Broad shoulders have the ability to make any physique truly stand out, but building wide, capped side delts can prove tougher than many of us would like. Unfortunately, spamming lateral raises often doesn’t have the desired effect.
Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler has shared a couple of simple tips that could help you break through a plateau, though. Cutler’s shoulders were essential in helping him win four Mr Olympia titles, and at 53 he is still training hard to maintain much of his physique.
Start Your Workouts with Lateral Raises
He explains that lagging side delts aren’t necessarily down to the oft-touted line of genetics, and are more dependent on your training approach. Rather than doing heavy pressing movements before a few cursory sets of lateral raises when you’re already fatigued, Cutler recommends starting your workouts with the exercise before doing anything else.
‘If you want to build the biggest, widest shoulders, and take up the most space, I suggest the seated side lateral with dumbbells,’ Cutler says. ‘I feel it’s the ideal exercise. It’s always the first movement in my shoulder routine. If I’m going to start shoulders – most people go in the gym, they do a press movement – I focus on doing more pre-exhaust work, really getting the blood in there.’
You’re freshest at the start of your workout, your muscles are at their strongest and you likely have the most motivation to train hard. That’s why starting with lateral raises could help you get more out of your sets when building wider shoulders.
It might go against the general lifting advice to complete compound exercises first and isolation exercises second, but when you’ve got a specific goal you want to prioritise, altering your approach can make sense.
Seated Over Standing
Cutler also suggests performing seated lateral raises rather than the standing version, highlighting that the position helps limit swinging. This forces the muscles to do more of the work rather than relying on momentum.
‘When I start this exercise, the palms are facing in, and I kind of turn and get that hang and really engage the shoulder. There’s three heads to the shoulder. The side, the front, and the back. So, what you want to do, is you really want to try to target. I feel like this exercise in the seated position, less momentum, it’s going to allow you to really get those fibres. You can target all three heads of the shoulder,’ he adds.
Pause briefly at the top to stay in control of the movement, too.
‘When I do that little pause at the top of the rep, I get a little hold in there and just really lock in and engage. I’m always doing this 8-12 reps like everything that I do. It’s very important that you focus on feeling the movement, not too much body momentum, and focus on the reps.’
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