Just when you think you have exhausted all options for dumbbell exercises, something new always comes up. I quite accidentally discovered the “dumbbell scarecrow” lately and I can say that after a week of daily practice, I noticed two things: the first one – my shoulders were definitely underdeveloped which led me to the second one – that this particular exercise does wonders in defining upper body muscles. The following story unveils my experience that came as a result of integrating the move into the training routine.
What Is the Dumbbell Scarecrow Exercise?
The dumbbell scarecrow is a shoulder-intensive strength exercise that is not hard to perform but one that sets your shoulders in flames. In addition to lateral and rear delts, it also addresses the upper trapezius, without which the upper back will not only lose shape but also the shoulder line would not appear that strong. The responsibilities on the core, such as the need for co-contraction of the abdominal muscles to assist in the stabilization of the body during the exercise, are evident as well.
If you don’t get the form right, it’s a piece of cake to do it wrong and believe me – if you perform a shoulder workout with incorrect form, you’ve got yourself a quick ticket to painful muscle strain. Use a lighter weight to help you with control as you practice.
How You Actually Do It
Make sure you have the right posture, holding a dumbbell in your left and right hand, standing with feet apart, but closer than your shoulder width. Raise your arms until parallel with your shoulder, bend your elbows at 90 degrees as if making a goal, then start rotating your forearms a little bit at a time upwards so that they point to the ceiling, keep the elbows completely locked. Do it in reverse in order to get back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
The beginning weights I used were 11 pounds and the repetitions were three sets of 10. What? 11-pound dumbbells may sound too light but you don’t need more weight as your delts will ignite very soon due to this exercise.
My First Few Days: Burn, Wobble, and Adjustments
Instantly, I have noticed my quads and wrists were also straining. Keeping myself in position while rotating in a guided manner implied that I had to stabilize each joint individually—hardly my wrists, which were initially a little sore just to give up at the end of the set. Changing the grips I was using, at last, I noticed that using a dumbbell with a thicker handle was able to decrease the pain.
On the third day, mirrors became essential for doing the scarecrow. I noticed that I was swinging the wrong way, and realized that it was taking some of the work away while not being efficient at all. I had to certainly always be bringing my arms up and down with my forearms straight up and not tilting my elbows.
A Few Variations I Tried
I gave a try to the version where I went forward at the hip a bit—leaning to make the challenge higher—and a set where I held my arms next to my body and just raised them a couple of inches. The latter type was really uncomfortable and it caused me to pull my triceps. I would certainly not advise anyone to attempt this version except for those whose arms are already in condition to execute more advanced work.
After 7 Days
At the end of the week, I managed to do the exercise, three sets of 25 reps without hassle—however, I wouldn’t say that this exercise has become a favorite. Its nature is certainly not like any other exercise, and it especially develops the shoulder, but, honestly speaking, I feel I benefit more from traditional lateral raises and dumbbell shrugs for my shoulders.
However, if you are more into a certain level of training fo…
