If you’re not starting your shoulder workouts with a lateral raise variation, Joe Bennett has some words for you. The “Hypertrophy Coach,” who works with many of the world’s top bodybuilders, is all about efficiency.
- “If you’re newer [to bodybuilding], I don’t think it’s wrong to prioritize overhead pressing,” Bennett offered first as a caveat to his advice. “But, lots of times, I’ll have guys start with a lateral raise because you can never be too wide.”
The hallmark of a real bodybuilder, of course, is having to shuffle through doorways like a crab. Optimizing the exercise order of your shoulder workouts can improve your v-taper.
As Bennett tells it, it all comes back to the humble lateral raise; the closest thing bodybuilding has to a must-do exercise.
Shoulder Workouts & Exercise Order: Joe Bennett
“Generally, the longer you’ve been doing [bodybuilding], the more stimulation your front delts get from all the pressing,” Bennett continued. He’s right — bodybuilding is a bit like sculpture.
Every work of art carved from marble started as a big slab on a solid foundation. That’s your bread-and-butter compound exercises like the overhead press and bench press, which absolutely thrash your anterior deltoids.
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Sculpting the finer details of your physique takes patience and finesse. Advanced bodybuilders like Mike Sommerfeld, who placed second at the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia, works with a scalpel instead of a hammer in the weight room.
- “If you want to be efficient with your [shoulder workout] stimulus, lots of times, I’ll put lateral raises first in the workout,” said Bennett.
Sommerfeld sought out Bennett’s assistance for a shoulder workout on Nov. 4, 2024. The supine double-cable lateral raise actions Bennett’s intent; starting the session with laser-focused stimulation of the muscle that needs the most love.
Level Up Your Shoulder Workouts
Sommerfeld did the unexpected at the Classic Physique “O” — he leapt from 8th place in ’23 to second behind division icon Chris Bumstead one year later. That’s down to his meticulously crafted physique and artful posing, but it doesn’t mean you need to perform the same lateral raise variation Bennett gave him.
“There’s no definitive right or wrong answer here,” Bennett said. “Exercise order won’t make or break your physique.”
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Still, to enhance your shoulder workouts and ensure you’re building robust, three-dimensional delts, you might want to hit these markers:
- If you perform plenty of pressing exercises, start your shoulder workouts with lateral raises when you’re strongest and mentally fresh.
- Hit your side delts with a different lateral raise variations twice per week.
- Leave your ego at the door and focus on good technique and proper movement tempo; three seconds down, explode up, and pause for a beat at the top if you wish.
We’d suggest three to five sets of anywhere from 8 to 25 repetitions. It’s a broad range, but studies show you can build muscle across a wide array of rep ranges. (1) The lateral deltoid is a small muscle, so don’t be afraid to pump volume into it with lighter weights.
You and your statuesque delts will be crashing through doorways in no time.
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References
- Bernárdez-Vázquez R, Raya-González J, Castillo D, Beato M. Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Front Sports Act Living. 2022 Jul 4;4:949021. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.949021. PMID: 35873210; PMCID: PMC9302196.
Featured Image: @mikethebadass / Instagram
