Five ways to build wider shoulders: prioritize lateral raises and behind-the-body cable work, train shoulders twice weekly with 4 sets per session, use lighter weights for 15-30 reps and add 5 pounds when you hit your target, push close to failure, and eat in a calorie surplus.
Questions this video answers
Twice per week.
Eight sets per week (four sets per session × two sessions).
About 15–30 reps with controlled form; typically 15–20 reps before increasing weight by ~5 lb.
About 36 to 48 hours.
Take sets to within about 3 reps of complete failure; for activation during lateral raises, within about 3–5 reps of failure (2012 study).
So a few months ago, I asked my girlfriend if there was one muscle I could grow to enhance my physique. What would you pick? Here's what she said. Your shoulders, like a wet feel like it's whirling madly. It just looks good to me. Okay, you got it. But there's a problem. So you know how some guys are just naturally blessed with a broad frame? Yeah. That was amazing. I'm not trying to blame it on genetics, but how many Filipinos have you seen with a superhero frame? We're small bones at this, so I knew this would be a challenge. But with five simple tweaks to my training, here's where I'm at now. And I'll be honest, my shoulders have never looked better. A lot of you guys have noticed against as well. Here's exactly what I did. So the first tweak has to do with exercise selection. While the front delts and rear delts are helpful to build overall shoulder mass, the key to getting wider, broader shoulders from the front and back view is to grow the side delts. And there's a lot of new, exciting research I use to help pick the best side delt exercises. For example, as some of you may have seen in my past shoulder experiment video, we tested 17 shoulder exercises to see which ones best activated the three different regions of the shoulder. Although shoulder presses did activate the side delts quite well, they mainly activate and grow the front delts. What I needed was an exercise that activated only the side delts really well and wasn't as fatiguing on the body. So what came out on top? Lateral raises. But I didn't just do your typical lateral raise. You see, there's been a lot of new research on muscle muscle stretch and how it can help you build muscle faster. I've covered this in a past video that goes through this research in depth that I'll link below. But basically, some muscles seem to grow faster during exercises that challenge them the most when they're fully stretched. Although it hasn't been shown with adults quite yet, it seems very likely that they would benefit as well. The problem with your typical dumbbell lateral raise, however, is they're hardest at the top when the shoulder is fully contracted. The opposite of what we're looking for. So my secret weapon was this exercise behind the body cable. Lateral raises. I stand in front and slightly to the side so my delt is fully stretched and challenged the most when in this position. Next up, training volume. The shoulders seem to recover really fast. Some research also suggests they don't get as sore as easily as other muscles like the chest, legs and arms do. However, there is a limit to how much you should train them. Generally, research suggests it takes muscles around 36 to 48 hours to fully recover. This would mean if you wanted to maximize growth, you could train the same muscle up to a max of about three or four times a week before it would likely become too much to recover from. So what did I do? Well, I definitely could have bumped it up to three times a week, but twice a week fit my workout routine better and still worked incredibly well, especially because of the other tweaks to learn about. Now, as for actual volume, on one day I do four sets of the dumbbell lateral raise, either standing or on a bench. And and then a few days later, I train them again with another four sets, but using the cable lateral raise that I mentioned earlier. Now I know what some of you may be thinking. Only eight sets a week. Honestly, guys, eight sets was all it took to grow my shoulders, but only because of the next tweaks that I applied. The next tweak has to do with weight. There's a unique feature about lateral raises that most people overlook. You see, the further away a weight is from your body, the heavier it will feel. This is what makes even a really lightweight feel extremely heavy during lateral raises. For me personally, as soon as I try to go anywhere above 35 pound dumbbells, I started to cheat way too much. To avoid this, I took advantage of the fact that research suggests you can use a light weight and do up to 30 reps with it before it becomes too light and less effective for growth. So to apply this, I'd stick with the same weight and only once. I could do at least 3015 to 20 reps with good controlled form on all my sets, when I then jump up by another five pounds and repeat the process. But guys, do not rush this. In the past three months, my lateral raises have increased only by about 5 pounds and just one notch heavier on the cable machine. Now, although it doesn't sound like much, that's almost a 20% jump in weight, the equivalent to adding over 20 pounds to the average person's bench press. And if you don't sacrifice form, you can be fairly confident that the increase in strength is indeed from your shoulders getting bigger. In fact, take a look at Mashoud here. He's one of our built with science program members who applied a similar plan, and you can see just how much wider his shoulders are after just three months. So take it slow and if you're interested in joining one of our fitness programs. After this video, take our quiz@builtwithsize.com to find the best plan for you. Next Intensity Honestly, this is a tweak that I think made the biggest difference. I'm not gonna lie. As much as I love wide shoulders, I hate lateral raises. The burn is disgusting and very uncomfortable. But here's the thing. One study from back in 2012 showed that in order for the side delts to reach full muscle activation during lateral raises, subjects had to push to at least within around three to five reps short of complete failure. That's just activation, though. To maximize growth, plenty of research suggests each of your sets need to be taken to at least within 3 reps of complete failure. Problem is, I guarantee that during your lateral raises, many of you are stopping well short of this. Heck, even me, someone who's been training for years. As soon as I told myself I was going to start really pushing through my mental limits, I was instantly able to get about five more reps on lateral raises compared to when I'd usually stop. Trust me, even if you think you're done, and even if your shoulders are burning, you've still got more. As Muhammad Ali once said, I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count. That's what makes you a champion. And that couldn't be more true here. The last piece of advice is the most important. It has to do with my diet. While some people might be able to build a little bit of muscle when in a calorie deficit, or even at their maintenance calories, a recent meta analysis suggests that a calorie surplus is likely necessary to maximize growth. And for those following me on Instagram, you know I've been bulking for almost a year now. I've been eating a lot of pasta, potatoes, rice, beef, and high calorie foods in general to make sure I'm consistently eating in a calorie surplus. I'm not going to lie, it's been mentally tough seeing more and more fat gain over the months, but I've noticed a big difference in my muscle size. I guarantee if I applied all the training tweaks I went through yet I wasn't in a surplus. Sure, I might have seen some improved definition, but I wouldn't have seen any big difference in new muscle size or strength. And once I diet to lose the excess fat I put on during the bulk, I guarantee that the shoulder gains I've made will become even more noticeable. So if you truly want to make noticeable new muscle gains. Make sure you're even enough. But, guys, don't forget to grow your front delts and your rear delts as well. These are key to balance out your shoulders and give them that 3D look. And you can give this video a watch next to learn what shoulder exercises we found were best at targeting these areas. All right, Bev, wider shoulders have been unlocked. What is next? The legs. Legs. Oh, and the calves. Oh, God.
