🎯 The No-Grip Hack — Why Cuffed Lateral Raises Isolate Your Delts Better

Here's a problem most lifters never notice: the moment your hand grips a handle, your forearm and grip muscles quietly join the party, siphoning off effort that should be going straight to your side delts. Swapping the handle for a wrist cuff, exactly like the image shows, removes grip and forearm strain from the equation completely — your side delt becomes the only thing doing the work, since there's nothing to hold onto and no wrist tension to manage. This isn't just a comfort tweak either — a 2025 published study confirmed cable lateral raises build the lateral deltoid just as effectively as dumbbells, and cables have the added benefit of constant tension through the entire range instead of losing load at the top and bottom like a dumbbell does.

The hack? Attach the cuff just above your wrist, set the pulley at hip-to-hand height so the pull is lateral rather than a diagonal "front raise" pattern, and raise your arm only to shoulder height — go any higher and your traps hijack the rep, exactly the "insane" and "pure isolation" the guys in the image are reacting to. Control the eccentric on the way down since that's where a huge chunk of the growth signal actually happens, and never let the weight rest at the bottom — keep tension locked on that side delt for the entire set.

This is one of the smartest ways to build round, capped shoulders without your forearms fatiguing out before your delts do 💪 For a legend whose massive, capped shoulders became one of his signature features, check out Gunter Schlierkamp: Rock Hard — available now at Prime Cuts Bodybuilding — a full 12-month journey from his home farm in Germany to a hardcore California gym workout.