoulder or rolling the torso back for extra range.
  4. Inhale and lower the forearm back to the floor over 2-3 seconds under control, not letting gravity drop it.
  5. Finish the reps on this side, set the dumbbell down on the floor before you roll over, then repeat the same count on the other side.
  6. Sharp pain inside the shoulder joint or numbness running down the arm means you stop the set rather than finishing it.

Breathing

Exhale as you rotate the forearm in, inhale as you lower it back to the floor. The load here is very light, so breathe evenly and there is no reason to ever hold your breath.

Quick cues

  • Elbow stays glued to your ribs.
  • Sweep the hand up toward your belly.
  • Rotate from the shoulder, don't roll the torso.
  • Lighter than you think.
  • Lower it as slowly as you raised it.
  • Keep the neck in line with the spine.

Common faults

  • Fault: The elbow lifting off the ribs on the way up

    Fix: Pin a rolled towel between the elbow and the ribs as a reminder to keep it in place.

  • Fault: Rolling the whole torso back instead of rotating only the shoulder

    Fix: Reduce the load and bend the knees more so the body is anchored, letting only the forearm move.

  • Fault: Using too heavy a weight and jerking at the end of the range

    Fix: Drop to the lightest weight available and progress very slowly over weeks.

  • Fault: Letting the forearm drop freely back to the floor

    Fix: Count two to three seconds on the way down and stop just short of the floor.

Equipment

dumbbell

Muscle groups

shoulders