The full workout: two sessions and thirteen editable sets
| Day | Exercise | Sets × reps | Starting effort | Rest | What to save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Machine or dumbbell shoulder press | 2 × 6–10 | 2–3 RIR | 2–3 min | Machine or bench, grip, load and reps |
| A | Single-arm cable lateral raise | 3 × 10–15 | 1–3 RIR | 60–120 s | Cable height, load, reps and RIR |
| A | Machine reverse fly | 2 × 12–20 | 1–3 RIR | 60–120 s | Seat, grip and range |
| B | Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 × 10–20 | 1–3 RIR | 60–120 s | Load per side, clean reps and RIR |
| B | Cable reverse fly or rear-delt row | 3 × 12–20 | 1–3 RIR | 60–120 s | Variation, path and reps |
Place these sessions after upper-body, chest or back work when already warm, or run them as short blocks on separate days. Ramp-up sets for the press do not enter the thirteen. If you are moving from very little direct work, remove one set from each isolation exercise and build from there.
Overlap map: count jobs, not labels
| Movement in the plan | Anterior delt | Lateral delt | Posterior delt | Practical decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizontal or incline chest press | Meaningful shared work | Do not count as a lateral set | Little direct work | Trim shoulder pressing first |
| Overhead press | Primary direct work | Shared participation | Not its main job | Keep only when it adds a useful reference |
| Lateral raise | Secondary participation | Direct work | Depends on path | Keep cable and dumbbell histories separate |
| Elbows-out row or reverse fly | Little work | Can participate | Posterior work inside this template | Avoid duplicate reverse flies after specific rows |
| Pulldown or elbows-in row | Not the target | Not the target | Variable participation | Do not automatically call it a shoulder set |
The volume-and-frequency meta-regression separates direct from indirect sets because treating every set equally distorts dose. It does not hand us a universal fraction for your press or row. In this guide, direct, shared and minor are editorial labels for organizing the log, not a proven anatomy map.
A week with heavy chest work
If Monday and Thursday already contain six hard chest-press sets, begin the shoulder plan without its press or with two total sets. Keep the six lateral and five posterior sets in the example, observe performance and recovery for several exposures, then add only if you can name the remaining gap.
Execute well enough to repeat the exercise
| Exercise | Set-up | Repetition | Stop signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder press | Record seat, back support and grip | Use a tolerable range rather than chasing somebody else's depth | Position breaks or sharp pain appears |
| Cable lateral raise | Keep cable height and distance consistent | Raise with control rather than turning it into a swing | The torso creates most of the repetition |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | Same stance and load per side | Let the arm follow a comfortable path | Range shrinks every rep to preserve the number |
| Reverse fly | Stable chest and repeatable path | Open without turning the set into a heavy row | Back or momentum takes over |
The study comparing presses, lateral raises and other movements measured acute activation, not hypertrophy. It reminds us that deltoid regions participate differently; it cannot crown the exercise with the largest electrical signal. A lateral-raise trial did find similar thickness gains with cables and dumbbells when range was matched: choose the version you can execute and progress.
Stop a set for sharp pain, dizziness, sudden strength loss or a movement that changes to protect the joint. This workout does not diagnose a complaint. Consult a qualified healthcare professional when pain persists, worsens or concerns you.
Progression: clean reps first, load second
- Freeze the variation
Keep machine, cable, grip, seat and range. A different lateral raise needs its own reference even when the name looks similar.
- Climb through the range
Add one repetition where it fits without leaving the planned RIR. Every set does not need to improve at once.
- Confirm before the jump
After reaching the top of the range on two comparable exposures, try the smallest practical increase. Keep adding reps when a lateral-raise jump is too large.
- Trim with a reason
When reps, control or recovery decline repeatedly, remove the lowest-priority set or duplicated press first. Change one variable and observe again.
| Exposure | Log | Next decision | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 kg × 14, 12, 11 · 2/2/1 RIR | Hold load | Repetitions remain inside the range |
| 2 | 8 kg × 15, 13, 12 · 2/2/2 RIR | Hold load | Only the first set reaches the ceiling |
| 3 | 8 kg × 15, 15, 14 · 2/2/2 RIR | Find one more repetition | The dumbbell jump may be large |
| 4 | 8 kg × 15, 15, 15 · 2/2/2 RIR | Repeat or try the smallest jump | Top of range arrived with control |
BUSTAFIT helps here because the exact variation, load, repetitions and RIR preserve the thread into the next exposure. Do not confuse that logging and decision support with automatic volume prescription: thirteen sets remain an editorial proposal that you must adjust.
Substitutions that keep the job intact
| Base exercise | Alternative | What to preserve | What not to copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine press | Dumbbell or tolerable landmine press | Pressing job, effort and planned range | Load between tools |
| Cable lateral raise | Machine or dumbbell lateral raise | Lateral work and repeatable range | The same load number |
| Machine reverse fly | Cable or supported dumbbell reverse fly | Posterior path and stable torso | History from another variation |
| Rear-delt row | Reverse fly | Posterior priority without turning it into a lat pull | Exact repetition equivalence |