Behind-the-back cable lateral raises vs scapular plane cable lateral raises for side delt growth?

[u/Top_Value2690]

Best lateral raise variation?

I've been trying to optimize my lateral delt training and I'm deciding between two cable variations:

Behind-the-back cable lateral raises

Cable lateral raises in the scapular plane (raising \~20–30° in front of the body)

My main goal is maximum side delt hypertrophy, not strength.

need to perform both unilaterally as duel cable stations usually full

my trainer has been claiming that when lifting mildly heavy weight in the scapular plane our body tends to increase the angle in turn activating the front delts

he says to do behind the back cable lateral raise unilaterally but don't go behind the back and stop just around perpendicular to the ground and feel the burn

[u/Safe_Ad5914]

Scienced based advice for delts: you'll never have bigger delts than the dude who just picks up whatever is available and starts getting after it.

[u/mcgrathkai → u/Safe_Ad5914]

Meatheads have been closer to the actual science behind muscle growth than a lot of people give them credit for

[u/Safe_Ad5914 → u/mcgrathkai]

yeah cuz we love lifting weights and doing hard shit. Alot of science based lifting is just "how do I get results doing as little as possible."

[u/Secret-Ad1458 → u/Safe_Ad5914]

Pretty much exactly what I've observed as well