Zac Anysley does partial reps on dumbbell lateral raises to use a heavier weight to explode the medial deltoids.
Zac Aynsley is an inspiring bodybuilder who turned his life around with the power of bodybuilding. Today, he’s a proud Generation Iron athlete with an incredible story about overcoming adversity and transforming his life – Anysley was featured in the Bigorexia film produced by Generation Iron. We got an exclusive shoulder workout of him performing machine shoulder press and dumbbell lateral raises.
As a teenager, Anysley was bullied for being underweight and weak, spending his days indoors playing video games and not eating right. This took a toll on his mental health, leading to dark thoughts and struggles with suicidal ideation. But he refused to give up on himself and found solace in weightlifting. Aynsley says, “Between 10 and 15, I had suicidal thoughts. I’d regularly climb to the top of water towers thinking, ‘Is this the day I’m going to jump?'”
Even when Zac Aynsley got a DJ gig that had him traveling around England and making a lot more money, things didn’t change much. He ate more unhealthily until a trip to a doctor turned things around. There he learned that his internal organs were not doing fine, and he had to make some lifestyle changes to keep living.
That was a turning point for this athlete, who immediately registered in a gym. He also discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger and used him as an inspiration to become healthier. Zac Aynsley saw progress in a few weeks, a kickstart for an impressive career. He’s even received compliments from his hero.
“For years, I had people telling me I was worthless, but here was the Terminator telling me I looked great. It meant the world to me.”
Zac Aynsley, also called “Mr. Biceps” for his impressive peaks, is known for his hard work and sacrifice. He’s had several TV appearances, book covers, and other features. Generation Iron hooked up with him recently as he prepares to return to the bodybuilding stage. He’s been training with a mentor and 4-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia.
In this exclusive training session, Zac Aynsley showed how he builds his impressive shoulders by doing a Smith machine shoulder press. He also does dumbbell lateral raises and seated overhead presses. Learn more about how these routines can help you build boulder shoulders and get special tips for maximum gains from Zac Aynsley.
| Full Name: Zac Aynsley | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 185- 195 lbs | 6’0” | 7/2/1994 |
| Division | Era | Nationality |
| Men’s Physique | 2010s | British |
Zac Ansley’s Shoulder Workout
Smith Machine Shoulder Press
Apart from excellent aesthetics, building your shoulders is a great way to strengthen your upper body. Did you know that more than a third of injuries by athletes that are sports-related happen in the upper body and that 29% of those are shoulder injuries (1)? The Smith machine shoulder press helps you train your shoulders, improves your stability, corrects your posture, and prevents injury — using this machine eliminates the need for a spotter as it gives you added support.
Doing a Smith machine shoulder press builds your deltoid muscles, specifically your anterior and lateral delts. This exercise also works on your triceps, giving your arms more mass. In addition, a Smith machine shoulder press is a safer way to induce muscle hypertrophy in your shoulders. Finally, it can improve your ability to do a regular bench press because it keeps you stable and puts more tension on your shoulders.
Remember to keep your core tight as you press the bar overhead when doing a Smith machine shoulder press. Avoid locking your elbows and do each rep slowly to maximize time under tension and protect your elbow joints.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The dumbbell lateral raise works primarily on the medial deltoids in the shoulders because, during this shoulder exercise, you lift your arms to the side. It’s considered an isolation exercise and is easy to do as you only need dumbbells. You can do this exercise at home or the gym if you find a pair of dumbbells.
The dumbbell lateral raise is a great way to build strong boulder shoulders. This helps you improve at any activity you need strong shoulders, such as pressing movements like bench press.
While using too much weight is not advised for this exercise, there is a trick for lifting more than you usually would with it. Zac Aynsley achieves this by doing partial reps since the weight is heavy and his elbows are bent. Small nuances like this can often lead to significant changes when building your shoulders.
Also, remember that more weight leads to greater tension and, thus, more muscle hypertrophy. But you must keep a neutral back and engage your core for each rep.
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
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While overhead presses are great for a shoulder workout, the seated overhead press is a version that deserves a spot in your shoulder workout. This exercise allows you to lift heavy weights safely and is vital for shoulder muscle growth. You can also easily have a spotter support you like Zac Aynsley does in this video.
The seated overhead press doesn’t require as much balancing as the standing version, which allows you to focus your training more on the muscles. It emphasizes your delts, traps, triceps, and upper chest muscles. Using a dumbbell like Zac Aynsley does is great because it allows for more range of motion than a barbell.
Doing seated overhead presses with dumbbells trains each side of your body to fix any imbalances and makes a strong combo when combined with the machine shoulder press. Plus, research shows overhead presses are a great way to prevent shoulder injuries (2). In addition, trying different hand positions stimulates your muscles from different angles when doing the seated overhead press.
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References
- Enger, M., Skjaker, S. A., Nordsletten, L., Pripp, A. H., Melhuus, K., Moosmayer, S., & Brox, J. I. (2019). Sports-related acute shoulder injuries in an urban population. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 5(1), e000551. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2019-000551
- Niederbracht, Y., Shim, A. L., Sloniger, M. A., Paternostro-Bayles, M., & Short, T. H. (2008). Effects of a shoulder injury prevention strength training program on eccentric external rotator muscle strength and glenohumeral joint imbalance in female overhead activity athletes. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 22(1), 140–145. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31815f5634
