Sculpt and Strengthen Your Shoulders and Triceps with Lais DeLeon

With close to a million followers on Instagram, NLA for Her-sponsored athlete Lais DeLeon receives a lot of attention. She’s also become a regular on Gym2k.com, sharing her efficient-yet-effective gym-based and at-home workouts, as well as healthy recipes. Abs may be made in the kitchen, as the slogan says, but building the rest of your body requires some serious workouts.

Take this workout video, for example. The goal is to sculpt and strengthen your triceps and shoulders, and you’re going to do that with high-volume isolated sets and supersets. This workout should take 30-45 minutes to complete, so let’s get to it!

Lais DeLeon’s Shoulders-and-Triceps Workout

Technique Tips

Cable Triceps Press-down

This move will activate the triceps and dilate the vessels within to allow for greater blood flow so you’ll be ready for the rest of your workout. Use the bar attachment and select a weight that you feel you can comfortably do for 20 reps with perfect form.

“The weight may feel a little light at first,” explains DeLeon. “But trust me, after 20 reps, you’re going to feel it.”

Keep your chest up and your core engaged as you complete 4 sets of 20 reps.

Dumbbell Arnold Press

Now that you’re warmed up, it’s time to move on to the Arnold press. Arnolds are a great all-around shoulder exercise. You’re past the warm-up portion of the workout, so it’s time to grab heavier weights.

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These presses can be done standing or seated, but DeLeon prefers the latter.

“I like to do these seated to keep me focused on my form,” she says. “I can make sure I’m not using momentum to get that weight up.”

Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Sit upright with your shoulder blades barely touching the back of the seat. That way your shoulders, not your chest, do most of the pressing. Keep your core tight to protect your lower back as you knock out 4 sets of 12 reps.

Dumbbell Shoulder Complex and Bench Dip

This first superset is a shoulder-raise combination followed immediately by triceps dips on the bench.

The dumbbell shoulder complex comprises three parts. Done in succession, a lateral raise, a front raise, and a bent-over rear fly counts as one rep. Complete 10 total reps of this shoulder complex before moving on to the dips.

For the bodyweight bench dips, you can extend your legs in front of you to make it a little bit more difficult. If you need a little assistance, bend your knees and bring your feet closer to you to assist with the exercise.

Keep your hips close to the edge of the bench and your elbows stacked over your wrists as you rise up and down. Complete 15 dips to finish the superset, then rest.

Cross Cable Fly and Bent Overhead Triceps Extension

Start with a cross cable fly, which is basically a standing rear delt fly where you cross the cables, holding each one in the opposite hand.

“I like this exercise because I can keep constant tension throughout the whole movement,” explains DeLeon. “It really helps me target my rear delts.”

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After completing 12 reps of the cable fly, go directly into the bent overhead triceps extension. Set the pulley high and face away from the stack, holding the ends of the rope attachment in each hand.

Hinge forward from the hips, keep your back straight, and hold your upper arms parallel to the ground on either side of your head. Press your hands forward, extending through the elbow to contract the triceps. Bend your elbows back, achieving a good stretch in your triceps, and repeat.

Flex your triceps hard at the top of each rep. Once you finish the triceps extension, take a rest. Repeat for a total of 4 supersets.

Dumbbell “L” Lateral Raise to Lateral Down

DeLeon saves this great finisher combo for the end of this workout to wrap it up by hitting both the triceps and the shoulders in one move.

“By the end of this workout, your shoulders should be on fire!” she exclaims.

Holding dumbbells at your sides, position your feet hip- or shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms to 90 degrees, then raise them laterally away from your body, maintaining that “L” shape with your arms.

Once your arms are at shoulder height, extend your elbows out, keeping the dumbbells level with your shoulders as they move out to the sides. Pause, holding the dumbbells at the top of what is now a lateral fly, then lower the weights back down with control. This counts as one rep. Complete 10 reps per set.

DeLeon recommends doing this workout as often as once a week, or just mixing it into your routine whenever you want to switch things up.

If you like this workout, check out DeLeon’s at-home perfect booty workout, too.

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