One way to speed up your shoulder workout and leave the gym with an incredible pump is by using shoulder supersets.
If supersets are new to you, it simply means performing two exercises back-to-back without a rest period in between.
People will often use them to amplify the time under tension of a single muscle group or to speed up their workouts by performing antagonist muscle groups during a superset.
When it comes to shoulders, there are a lot of fun ways you can implement supersets. You can use them to isolate a specific head after a compound movement or work two of the three different heads back-to-back.
For our first superset, let’s discuss a superset that could be used as an excellent activation superset to warm up your shoulders.
Shoulder Superset 1: Band Pull-Apart and Wall Presses
This first superset doesn’t require heavy weights but will still provide a serious burn – especially for those of you who have spent years neglecting your rear delts and mobility.
The first exercise you’ll perform as part of the superset is the band pull-apart. Grab a light resistance band and align the middle of the band with the middle of your torso. Grab a shoulder width grip and using your rear deltoids, pull apart the band. Perform 12-15 reps of this exercise.
Once you have completed the band pull aparts, stand with your back against the wall. Bring your arms to a W position with your torso keeping your forearms on the wall. Press against the wall and raise your hands overhead. You’ll feel this in your lower traps and throughout the shoulder. Perform 10-15 reps of this exercise.
Perform 3 sets with 60 seconds of rest in between supersets for a killer shoulder warm-up.
Shoulder Superset 2: Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press and Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
If you’re already taking a seat to perform dumbbell shoulder presses, you might as well intensify the shoulder burn by combining it rear delt raises.
Kick off the shoulder superset by performing a heavy set of seated dumbbell presses. Perform 6-8 repetitions of the shoulder press before moving on to the rear delt fly.
Once you complete the shoulder press, grab a much lighter set of dumbbells and take a bent over stance by hinging at the hips. Using your rear delts, raise the dumbbells out to your side forming a T with your body. Perform 12-15 reps of this exercise.
If you would like to remove some of the tension on your core muscles so you can better utilize your rear delts, you can place your forehead on the bench you are using to perform shoulder presses.
This an awesome superset for those who perform dumbbell only workouts. Perform 3-4 sets of this superset with 2-3 minutes of rest in between sets.
Shoulder Superset 3: Lateral Raise and Front Raise
This superset is a throwback to the original bro workout days where everyone would perform this superset to build cannonball delts.
Start off by grabbing a pair of dumbbells and take a shoulder width stance. Bring the dumbbells out to your side forming a T shape with your torso. This will be how you complete the lateral raise portion of the superset. Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.
After you finish the lateral raises, use the same set of dumbbells to perform the front raises. To perform the front raise, bring the weights to shoulder level in front of you with a relatively straight arm that maintains a slight bend at the elbow. Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.
Perform this superset 3 times with 60-90 seconds rest in between sets.
Superset 4: Cable Lateral Raise and Cable Face Pulls
The cable pulley machine is an excellent choice for maintaining tension on the shoulders as you perform a shoulder exercise.
Begin by setting the cable in the bottom position. Instead of hooking a handle attachment to the cable, just grab the ball that prevents the cable rope from going into the pulley. Bring the cable in front of your body and face to the right or left of the cable machine. Step out until you feel a slight resistance on the machine. Then raise your arm out until it is perpendicular to your torso. Repeat for 10-15 reps before switching sides.
Once you’ve completed the cable lateral raise on both sides of the body, move the cable pulley to the top position and attach a rope attachment. Grab the handles with a supinated grip and pull the rope towards your face bringing the ropes to your ears and the midpoint to your forehead. This accomplishes the face pull. Perform 10-15 repetitions.
Repeat for 3 sets and rest for 60 seconds in between supersets.
Superset 5: Machine Lateral Raise with Bodyweight Pike Pushups
This final superset is for those who want a little variety, especially in a machine dominated gym franchise like Planet Fitness.
Begin by setting up in the machine lateral raise and perform the lateral raise as instructed by the machine for 10-12 repetitions.
Immediately following the lateral raises, take a pushup position. Hike up your hips as if you were performing a downward dog. Bend your elbows so that you perform a shoulder focused pushup from this position. Repeat for 8-12 repetitions.
Perform 3-4 sets of this superset and rest for 90 seconds in between supersets.
Conclusion
In this article we outlined 5 different shoulder supersets you can perform with a variety of equipment. There is something for those who work out at home, limited gyms, and chain gyms.
Give them each a shot and incorporate whichever ones you enjoy the most into your regular workout routine.
If you have any questions about the shoulder exercises listed in the article or about supersets, please feel free to leave a comment below!