When fully developed, there are few things more impressive on the bodybuilder’s physique than well-rounded delts! Many trainees own a pair of big arms, or have nice, thick chests, but is it much more rare to see a couple of “cannonballs” hanging off the clavicles.
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most dramatic physiques of our time are ones that show incredible side delt development. Think about men like Kevin Levrone, Paul Dillett, Gary Strydom, Dennis Wolf and Jay Cutler… or women like Lenda Murray, Iris Kyle and Juliet Bergman. As soon as any of these champions walk (or walked) out on stage and turn to the front, the dramatic proportions of their physiques are immediately evident, and much of this has to do with the width of their shoulders.
One of the coolest aspects of developing exceptional lateral delts is the effect it will have on the overall look of one’s physique. The wider the shoulders are, the narrower the waist will appear. This helps to create the much sought after “X”-frame… something that each of the pros mentioned above has in spades.
Being that the deltoid is a three-headed muscle, it is important to work each of these heads equally in order to bring about proportional and complete development. However, it is important to note that the rear (posterior) head gets plenty of stimulation from the rowing movements that are performed on back day, and that the front (anterior) head is hit hard any time you rep out on presses or flyes for chest. All of the extra work that these two deltoid heads receive can often lead to the side (lateral) head falling behind. So, if you have tried your share of standard side lateral raises and find that you are still fitting through most doorways far too easily, give the following exercises a try.
Partial Side Laterals
It can be very difficult to overload the lateral deltoid head with heavy poundage because side laterals, by their very nature, are meant to be performed very strictly with lighter weights. When one tries to go too heavy on side laterals it takes a lot of body English and trap strength to get the dumbbells up to the top position. In addition, it can also take its toll on the elbow and wrist joints as well. However, there is a solution… partial reps!
Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells… about twice the weight you would use for normal laterals. Those of you with weaker grips might want to use wrist straps. Hold the dumbbells by your sides, tense the lateral delts, and begin to move them outward as far as you can. Try to do short, quick reps while keeping maximum tension in your shoulders at all times. Do everything you can to “push” those dumbbells out with side delt power only, and keep them moving as long as possible. You will be surprised at what a burn these can produce, and what a shock they 
can be to the normally lightly-worked side delts.
Incline Side Laterals
Unlike the movement I just described above, this exercise requires the use of light weights in order to perform it effectively. However, because of the unique angle and severe stretch it puts on the lateral head, it is a literal “cannonball creator.”
Sit back on an incline bench set to about 75 degrees. Pick up your dumbbells and let them hang straight down by your sides. Make sure that you keep your shoulders back, not allowing them to slump forward at any time during the set. With only a slight bend at the elbows, raise the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are parallel with the floor. At the top of the movement rotate your hand downward just slightly so that your pinkie is higher than your thumb. Then, slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. One additional thing I like to do with this exercise is to change the angle of the bench with each set. So, if the first set the bench was at 75 degrees, I might drop it by about 5 degrees or so on the next two sets.
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ight Rows
Most trainees use barbell upright rows with a narrow grip to help develop the mid-traps. However, if the hands are moved to just outside shoulder width, the upright row becomes a major lateral deltoid head developer. The best thing about this exercise is that it allows for heavy weights to be used, unlike lateral raise movements.
Take hold of a barbell with your hands set at shoulder width, or just slightly wider. Raise the bar toward your chin, but make sure to allow your elbows, not your hands, to lead the movement. The bar should only be raised to a point where your upper arms are about parallel to the ground. Any higher than this and your traps will begin to take the load off of the delts. This exercise can also be performed at a cable station using a lat pulldown bar and with dumbbells.
Lateral Shoulder Shocker
Superset: WG Upright Rows/Partial Side Laterals… 2 x 7-9/16-20
Dropset: Incline Side Lateral… 2 x 10-12, drop, 6-8 more
Rest Pause: WG BB or Machine Shoulder Press… 1 x 7-9, rest 15 seconds-max reps, rest 30 seconds-max reps
Follow these suggestions and you may be one rep closer to “cannonballs” hanging off your clavicles!
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Eric Brose
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-CEO
B Built International www.b-built.net
-AAP Director of PR/Social Media/Marketing www.allamericanpharmaceutical.com
-Natural Professional Bodybuilder/Judge/Advisory Board Member
-Columnist @ Iron Man/Planet Muscle/Natural Muscle/www.muscleandfitness.com
-Creator of the PRRS, FDFS and O-Bey-6 Training Systems
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