by Paul Carter
Got tiny, narrow shoulders? You need more than heavy overhead work. Try these scorchers.
The Delt Sweep
Delts actually respond to higher reps and metabolic stress a bit better than just focusing on pressing heavier stuff over your head, but both are required to really maximize growth. Let’s focus on the metabolic stress work here, though.
The Plate Raise
Despite the fact that the front raise is often shot down because “the anterior delts get enough work from chest and delt pressing” the 100-rep plate raise is money for the delts and traps. And I mean the medial delts too. Trust me, they get sore as hell from 100-rep plate raises where you bring the plate all the way up over your head.
The Delt Sweep
Delt “sweeps” work well for high reps in metabolic stress fashion:
The execution is really important. On the lifting side, it’s really a pull back – as if you were doing a face pull and lateral raise hybrid. With the supporting arm you’re going to be pushing slightly as you lift with the other arm. (It’s not a one-arm upright row motion.)
If you get this right you’ll feel it big time in the lateral delt and even some posterior delt and traps. Start light and play around with it until you can feel the contraction.
Cable Giant Set
Giant sets are another way to further increase the metabolites and spur on some new delt growth. This is an excellent giant set that Coach Kassem Hanson uses to blast the delts:
- The Y-Raise: 8-10 Reps
- Cable Lateral Raise: 6-8 Reps
- Cable Press: Maximum Reps
Lateral Raise Giant Set
Here’s another giant set to try. It’s fairly simple, but brutally painful:
- Grab some dumbbells and do 25 reps of lateral raises.
- Immediately grab a heavier pair of dumbbells and do 15 reps.
- Grab yet a heavier pair and do 10 reps.
- Rest 2 minutes and reverse it.
So the rep scheme looks like this: 25-15-10 and then 10-15-25.
