Deltology 101

[DiamondDelts]

Well I am back. I have come up with a few new variations in the last few months that have been very effective for me. Just thought I would try to share them with everyone. These are the pool of exercises I choose from each week when doing my shoulder workouts. I just hope at least a few of these exercises can be of use to some of you.

Anterior delts

Reverse grip military press-with these you use a wider than shoulder width underhand grip. This exercise is a GREAT mass builder for the anterior delts.

Reverse grip barbell raise-I do these slighlty leaning back with a shoulder width, underhand grip

Barbell raise on incline- do these on a incline bench with an overhand shoulder width or wider grip

Barbell raise on preacher bench- same thing, but much stricter than the standing version

One arm db press on incline bench- I do these by sitting on a incline bench or on the reverse side of a preacher bench. With these you should be pressing the db up with a hammer grip.

Hammer grip front raises using tricep bar-I do these slightly leaning back, then raising the weight up using a tricep bar. I try to keep my arms as straight as possible while doing these.

Overhead laterals-I do these by using a overhand or underhand grip. You start with your arms straight out to your sides holding the dbs parallel to your shoulders, then you lateral them up and over your head. The dbs should be touching directly overhead once in the finished position.

Around the world laterals- These can be done from two starting points. Either in front of your thighs, or behind your thighs. They are similar to regular db laterals, except that instead of stopping at arms parallel to body, you keep going to the dbs touch each other overhead. This is a very effective way of working all the delt heads.

Medial delts

Leaning side laterals-these are done in the same motion you would do side bends. Except you lateral the db up as you are leaning your torso to the side.

Leaning one arm db presses- You start in a seated position, and lean to the side during the pressing motion. In the finished position, your free arm's elbow should be touching the bench you are sitting on. Pressing in this motion really shifts the emphasis from your front delts to your medial delts BIG time.

Seated partial rep laterals- You do these seated on a bench. and you keep your arms at least 2-3 inches away from your side at the bottom of the movement. Doing seated laterals in this way well help to keep continous tension on the medial delts.

laterals on incline bench- I do these with the db either in front of my thighs or behind my thighs. Great T.U.T. on this exercise. I can feel continous tension on my medial delts throughout the whole movement using this angle. Truly a great feeling.

laterals on decline-These have a very short rom, and will feel akward at first. But man do they work. They are very intense at the beginning of the movement. And they hit the medial delt/upper arm tie-in area VERY HARD. They are one of my favorite movements now. I usually do these at home, with the upper half of my body hanging off a bench or couch. They look funny, but they are effective.

Lying lateral burns- these are a great way to end a delt workout. with these I lie flat on the floor and hold the db out to about 90 degree angle for up to a minute each set. Feels like my medial delts are going to explode when I am done.

Hands-free laterals- With these you need a lifting strap. What I do is strap a 10 pound plate around my hand and seated on a bench I do laterals "hands-free" so to speak. With these you don't have to worry about gripping anything, so you can really FOCUS on using the medial delt to move the weight. I get a truly awesome feeling from these. They are a great iso move for the medial delts.

Rear delts

lying laterals- I do these lying flat on the floor with the db held in front of my thigh.

butterfly laterals- I do these standing up. In the start position, you should be slightly leaning forward holding the dbs in front of your thighs. Then lean back as you are lateraling the dbs up.In the finished position you should be slightly leaning back.

Lying lateral with thumbs down grip- you hold the db either directly in front of your thighs or at a 90 degree angle in front of your thighs.

Anterior-Medial delt tie-in area

Standing or lying lateral- hold the db at the CORNER of you thigh and lateral the weight up from that position.

Medial- rear delt tie-in area

Lying lateral-lying on floor with arm parallel to head, then lateral the weight up from that position.

Standing or lying behind the back laterals

Delt/Trap tie-in area

Upright rows- I feel that close grip upright rows hit this area better than any other exercise I know of. But I always use moderate weight and I never go above nipple height when doing them.

Overall mass

Behind the neck press- when I do these I make sure I go no lower than ear level when I bring the bar down.Also I push it up in up and over motion. Meaning I push the bar up and over my head. I feel this incorporates the medial delts much more, than just pushing the bar up behind my head like most do.

Wide grip military press- Using a wider grip on this exercise will bring the medial delts increasingly into play.

[juanca]

yet another great post by professor DELT.
experience:
both a bachelors and masters degree in Deltology

JC

[LiftingIsLife]

tis quite true... DD gave me many of the exercises that have made
my shoulders explode over the last 6 months. in fact, the best feeling???

THATS EASY... walking into the clothes store a month ago to buy a new
suit, and have the guy there tell you that you're looking at ALL the wrong ones, cuz the ones that WOULD fit you are two aisles over (and 3 SIZES BIGGER!!!)

SIR, YES SIR!!!!!!!! DD IS the man

(went from a 42 to a 48L, cuz my shoulders got MUCH wider
(now only if my chest would explode like that)


best,
lifer

[daninthemix]

These are the pool of exercises I choose from each week...

Pool?? You mean you don't do them all every workout?

[Gradman]

Always good to hear from the master

Of those exercises, the only one i've actually tried is the incline bench barbell front raises and I am a HUGE fan, they've been the best front delt exercise i've ever done. Incredible feeling.

Thanks for the post DD

[DiamondDelts]

Pool?? You mean you don't do them all every workout?

Ha,ha. Sometimes I do. It all depends on whether I am "feeling it" that day or not.

[Pullup17]

I'm going to save this into my favourites! I also have your 2 previous routines, the boulder shoulders and deluxe shoulders routines. They're awesome!

Anyway, i'm currently doing lying laterals behind the back and i'm starting to feel pain, i think in my RC, i'm guessing its the form though or does it actually involve the RC too?

[lamby]

gotta try those reverse grip military press. DD when you do all of them together whats your sets like? 2 of each?

[DiamondDelts]

I'm going to save this into my favourites! I also have your 2 previous routines, the boulder shoulders and deluxe shoulders routines. They're awesome!

Anyway, i'm currently doing lying laterals behind the back and i'm starting to feel pain, i think in my RC, i'm guessing its the form though or does it actually involve the RC too?

Yeah, behind the back laterals can be a little more stressful on the rc's than regular laterals. But it differs for everyone. My suggestion is if they irritate your rc's drop them from your delt workout immediately.

[J.L.C.]

I'm totally confused by the laying laterals....

edit: DD linked me to this thread with pics:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=392085

[DiamondDelts]

gotta try those reverse grip military press. DD when you do all of them together whats your sets like? 2 of each?

Yeah I will usually do about 2 sets of each.

[lamby]

I'm totally confused by the laying laterals....

If you lay on your back.....the only way you can lateral raise....is a fly...isn't that for chest?

Or do you do the same motion as a standing lateral?? That seems like it would be your anterior delts fighting gravity more than anything else....

If you lay on your stomach....I guess you would work rear delts with a very minimal ROM...

Or am I even more confused than I think??

you lie down on your side, not belly down

[Uriel_da_man]

And DD strikes again!

Hey man, what just a quick q: what do you think of db presses compared to behind-neck presses?

[mattman]

some I can't visualize, pics would be nice. You need your own Sticky on this forum DD, where you just post exercise pics and describe how to do them.

[Just_Shruggin]

someone please sell the licensing to bodybuilding.com to DD. hes mah boy.

[DUILEE]

Shoulders are taking over your life Diamond, you need therapy pronto!!! You sit in your room all day thinking about your delts don't you. These are some interesting lifts though, might have to try some of them out one day.

[gust]

Good stuff here :P another one for my bookmarks

[Zensuji]

my shoulders are naturally quite wide but after following advice from dd over the last 8 months they easily rate as my best body part. great list of excercises dd but i'm gonna have to sit this one out or i'll end up looking stupid lol

[JRAM]

Still incorporating the first two shoulder/trap routines into my shoulder/trap day with continuing excellent results. Looking forward to some of 101.

Thanks again DD

Peace

[LiftingIsLife]

I'm going to save this into my favourites! I also have your 2 previous routines, the boulder shoulders and deluxe shoulders routines. They're awesome!

Anyway, i'm currently doing lying laterals behind the back and i'm starting to feel pain, i think in my RC, i'm guessing its the form though or does it actually involve the RC too?

my guess would be that you need to lower the weight if doing them
behind the back. they're harder that way than the usual in front
positioning. for me, i usually use 5-10 less pounds for each arm when
going behind.

best,
lifer

[DiamondDelts]

And DD strikes again!

Hey man, what just a quick q: what do you think of db presses compared to behind-neck presses?

I think db presses are the best form of pressing. Though I love BTN presses because they allow to go heavy, without the stress on your lower back

[TBernard]

Diamond Delts, great to have you back and thank you for sharing.

My delts are my worse muscles by far. I do dead lifts, I do bench, I do Military, I do squats, I do cleans, I do it all. I have been lifting for years, none the less my delts are pathetic.

Thanks to your previous help I have at least got a little size up there now, so thank you. I am very excited about the underhand grip military press for the anterior delts and the Seated Partial Rep Laterals. They feel tought just sitting here at the office.

Anyway, how often do you work your delts a week? Do you have like one heavy and one light day? What rep range do you work your presses and then your raises? How many sets of delts do you do per workout?

Just curious, and again thank you for your help!

[DiamondDelts]

Diamond Delts, great to have you back and thank you for sharing.

My delts are my worse muscles by far. I do dead lifts, I do bench, I do Military, I do squats, I do cleans, I do it all. I have been lifting for years, none the less my delts are pathetic.

Thanks to your previous help I have at least got a little size up there now, so thank you. I am very excited about the underhand grip military press for the anterior delts and the Seated Partial Rep Laterals. They feel tought just sitting here at the office.

Anyway, how often do you work your delts a week? Do you have like one heavy and one light day? What rep range do you work your presses and then your raises? How many sets of delts do you do per workout?

Just curious, and again thank you for your help!

Well I usually work my delts at least twice a week. I will usually do various presses on one day and various forms of laterals on the second day. If I do both in the same day, I always do my raises before my presses. My rep range is usually 6-7 reps per set, 2-3 sets per exercise. I don't have a split anymore and I don't count how many sets I do per workout. I just go by instinct on how I am "feeling" that particular day.

[DiamondDelts]

my guess would be that you need to lower the weight if doing them
behind the back. they're harder that way than the usual in front
positioning. for me, i usually use 5-10 less pounds for each arm when
going behind.

best,
lifer

Also good advice.

[Pullup17]

Thanks for the help! I can't wait to see how my shoulders will grow, i'm so damn excited! I had a wide frame even before lifting and shoulders are my 2nd best bodypart, i'm so excited how wide i will be in years to come!

[Fridrik]

Well I am back. I have come up with a few new variations in the last few months that have been very effective for me. Just thought I would try to share them with everyone. These are the pool of exercises I choose from each week when doing my shoulder workouts. I just hope at least a few of these exercises can be of use to some of you.

Anterior delts

Reverse grip military press-with these you use a wider than shoulder width underhand grip. This exercise is a GREAT mass builder for the anterior delts.

Reverse grip barbell raise-I do these slighlty leaning back with a shoulder width, underhand grip

Barbell raise on incline- do these on a incline bench with an overhand shoulder width or wider grip

Barbell raise on preacher bench- same thing, but much stricter than the standing version

One arm db press on incline bench- I do these by sitting on a incline bench or on the reverse side of a preacher bench. With these you should be pressing the db up with a hammer grip.

Hammer grip front raises using tricep bar-I do these slightly leaning back, then raising the weight up using a tricep bar. I try to keep my arms as straight as possible while doing these.

Overhead laterals-I do these by using a overhand or underhand grip. You start with your arms straight out to your sides holding the dbs parallel to your shoulders, then you lateral them up and over your head. The dbs should be touching directly overhead once in the finished position.

Around the world laterals- These can be done from two starting points. Either in front of your thighs, or behind your thighs. They are similar to regular db laterals, except that instead of stopping at arms parallel to body, you keep going to the dbs touch each other overhead. This is a very effective way of working all the delt heads.

Medial delts

Leaning side laterals-these are done in the same motion you would do side bends. Except you lateral the db up as you are leaning your torso to the side.

Leaning one arm db presses- You start in a seated position, and lean to the side during the pressing motion. In the finished position, your free arm's elbow should be touching the bench you are sitting on. Pressing in this motion really shifts the emphasis from your front delts to your medial delts BIG time.

Seated partial rep laterals- You do these seated on a bench. and you keep your arms at least 2-3 inches away from your side at the bottom of the movement. Doing seated laterals in this way well help to keep continous tension on the medial delts.

laterals on incline bench- I do these with the db either in front of my thighs or behind my thighs. Great T.U.T. on this exercise. I can feel continous tension on my medial delts throughout the whole movement using this angle. Truly a great feeling.

laterals on decline-These have a very short rom, and will feel akward at first. But man do they work. They are very intense at the beginning of the movement. And they hit the medial delt/upper arm tie-in area VERY HARD. They are one of my favorite movements now. I usually do these at home, with the upper half of my body hanging off a bench or couch. They look funny, but they are effective.

Lying lateral burns- these are a great way to end a delt workout. with these I lie flat on the floor and hold the db out to about 90 degree angle for up to a minute each set. Feels like my medial delts are going to explode when I am done.

Hands-free laterals- With these you need a lifting strap. What I do is strap a 10 pound plate around my hand and seated on a bench I do laterals "hands-free" so to speak. With these you don't have to worry about gripping anything, so you can really FOCUS on using the medial delt to move the weight. I get a truly awesome feeling from these. They are a great iso move for the medial delts.

Rear delts

lying laterals- I do these lying flat on the floor with the db held in front of my thigh.

butterfly laterals- I do these standing up. In the start position, you should be slightly leaning forward holding the dbs in front of your thighs. Then lean back as you are lateraling the dbs up.In the finished position you should be slightly leaning back.

Lying lateral with thumbs down grip- you hold the db either directly in front of your thighs or at a 90 degree angle in front of your thighs.

Anterior-Medial delt tie-in area

Standing or lying lateral- hold the db at the CORNER of you thigh and lateral the weight up from that position.

Medial- rear delt tie-in area

Lying lateral-lying on floor with arm parallel to head, then lateral the weight up from that position.

Standing or lying behind the back laterals

Delt/Trap tie-in area

Upright rows- I feel that close grip upright rows hit this area better than any other exercise I know of. But I always use moderate weight and I never go above nipple height when doing them.

Overall mass

Behind the neck press- when I do these I make sure I go no lower than ear level when I bring the bar down.Also I push it up in up and over motion. Meaning I push the bar up and over my head. I feel this incorporates the medial delts much more, than just pushing the bar up behind my head like most do.

Wide grip military press- Using a wider grip on this exercise will bring the medial delts increasingly into play.

Thanks alot

Those seem to be greate alternatives, I've tryed couple of them but you just gave me 5 more to try on. It's allways greate to do new things to get the most out of your training

[juanca]

Thanks alot

Those seem to be greate alternatives, I've tryed couple of them but you just gave me 5 more to try on. It's allways greate to do new things to get the most out of your training

AND to see the face on people when they see someone doing something other than benching or curling

JC

[Fridrik]

AND to see the face on people when they see someone doing something other than benching or curling

JC

LOL! Ain't that the truth. Most people don't really mind you squatting 305lbs deep for over 6 reps (No I can't do that quite yet), but if you "bench" that weight with "cruch above your chin" form, then it's damn impressive :P

[DiamondDelts]

LOL! Ain't that the truth. Most people don't really mind you squatting 305lbs deep for over 6 reps (No I can't do that quite yet), but if you "bench" that weight with "cruch above your chin" form, then it's damn impressive :P

Ha,ha. So true.

[DiamondDelts]

AND to see the face on people when they see someone doing something other than benching or curling

JC