Aesthetic Training Tips | How to Build Shredded Shoulders

In this new series, we cover aesthetic training tips provided to us by some of the top bodybuilders in the industry, and learn which exercises they use to build their shredded physiques.

In this particular episode, IFBB pro and MuscleTech athlete Santi Aragon shows us some moves he uses to build his shredded shoulders.

Give them a shot for yourself and transform your delts!

1. Reverse Pec Dec

The first movement Santi covers is the rear pec deck. The point of performing a rear pec deck is to hit the rear delt.

Set up by assuming a position facing the pad where you are level with the bar. Instead of grabbing the handles and pulling back, flip your hands by positioning them on the inside of the bar so you can push back behind you.

This will allow you to place all of the movement through the elbow and the focus on the rear delt.

2. One Arm Cable Side Lateral Raises

The second movement Santi uses to build shredded shoulders is the cable side lateral raise. The cable will provide constant tension on the shoulder, and even provide a deeper stretch during the eccentric portion of the movement.

Bring the weight up without swinging the body. You should concentrate on the movement and pulling with the delt. A lot of people make the mistake of locking out their elbows when performing the movement. This puts a lot of strain on your elbow joint.

Instead, keep a slight bend in your elbow and pretend you have a string attached to your elbow and that string is what is pulling your elbow up.

3-4. Cable Rope Front Raise & Cable Rope Upright Row

The final movement(s) Santi shows us to help build aesthetic and classic looking shoulders is a superset. The first part of the superset is a cable rope front raise.

Lean your body slightly forward, keeping your back straight, and pull the rope straight forward and up. Perform about 12-15 reps of this exercise, then turn and perform an upright row immediately.

The upright row can be challenging for a lot of people because it is awkward for them to lead with their elbows. It is very important that you pick an appropriate weight so your elbows are what is driving the weight.