If you’re tired of cranking out the same old reps, set after set, you may be ready to mix it up with something fresh. If that’s the case, 2013 Olympia Women’s Physique titlist Dana Linn Bailey has the shoulder workout for you. In a recent Instagram post, Bailey changed up the traditional dumbbell lateral raise with an “Extended Set.”
Here’s how it works.
At the core of this session is the dumbbell lateral raise, an efficient isolation exercise that will add mass and definition to your shoulders by dialling in the lateral deltoid. As you lift the dumbbell up and away from the body, the lateral deltoid is activated, so taking this muscle to exhaustion will add width to your upper body while also building strength and posture.
There are many set protocols that you could use for lateral raises, ranging from 3 sets regular of 8 to 12 reps, through to drop sets or ascending sets, but Bailey has another option for obliterating your shoulders.
What Is Dana Linn Bailey’s Lateral Raise Extended Set?
- Banded Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 10 Reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: To failure
- Banded Lateral Raise: Quarter rep pulses to failure
Why Extended Sets Build Bigger, Wider Side Delts
If the aim is to build tension and exhaust the shoulders so that they build back bigger, then this workout certainly delivers. You’ll start out with the banded dumbbell lateral raise. “Aim heavy enough to get about 10 reps,” explained the fit female for her two-million-plus IG followers. “The band adds extra tension as you raise up but also adds tension as you (resist on the) lower. So don’t let the band just pull you down.”
Next, drop the band and rep to failure. “You are keeping the same dumbbell weight, but you are getting rid of the band, so rep these out till failure,” advised the Olympia icon.
Finally, lose the dumbbells and pick the band back up so that you can make quarter reps or “pulses” to failure, making sure that you’ve squeezed every last drop of sweat out of this extended set. “These are a staple for me,” said Bailey of the quarter reps. “They may feel easy at first, because you are pulsing,” she added, but noted that they start to burn quick. Still, with a short pause, Bailey carries on to the conclusion. “Rest for five to 10 seconds and keep going,” she coached. “I get anywhere from 20 to 30 reps for these … Make them burn.”
Dana Linn Bailey enjoys these extended sets because they allow the workout to keep going beyond traditional reps. “And those final pulses may be a shorter range, but there’s no break in tension, just constant tension at peak contraction,” she said.
Bailey also shares that she uses the lightest band to lean into her extended sets. “These will burn but keep going through the burn. Your shoulders will thank me later.”
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