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Delt Sheet

The document provides information on training the deltoid muscles (delts). It discusses the functions of the delts, including shoulder abduction, flexion, extension, and rotation. Reasons the delts may lag include lack of priority or progression in training. The document recommends focusing on a few staple exercises over months for delt growth, such as standing barbell presses, seated presses, and raise variations. It also provides example programs and exercises that effectively target the delts.

Uploaded by

Rick Jones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
140 views

Delt Sheet

The document provides information on training the deltoid muscles (delts). It discusses the functions of the delts, including shoulder abduction, flexion, extension, and rotation. Reasons the delts may lag include lack of priority or progression in training. The document recommends focusing on a few staple exercises over months for delt growth, such as standing barbell presses, seated presses, and raise variations. It also provides example programs and exercises that effectively target the delts.

Uploaded by

Rick Jones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DELT

GROWTH
CHEAT SHEET

WWW.EMPIREBARBELL.COM
empirebarbellstore.com
www.empirebarbellstore.com 1

What They Do
The deltoid muscles, often referred to as the
"delts," are a group of three distinct muscle heads
located in the shoulder region. The deltoids are
responsible for:

Shoulder abduction: The deltoids allow you to


lift your arms away from your body to the
sides. This motion is called shoulder
abduction and is essential in exercises like
lateral raises and upright rows.
Shoulder flexion: The anterior (front) deltoid
head is primarily responsible for shoulder
flexion, which involves raising your arms in
front of you. This motion is used in exercises
like front raises and barbell presses.
Shoulder extension: The posterior (rear)
deltoid head assists in shoulder extension,
which involves moving your arms behind your
body. This motion is important in exercises like
bent raises and rear pec-deck flys.
Shoulder rotation: The deltoids also aid in
shoulder rotation, which allows your arms to
rotate internally and externally. This motion is
involved in various weightlifting exercises and
is crucial for overall shoulder health and
stability.
empirebarbellstore.com 2

How Delts are Unique


Hugely impactful for aesthetics
Big contributor to bench press
Big contributor to 'functional'
upper body strength
Often neglected by many
powerlifters and gym-goers
Said to respond better to high
reps, though all reps provide
growth and should be exploited
www.empirebarbellstore.com 3

Why They Lag

LACK OF PRIORITY LACK OF PROGRESSION


Delts are often overlooked, as general gym- No matter the workout split or exercise
goers and powerlifters both tend to put selection, you MUST know how the
bench press front and center in their training movement is going to progress over time.
programs. If your shoulders are struggling to This applies to your main barbell lifts and the
keep up, there needs to be dedicated days to light cable work you do at the end. If you
putting the delts front and center, if not year have heavier overhead pressing at the
round than at least through specialization beginning of a workout, make sure you know
blocks. the method of increasing stress. It could be
as simple as adding a few lbs each workout,
Even if you don't have a 'delt day', you can pushing to failure and trying to beat your
still make delts a priority by making sure that previous reps, or a more complicated
the work that is scheduled is done with ball percentage or RPE based progression.
breaking effort. Cable raises and machine
presses should be done with just as much
intent as benching and military presses.

JUMPING AROUND TOO MUCH PRESSING

I'm a big believer that exercises should be While it's rare that too much shoulder
done for as many weeks as it takes to notice pressing is the real reason for no gains,
progress. Ideally you leave them in for as attempting to stack a lot of heavy military
long as they are working for you. If delts have presses on top of an aggressive bench
historically been an afterthought, it was likely program has certainly sidelined many
easy to justify moving between dumbbell, people. If you try to grow everything at once,
machine and cable variations week to week. using a hammer for each of them, you're
While changing grips, tempo and equipment going to be left underrecovered, unable to
can be fun, it makes progressing more make progress and likely wincing every time
complicated and uncertain. you have to lift your arm to get something off
the top shelf.
Find a few staple movements that are proven
and spend a few months milking them for all
they are worth. Whether it's a cable lateral
raise or a barbell push press, improved ability
in the form of more weight is the surest sign
that gains have been realized.
www.empirebarbellstore.com 4

BASIC GROWTH
SIMPLE RECIPE BODYBUILDERS AND
POWERLIFTERS
Bigger delts just require the Example:
selection of a few established
exercises and long term Standing Barbell Press variation
commitment to getting really, really
Seated Machine/DB Press
good at them. This is of course, true
variation
for all muscle groups, but it bears
repeating for delts as they are often Raise variation
put second tier behind benching or Rear delt variation
chest-dominant pressing exercises.
For the 'hypertrophy only' crowd,
A standard delt workout would use a overloaded presses aren't
variety of reps, starting with heavier mandatory, but whichever
compound movements when you exercises you do choose must be
are fresh and moving to higher rep approached with great effort. If you
ranges with isolation exercises as
are relying on machine presses and
you fatigue. 2-4 exercises for 2-4 sets
cable raises, act like you're
of 5-20+ reps: as long as there is
effort here and you are chasing more prepping for a cable raise
weight/work over time, it's hard to powerlifting meet.
go wrong here.

BENCH PRESSERS
Bench press specialists have a problem, as benching creates so much
fatigue in the front delts and triceps as is, but might not be sufficient to
stimulate delt specific growth. Adding in more overhead pressing might
interfere with bench progress and lead to overtraining or overuse issues.
You might consider separate 'off-season' blocks where there is less bench
specific frequency, so overhead press work can temporarily be prioritized.
Or you might instead feature regular shoulder work with smaller, more
recoverable movements like raises or presses with machines or dumbbells.
Again, as long as you are progressing the movement like it's your job, you
will grow.
empirebarbellstore.com 5

Making It Yours
SHOULDER GAINS ‘CHEAT SHEET’

There are, of course, more simple programs that feature almost exclusively
barbell compound movements, often in whole body splits with each exercises
occuring 2-3x per week. Few things will guarantee stacked shoulders capable of
moving mountains than regular overhead press practice through the week. Some
might find they respond better to this than others, so if your press, and thus
shoulder growth, is stagnant (after months of dedicated work with this split, of
course) you can always add in work with smaller movements and track results.
You might find more dedicated sessions with more work, done once per week to
allow more recovery, creates more growth with less inflammation or pain. When a
block works well, copy it down and put it in a folder of 'shit that works' so you can
come back to it.
CLUTCH EXERCISES
MACHINE PRESSES - Complete stability for maximal
motor unit recruitment

PUSH PRESSES - full range of motion speed, effort and


overload

BAR DIPS - deep, heavy and all-out

DUMBBELL PRESSES - Seated, Neutral, Arnold, etc.

RAISES - strit, loose, dumbbells, cables... just progress

ROTATION/HEALTH - Seated db cleans, face pulls,


external DB rotations, bent dumbbell raises

LEAST FAVORITE- Arm circles, plate


halos/rotations/swings, upright rows, high pulls,
awkward pressing like standing dumbbell presses,
bent-presses and z-presses
For More
FULL
Training
Templates:
https://empirebarbellstore.com/

Paperback
available on
Amazon!

empirebarbellstore.com 7

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