Shoulder Workout for Wider Shoulders: Train the Side Delts

The best shoulder workout for wider shoulders puts most of its sets on the side delts with lateral raises, keeps one overhead press for overall size, and adds rear delt work for the back and side view. Width comes from the lateral head of the deltoid, and pressing alone doesn't train it hard enough for most people.

You can't change your collarbones, but you can add a surprising amount of cap to the outside of your shoulders. Here's how to train for it, with exercises, sets and two sample sessions.

Which part of the shoulder makes you look wider

The deltoid has three heads. The front delt raises the arm forward and gets a lot of work from bench press and incline press. The rear delt pulls the arm back and gets some work from rows. The side delt lifts the arm out to the side, and it sits on the outer edge of your frame, which is why it's the head that adds visible width.

Most lifters have plenty of front delt work already. If your program has bench, incline and an overhead press, adding front raises usually isn't needed. Spend that time on side and rear delts instead.

How to do lateral raises properly

The lateral raise is the main width builder, and it's often done badly. Pick a weight you can control, lean very slightly forward, and lift the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are about parallel to the floor. Lead with the elbows, keep a slight bend in them, and think about pushing the dumbbells away from you rather than up.

Avoid heaving the weight with your hips or shrugging it up with your traps. If your neck does the work, the side delts don't. For many people the right weight is lighter than they expect, often 10-25 lb (4-11 kg) dumbbells even for strong lifters. Lower each rep in about two seconds.

Cable lateral raises are worth adding because the cable keeps tension near the bottom, where dumbbells feel nearly weightless. Do them one arm at a time with the cable running behind or in front of your body.

The best exercises for shoulder width

Build your week from these:

• Dumbbell lateral raise: 3-4 sets of 12-20. The core of the plan.
• Cable lateral raise: 2-3 sets of 12-15 per arm.
• Machine lateral raise: 2-3 sets of 10-15, if your gym has one. Easy to push close to failure.
• Overhead press (barbell or dumbbell): 3 sets of 6-10 for overall shoulder size and strength.
• Reverse pec deck or rear delt fly: 3 sets of 12-20.
• Face pull: 2-3 sets of 12-15 for rear delts and the upper back.

Sets, reps and frequency

Side delts are small and recover quickly, so they handle frequent training well. Aim for about 10 to 16 hard sets of side delt work per week, spread over two or three sessions. Rear delts do well on 6 to 10 direct sets, plus what they get from rows. Our list of the best rear delt exercises has more options for the back of the shoulder.

Higher reps suit these muscles. Most sets of raises and flyes work best in the 12-20 range, taken to within one or two reps of failure. Track progress by reps first, then add weight in the smallest jumps your gym allows. Going from 15 lb (7 kg) to 20 lb (9 kg) raises is a big step, so stay at one weight until you can do 20 clean reps.

Two sample shoulder sessions

Rest 60-90 seconds between raise sets and two minutes between pressing sets.

• Session A (with pressing): seated dumbbell overhead press 3x6-10, dumbbell lateral raise 4x12-20, reverse pec deck 3x15-20.
• Session B (no pressing): cable lateral raise 3x12-15 per arm, machine lateral raise 3x10-15, face pull 3x12-15.
• Bonus: add 2 sets of lateral raises at the end of a leg day. It takes five minutes and adds weekly volume.

Keep your shoulders healthy while you push them

Shoulders take a beating from all the pressing most programs include, so a little care goes a long way. Warm up with a set of band pull-aparts and a light set of raises before your first heavy press. Keep overhead pressing in a range that feels smooth, and if a barbell press pinches, switch to dumbbells with the palms facing each other, which most people tolerate better.

If one exercise keeps hurting, swap it rather than pushing through. A lateral raise that bothers you with dumbbells may feel fine on a cable or machine. Pain that lingers for days after a session is a sign to cut back and, if it doesn't settle, to get it checked.

Width is about the whole frame

Shoulder width looks bigger when the waist is smaller and the back is wider. That's the classic shoulder-to-waist ratio covered in our post on aesthetic physique proportions. Lats add width just below the delts, and big upper traps can make shoulders look narrower by filling the slope from neck to shoulder, so think about balance. The guide on how to build traps talks about when more trap size helps and when it doesn't.

Front delts also do much of the work in incline pressing, so if you're following a plan of upper chest exercises, keep that in mind before adding extra front delt work. Want a picture of the target before you start? The shoulder editor adds rounder delts to your own photo.

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