Build Bigger, Healthier Delts

Build Bigger, Healthier Delts

DID WE INVENT A NEW SHOULDER EXERCISE?
I once had a nagging shoulder issue that affected my upper body training. Once my biggest asset, my shoulders shrank down and became a weakness. And my pressing, which was my strength, went from great to barely average. I needed a new shoulder exercise.

While doing a seminar with coach Alex Babin, we decided to do a shoulder pump workout because the heaviest weights we had were 30-pound dumbbells. Just for fun, we came up with an exercise called “the victory raise.”

We got a great pump, and, oddly enough, my shoulder started feeling great.

▶️ The Victory Raise

Place a small resistance band around your wrists.
Lift the dumbbells from the low position to overhead, forming a “V” at the top.
Initiate the movement as a front raise with a neutral grip. As the movement progresses, spread your arms wider so both arms form a 45-degree angle with the body at the top of the movement.
Come back down the same way, controlling the weight for a good 3-4 second count. Don’t release the tension completely at the bottom! Keep some tension in the bands to keep the muscles firing for max results.
Sets and Reps

Do the victory raise early in your shoulder or pressing workout. It’ll turn everything on and lead to safer, more effective pressing.

Sets of 8-10 reps with fairly slow eccentrics/negatives are best.

How It Works

This move basically combines all the benefits of a lateral raise, front raise, and band pull-apart. It hits all three heads of the deltoids as well as the rhomboids and lower traps.

The band keeps the scapula properly aligned, and you can’t compensate with the upper traps, making it a lot more effective at recruiting the delts.