Plate Front Raise Drive
Also known as: Plate Front Raise with Rotation, Plate Steering Wheel Front Raise, Front Raise to Bus Driver
Track this exercise in SmartWorkout
Log sets, weights and progress for free, with no workout limits.
Description
Raise a plate to shoulder height with straight arms, turn it like a steering wheel both ways, then lower it: a front raise for the front and side delts. The front of your shoulders does most of the lifting, and the side delts work hard as long as the plate is up. On each turn, the shoulder of the hand going over the top takes a bit more. Your hips and chest face forward the whole time; the plate turns, your body doesn't. One plate is all you need, so it works as a shoulder warm-up or finisher at home or in a crowded gym.
How to Perform
- Pick a plate you can grip firmly by the rim. Stand tall with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, knees soft and ribs down.
- Hold the plate at 3 and 9 o'clock, palms facing each other and fingers wrapped around the edge, and let it rest flat in front of your thighs.
- With your arms almost straight, raise the plate in an arc for about 2 seconds until your hands reach shoulder height. It tips upright on the way and ends up facing you.
- Turn the plate a quarter turn to your left, like a steering wheel: your right hand goes over the top and your left hand drops to the bottom. Come back to the center.
- Now a quarter turn to the right with the left hand on top, and back to the center. Belly button and chest keep pointing straight ahead, and you keep breathing.
- Lower the plate in 2-3 seconds until it lies flat in front of your thighs again. One raise with both turns counts as one rep.
- End the set as soon as the plate starts sinking during the turns: bring it down to your thighs first, then bend your knees to set it on the floor.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- Sets of 10-15 reps work well, 2-4 of them after your pressing or as a shoulder finisher.
- Stay on the same plate until you get 15 on all of them with straight arms, full quarter turns and a slow lowering, then move up a plate and build the reps again.
- Most people start with 2.5-5 kg; trained lifters often use 10 kg and rarely go past 15-20 kg. The next plate up is a big jump here, so first add a 1-2 second pause at each turn or take 3 seconds to lower.
- The front of both shoulders works first, then the sides. If it shows up in your lower back or the sides of your waist, you are leaning back or twisting. Pain at the front of the shoulder as the arms come up means stop just below that height or take a lighter plate.
- Dry hands or chalk help: a plate that slips out of your fingers at shoulder height lands on your feet.
- Substitutes: Plate Front Raise (no turns, so you can go a little heavier; the easier option), Plate Bus Driver (the plate stays at shoulder height for the whole set; the harder one), Dumbbell Front Raise, and Barbell Front Raise for heavier loading.
Common Mistakes
- Twisting your torso or hips to turn the plate. Keep your belly button and chest facing forward and let only your arms and the plate rotate; if your body keeps following, use a lighter plate.
- Bending the elbows and pulling the plate toward your face during the turns. Keep your arms long and think of reaching the plate away from you as it rotates.
- Letting the plate sink below shoulder height while you turn it. Turn it around its center at shoulder height, and stop the set once you can't hold that height.
- Swinging the plate up by leaning back or snapping your hips. Knees soft, ribs down, glutes tight; take about 2 seconds to raise it, with no bounce off your thighs.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to Plate Front Raise Drive for shoulders training and similar movement patterns.
Choose a workout plan or create your own for free
Ready-made plans for every goal, a free plan creator, hundreds of exercises and an advanced workout journal: all in SmartWorkout.
