The book "The 7-MinuteRotator Cuff Solution" recommends this exercise be performed with very light weight. If you are rehabbing an injury, they recommend you use 1 to 5 lbs. at most. If you are conditioning to prevent injury, they recommend using 5 to 15 lbs. and never exceed 20 lbs. The external rotators are small muscles and can be easily injured if you try to move a lot of weight with them.
Lying on your side on a flat bench, begin with yourarm bent at 90 degrees at the elbow, your upper arm along your side and your forearm down across yourchest.
Hold a very light dumbell in your hand andwhile maintaining the 90 degree angle bend in your elbow, slowly lift the weight. If you are rehabbing an injury, lift only until your forearm is just above parallel to the ground. If you are not rehabbing an injury, lift your arm as high as is comfortable. If you experience any discomfort in your shoulder during the exercise, try putting a small pillow under your elbow. It is important while doing this exercise tonot raise your upper arm off your body or let it slipforward and down. You should keep your arm at yourside at all times. Rolling back while doing theexercise is also a no, no. Keep your body in the same plane throughout the movement.
