Dumbbell Internal Rotation

How to Perform the Dumbbell Internal Rotation

Lie on your side on a bench or the floor with a light dumbbell in your bottom hand.
Bend your bottom arm to 90 degrees at the elbow and pin your elbow against your side.
Start with your forearm pointing away from your body, perpendicular to your torso.
Rotate your forearm inward across your stomach while keeping your elbow firmly pinned to your side.
Raise the dumbbell as far as comfortable across your midsection.
Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position under control and repeat.

Using too heavy a weight

The subscapularis is a small muscle; use a very light dumbbell (2-5 lbs) for this exercise.

Moving the elbow away from the body

Keep your elbow pinned to your side throughout to properly isolate the internal rotator.

Performing the movement too quickly

Use slow, deliberate reps with a 2-3 second tempo in each direction.

●This exercise is primarily used for shoulder rehab and prehab, not for building size.
●Pair with dumbbell external rotations for balanced rotator cuff training.
●A small towel roll between your elbow and body can help maintain proper positioning.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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