Your shoulders are one of your most visible physical features. People can tell if your delts are on point, whether you're wearing a shirt or not. If your caps aren't full enough, do something about it! These five moves will help you build stare-worthy shoulders from the front, back, and side.
This quick, hardcore workout begins with some of my favorite free-weight isolation exercises, then moves to machine lifts, which allow you to hoist heavy iron even after your stabilizer muscles fatigue.
The workout gives special attention to two particular areas: the rear and lateral deltoid heads. The aim is to hit these muscles hard before moving to a machine press for overall development.
Once your shoulders are shot, machines can help you push past the point of failure, delivering even greater gains in shoulder size and thickness.
Check out the video, use the helpful tips, and get on track with your training!
Hunter Labrada's 5 Moves To Massive Shoulders
Watch The Video: 06:11
Hunter's Pro Shoulder Hints
Exercise 1. Dumbbell Rear-Delt Fly
Once you bring the dumbbells up to your sides, turn your wrists down, as if each hand is holding a cup of water and you are dumping them out. This isolates your rear delts especially well. Don't jerk the weight; lift and lower it under control.
Dumbbell Rear-Delt Fly
Exercise 2. Cable Lateral Raise
Lean from the post of your cable rack and lift from behind your back. Lifting with the handle in front of your body can turn this move into a rear delt and back exercise. Create a point of stress and overload the muscle at the bottom.
Cable Lateral Raise
Exercise 3. Machine Shoulder Press
If using the Smith machine, bring the bar down to your chin. Don't drop it all the way to your chest, which can place too much stress on your front delts and AC joint.
Machine Shoulder Press
Exercise 4. Reverse Pec Deck Fly
Drop the seat all the way to the bottom and rest your face just above the pad. Tilt your head slightly upward. Keep your chest up to isolate your rear delts.
Reverse Pec Deck Fly
Exercise 5. Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Bring the weight underneath you to generate the greatest stretch and range of motion. Use a lighter weight to fill the shoulders with blood. Watch your momentum on this exercise. You want your lateral delts to generate and control the movement.
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise