How to Force Your Shoulders to Grow.

0:00two guys same height

0:01same weight same waist

0:03one of them looks bigger in every shirt he owns

0:06what's the difference the difference is the side of his shoulders

0:09the part every shirt hangs from

0:11and if you've been benching

0:13pressing and grinding out push UPS for a year

0:15and your shoulders still look narrow

0:17you're about to find the reason yourself

0:19your shoulder muscle has three heads

0:21three exercises cover all of them

0:23one for each and one of those exercises will feel embarrassingly light

0:27that's the one that builds the width

0:29try this right now

0:30put your left hand on the outside of your right shoulder

0:33then raise your right arm straight out to the side

0:36the muscle that hardens under your hand is your side delt

0:39and it shapes how wide you look

0:40be honest about your last shoulder session

0:43it probably had a bench press

0:44push UPS and incline press

0:46and maybe a few front raises

0:48how many of those train the side of your shoulder directly

0:51exactly that isn't shoulder training

0:53it's front delt training on repeat

0:55and I call it the front delt trap

0:58each head has its own job

0:59the front head raises your arm forward and helps every press

1:03the side head lifts it out to the side

1:05and the rear head pulls it back

1:06and gives the shoulder its depth from the side

1:08so the plan gives each head one exercise

1:11and the side delts get the most sets

1:16exercise 1 the overhead press

1:18your one press

1:19it goes first because it's the heaviest lift in this plan

1:22and heavy weight over your head deserves your freshest reps

1:25bench and push UPS already work your front delts

1:28so one press is enough

1:30and pressing overhead brings in more of the side delt than push UPS do

1:33my pick is the seated barbell press

1:36the bench takes your legs out of the lift and cuts down the lean back

1:39so your shoulders and triceps do the pushing

1:41there's an honest trade here

1:43in a 2013 study of 15 men sitting down and using a barbell

1:47both let them press more weight

1:49while standing with dumbbells showed the most deltoid activity

1:52that doesn't establish a growth winner

1:54I'm choosing the barbell here

1:55because it gives us a stable setup and small

1:58trackable weight increases

2:00set it up in a rack back pad upright

2:02safety pins just below the bottom of your press

2:04so a missed rep lands on the pins

2:06grip just outside your shoulders

2:08and lower the bar under control to about chin level

2:11press straight up

2:12pulling your head back slightly so the bar clears your face

2:15then bring your head through

2:17if your lower back arches off the pad to finish a rep

2:19the weight is too heavy

2:21the barbell is also the easiest of the three to progress

2:24say you press 40 kilos

2:25adding a one and a quarter kilo plate to each side is about a 6% jump

2:29hold that number it matters in the next exercise

2:32if you don't have a rack or the barbell bothers your shoulders

2:35use seated dumbbells at home

2:38the pike push up takes this slot

2:39work up with two lighter sets

2:41then do three working sets of six to 10

2:43one to two clean reps in reserve with two to three minutes of rest

2:50exercise 2 the lateral raise

2:52the most direct side delt exercise you can do

2:55stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand

2:57elbows slightly bent leaning forward to touch

3:00raise your arms out to the sides

3:02leading with your elbows to about shoulder height

3:04with your thumbs level or tipped slightly up

3:07many people find that easier on the shoulder

3:09take 2 seconds to lower

3:11now the embarrassingly light part I warned you about

3:13the dumbbell sits at the end of a long arm

3:16so a small weight is a big load for a small muscle

3:18and most guys need far less than their ego wants

3:21this is where people mess it up

3:23if the rep turns into a shrug and a swing

3:25reduce the weight and rebuild the controlled arm raise

3:29dumbbells and cables load the raise differently

3:31with a dumbbell

3:32the bottom is easy because the weight hangs along your arm

3:35and the rep gets harder as your arm rises

3:37a cable set low on the other side pulls across your body

3:40so the bottom stays loaded

3:42that changes where the rep is hardest and

3:44in a 2025 eight week study

3:46trained lifters who raised one arm with a dumbbell

3:49and the other with a cable

3:50grew their side delts about the same

3:52at home a band works too

3:54but how it loads depends on where you anchor it

3:56and how much tension it has

3:58four sets of 12 to 20 finishing one to two clean reps short of failure

4:02with about a minute and a half of rest

4:04a small plate on the barbell was a 6% jump

4:07but going from eight kilos to 10 on a raise is 25% in one step

4:12so expect to stay at each weight longer here

4:14and let the reps do the climbing exercise three

4:16the rear delt fly for the head you never see in the mirror

4:22rows and pull UPS train your rear delts too

4:24but your lats and upper back share that work

4:27the fly gives the rear head its own job

4:30lie chest down on a low

4:31incline bench with a light dumbbell in each hand

4:34so your lower back and your body swing

4:36stay out of it raise your arms out to the sides

4:39elbows slightly bent and leading to about shoulder level

4:42and take 2 seconds to lower the mistake

4:44pinching your shoulder blades together hard at the top

4:47that shifts the work towards your upper back

4:49let your arms travel out wide

4:51and keep the effort on the back of your shoulder

4:53at home use band pull aparts arms straight at

4:56chest height pull the band apart until it touches your chest

5:00they train your rear delts along with your upper back

5:03three sets of 12 to 21 to 2 clean reps in reserve

5:06with the same rest as the raises

5:11run all three in one session

5:13twice a week with at least a day between sessions

5:15press first while you're fresh

5:17then lateral raises then rear delt flies

5:20and the side delts still get the most sets

5:22that's eight direct side delt sets a week and six for the rear delts

5:27count these pressing sets within your existing program

5:29if you already overhead press

5:31use those sets here rather than automatically adding more

5:35treat all of it as starting numbers and adjust to your recovery

5:38write down your weights and reps and aim to beat one number

5:41next session usually one more rep on one set with the same technique

5:45when all working sets reach the top of the range

5:48with the same technique and one or two clean reps left

5:51increase the weight by the smallest practical amount

5:56now the shoulder health part

5:57my pull up guide promised

5:59you warm up with two sets of 12 to 15 band external rotations per side

6:04elbow pin to your ribs forearm

6:06rotating out to wake up the small muscles that control your shoulder

6:10your two lighter press sets finish the warm up

6:12then watch how you reach overhead

6:14back flat against a wall arms up

6:16it isn't a medical test just

6:18to look at how your shoulders and lower back move together

6:21if your lower back has to peel off the wall to get your arms up

6:24keep the pressing light

6:25stay in the range you control and build it gradually

6:28dumbbells can help here because each arm can find its own path

6:32muscle burn is fine but sharp pain ends the set

6:35and a shoulder that already hurts shouldn't be pressing heavy

6:38if shoulder pain is getting worse

6:40hasn't improved after two weeks or makes your arm very hard to move

6:44see a doctor or a physio don't wait out two weeks

6:47if the pain started after a fall

6:49or an injury came on suddenly or badly

6:52you can't move your arm

6:53the shoulder has changed shape or swollen badly

6:56or pins and needles or numbness won't go away get urgent medical help

7:02now the honest part

7:03your collarbones and shoulder blades set the width of your frame

7:06and that part is genetic

7:08these exercises build muscle around your frame

7:11they don't give you someone else's skeletal proportions

7:14the muscle is the part you control

7:15so shoulder width is not just genetics

7:18width is also a ratio

7:20the same shoulders look wider over a smaller waist

7:23and the waist is the fat loss side

7:25where a calorie deficit does the losing side

7:27delts are small so visible change takes months

7:30not weeks

7:31take a front photo in the same spot and light every four weeks

7:35and give the plan eight weeks before you judge it

7:37some of you will see it sooner

7:39some will need another cycle

7:41these three exercises cover the shoulders

7:43your back and biceps still need pulling work

7:48the whole plan in one breath

7:50start with the seated barbell press

7:52then lateral raises light and strict

7:54then rear delt flies elbows wide

7:57train twice a week keep one to two clean reps in reserve

8:00and aim to beat one number each session

8:02most guys think bigger shoulders means more pressing

8:05not even close it means one heavy press

8:08and giving the side and rear heads their own work

8:10press for strength raise for width

8:13fly for depth let me guess your last shoulder workout was all pressing

8:17comment front if I'm right

8:19the shoulders are half the V

8:20the pulling work builds the rest

8:22and my V taper video puts the whole shape together watch that one next