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A. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean my friend! No matter how much I have improved my own shoulders over the years I am still fighting at every workout to make my delts look like the “melons” on guys like Dennis Wolf, Kevin Levrone and Phil Heath! I am glad you asked this question, however, because it brings to light the saying: “If you keep doing the same exact things over and over expecting a different result you must be crazy!” Luckily, this is something I figured out pretty early on in my career, but I am continually amazed by how many trainees are willing to keep pounding away on the same exercises week after week, month after month, with little to no results to speak of (or look at). Of course the standard DB, cable and machine side laterals that you have been doing work extremely well at building the side head of the delts for many, but you have recognized that in your case they are not getting the job done (kudos to you). With that said, before I give you a few new movements to sink your teeth into, I must point out that there may be other areas in your overall program that could also be responsible for holding back your gains. First, make sure your nutrition and supplementation are on point and that you are getting adequate rest. Also, check your form. Are you performing laterals correctly and in a way that truly targets the lateral deltoid? I have witnessed some extremely poor execution in my time; with so much swinging involved (to try and move heavier weight of course) that it is the lower back that takes a beating and not the shoulders! In addition, you can also try training shoulders on their own day, switching up rep schemes, lifting tempos, intensity techniques and more.
Ok, now that my little speech is done, here are a few novel ways you can attack your lateral delts:
1. Very Wide Grip BB Upright Rows: When most people perform upright rows they so with a narrow grip and bring their hands up to about mouth level, which rather effectively stimulates the mid-traps and front delts. However, if the grip is made very wide, meaning a little wider than the shoulders, and the bar is brought no higher than the level of the upper chest, this will strongly target the lateral delt heads.
2. Leaning Single Arm DB or Cable Side Laterals: This is not so much a unique exercise as a different method of executing it that will change the resistance curve and thus stimulate somewhat different motor unit pools. The idea here is to grab a single DB or low cable with one hand, and with the other to grasp some type of sturdy support. Position your feet close to the support so that when you allow your non-working arm to straighten, you will be “leaning away” at a significant angle. Performing a side lateral from this position will increase the resistance at the top of the strength curve and force a deeper contraction than basic laterals.
3. Incline DB Side Laterals: This is another unique form of side lateral that in a way is the opposite of the one right above. Again, you will be altering the resistance curve of the exercise, however, now there will be greater force needed to get the DB moving at the beginning of the movement. The result – a different stress for your CNS and the ability to exhaust even more motor unit pools. To perform this exercise set an incline bench at about 45 degrees. Grab a light DB (yes, I said light, as in 15-20 lbs) and lay down sideways on the bench. Keep the working arm almost completely straight and never let the DB come in contact with your body – think constant tension! Raise the weight slowly until your arm is at a 90 degree angle to your torso, and then fight the DB hard on the way down. Stop when you are about two inches from contacting the side of your thigh/hip.
Note: An awesome superset that will totally trash your side delts is exercise #3 to failure, followed immediately by exercise #2 to failure (about 10 reps on each).
