I Did Dexter Jackson’s High-Volume Shoulder Sessions for 2 Weeks: My Transformation Revealed

The shoulders can be notoriously hard to grow. As a personal trainer with almost two decades of hands-on experience, I have seen several lifters spend countless months training their delts using different techniques, but to no effect.

Full disclosure: I had also hit a plateau and was looking for ways to ignite new muscle growth. This is when I stumbled upon the 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson’s revered high-volume shoulder training philosophy.

Two weeks. That’s all I gave myself to break through the overhead ceiling and achieve that 3D, capped shoulder look.

In this article, I take you through my experience following Jackson’s shoulder workouts and how they impacted my muscle size and definition and fatigue levels. I’ll also share tips on how you can adopt this challenge in your own routine. We have a lot to unpack, so sit tight and read on.

Who is Dexter Jackson? The Man Behind the Giant Shoulders

“The Blade,” known for his unparalleled muscle conditioning, won the 2008 Mr. Olympia and 2012 Masters Mr. Olympia titles. He has won the coveted Arnold Classic title a record five times (2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015).

It doesn’t end there, Jackson also holds the highest number of professional men’s bodybuilding titles — 29. It is safe to say that this record will stand for at least another decade.

Although Jackson wasn’t always the biggest guy on stage, his epic muscle symmetry and balance made him stand out amongst his peers. His striated, boulder shoulders had a huge role to play in this, as they accentuated his V-taper.

I had more reasons for choosing Jackson’s high-volume training routine. He retired from competitive bodybuilding following the 2020 Mr. Olympia, where he placed ninth at 51 years of age.

Plus, Jackson never had any major injuries during his bodybuilding career, signaling that longevity and overall health and well-being were front and center for him always.

At the time of writing, Jackson was 55 years old and could still give many bodybuilders a run for their money. This speaks volumes about his dedication and understanding of the human body.

Jackson is a proponent of high-volume, moderate-weight training to stimulate the muscles from every angle and ensure overall development. He prioritizes achieving a deep mind-muscle connection to maximize muscle pumps and filling the fibers with oxygen, blood, lactic acid, and nutrients for optimal adaptations. (1)

Week 1: Diving into High-Volume Training

I spent over 48 hours researching Jackson’s shoulder routine to get the best bang for my training buck. This involved pouring over numerous training articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts.

Since I wanted to train my shoulders from as many angles as possible, I decided to try a different workout each week. Here is the first workout:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest Time
Seated Lateral Raises	4	12-15	45-60 seconds
Shoulder Presses (Machine or Dumbbell)	4	10-12	60 seconds
Front Raises (Dumbbell or Plate)	3	12-15	45 seconds
Rear Delt Flyes (Machine or Dumbbell)	4	15	45 seconds
Dumbbell Shrugs	5	15	45 seconds

Research suggests that performing 12 to 15 reputations in an exercise can help maximize hypertrophy. Prioritize contracting the muscles with each rep and use slow, controlled eccentrics to increase the time under tension and subsequent adaptations. (2)

Early in his career, Jackson used heavy dumbbells to build new muscle tissue. But as he aged, he transitioned to machines for joint safety and longevity.

Machines follow a fixed line of pull, allowing him to focus on the mind-muscle connection and contracting his muscles throughout the range of motion (ROM). This maximized target muscle fiber recruitment and significantly lowered the risk of injury.

I say this because you must remember that each individual is unique and your workout will vary depending on your current fitness levels and training objectives. Feel free to scale this workout according to your most immediate goals.

In my case, I used dumbbells for lateral and front raises, and a machine for shoulder presses and rear delt flies.

Observations After Week 1

This high-volume workout resulted in a significant pump, and there were moments during the side lateral raises, where I felt my shoulders would burst.

The fatigue hit hard after the very first training session, as the volume came as a shock to my central nervous system. I woke up the following day with considerable delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which made doing basic stuff like grabbing coffee from the top shelf feel like a battle.

I won’t lie; the workout wasn’t easy. I had to push through the burn to complete the recommended reps for each exercise.

Managing moderate weight for such a high number of repetitions demands laser focus. It is easy to lose focus, let your form slip, and abandon the mind-muscle connection.

As a rule of thumb, I ensured that the final repetition of an exercise looked exactly the same as the first. I lowered the weight if I felt my form was breaking. Ego lifting not only hampers your results, but it can also significantly increase the risk of injury.

Even after the very first session, I noticed a visible pump in my shoulders as they looked fuller. These high-volume workouts also demanded a lot of endurance and I had to mentally psych myself up to keep pushing while using a picture-perfect form.

Week 2: Pushing Through Fatigue and Refining Technique

Progressive overload is the name of the game when it comes to making consistent gains in the gym. It involves gradually increasing the load on your muscles to shock your muscles into growing.

As the soreness subsided, it was now time to turn up the heat.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest Time
Cable Lateral Raises	4	12-15	45 seconds
Arnold Presses	4	10-12	60 seconds
Plate Front Raises	3	12-15	45 seconds
Reverse Pec Deck Flyes	4	15	45 seconds
Seated Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raises	3	15	45 seconds

I adjusted the exercise selections slightly to achieve a new stimulus. Variations keep the muscles guessing and can help prevent hitting a plateau.

I prepped for this workout with a 10-minute warm-up routine, including dynamic stretches like arm circles to get the blood flowing to my shoulders and improve my mobility. Making this a habit can boost your exercise performance and limit injury risk.

Adjustments

Week One provided a lot of valuable feedback, and I refined my form, focusing on controlled negatives and a pause in the fully stretched position to maximize muscle pumps.

I also made minor weight adjustments, ensuring that I would maintain proper form throughout each rep. Slowing down the rep tempo is an unassuming way to increase training intensity and it hits you before you realize it.

Furthermore, I tweaked my rest periods keeping in mind the cumulative fatigue from the previous week. I rested for an extra 15 to 30 seconds whenever I felt like my body needed more time to recover.

As a veteran personal trainer, I can attest that these high-volume workouts can take a ton of time if you are not mindful. When you spend too long in the gym, it is most likely not from lifting too long but from taking longer-than-needed rest periods between exercises. This is counterproductive as it lowers your training intensity and overall productivity.

I paced myself through these workouts and timed my rest periods to maximize hypertrophy while ensuring I had enough gas in the tank to give my best in the next set.

Moments of Progress

I noticed that my endurance had improved in just two weeks. I no longer felt winded after a high-volume workout and my overall work capacity was much higher, allowing me to get more done throughout the day.

My mind-muscle connection had also deepened, and I felt a stronger contraction with each rep.  This made me feel stronger, more confident, and in control during heavier lifts.

The Results: Measuring Size, Definition, and Fatigue

Initially, I had no idea what to expect from this challenge since two weeks is a relatively short period to achieve significant strength and muscle gains.

I knew I wouldn’t transform into a Mr. Olympia contender within a fortnight, but that wasn’t even my goal. Since I had been battling a shoulder muscle plateau for a long time, I just wanted to jumpstart new muscle tissue growth and boost my muscle fullness and definition.

To understand my final transformation, you must know where I stood before diving into this Jackson-inspired shoulder routine.

My shoulders measured roughly 50 inches, which is not terrible, but certainly not stage-ready. On the strength front, I could lift decently heavy on most pressing and lateral raise movements.  I really felt that I could add some roundness to my delts to achieve that coveted capped look.

Finally, I wanted that signature “The Blade” definition and separation in my delt heads.

Before-and-After Measurements and Strength Gains

Let’s now dive into the numbers to determine if this short challenge is worth your time and energy.

Metric	Before	After	Change
Shoulder Width	50 inches	50.75 inches	+0.75 inches
Seated Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)	35 lbs x 12 reps	40 lbs x 12 reps	+5 lbs
Machine Shoulder Press	90 lbs x 10 reps	100 lbs x 10 reps	+10 lbs

Make no mistake, a 0.75-inch improvement is not small when it comes to shoulder gains. This 14-day challenge helped me gain considerable upper body size. However, I must add that I was also following a regular bro split combined with a calorie surplus during this challenge.

When it comes to aesthetics, I felt that my shoulders were more rounder, and the definition improved despite my following a higher-calorie diet. However, the separation between the front, side, and rear delts stole the show as my shoulders now stood out in the side profile photos.

There was a small side effect to following this high-volume routine. The fatigue was considerably higher as all those sets and reps took a toll on my CNS. Nonetheless, it is nothing that sleep, stretching, and a balanced diet cannot fix.

Things To Consider

This two-week workout program was as mentally challenging as it was physically demanding. These Jackson-inspired workouts weren’t about hitting PRs. They were about performing each repetition with a perfect technique to carve the most aesthetically appealing body possible.

This two-week challenge also proves that you do not need to lift super heavy to gain muscle mass. Performing a higher number of exercises, sets, and reps using moderate weight can get the job done.

In my opinion, this Jackson-inspired challenge is best suited for advanced and intermediate athletes with a decent amount of lifting experience.

Conclusion

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting miracles within two weeks. However, I gained 0.75 inches in my shoulders and my strength and muscle definition improved considerably. These results are enough to prove that Jackon’s methods still work.

Like with any other training program, you must stay consistent and disciplined through these two weeks and beyond to make noticeable progress. Beginners can start small and gradually increase the training volume as their body starts adapting to this new routine.

If you have any questions about Dexter Jackson’s high-volume shoulder training program or need help implementing it in your own routine, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Hirono T, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Tanaka H, Saeki J, Yagi M, Umehara J, Ichihashi N. Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 1;36(2):359-364. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478. PMID: 31904714.
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.

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