Well-rounded shoulders rarely build up on accident. Such a complex joint, it brings together a number of both smaller and larger muscles that should be developed equally. However, most people continue with the old same exercises such as overhead presses and lateral raises that eventually turn into muscle imbalance and injury. That’s where the Victory Raise Guide comes in. This shoulder-strengthening exercise will engage multiple muscles while being easy on the joints, making it an ideal addition to your routine. With this movement, you are well on your way to stronger and healthier shoulders.

In my personal experience as a fitness writer and personal trainer, the key to developing impressive, 3D shoulders lies in choosing the right exercises and creating a smart workout plan. Get it wrong, and your shoulders will not only fail to reach their ideal shape but might also be prone to pain or injury.

Most new exercises aren’t really new; they’re less well known is all. Of course, the classic moves are great too, but doing the same things over and over can lead to burnout or muscle imbalances. I love introducing fresh exercises that add some variety.

In the following article, I am going to teach you how to perform the Victory Raise, an exercise which activates nearly every muscle in your shoulder. This will be a perfect option for people who have problems with joints, or for those who don’t have enough time to exercise.

Table of Contents:

• Victory Raise Correct Form and Video
• Victory Raise: Muscles Worked
• Pro-Trainer Tips
• Victory Raise Mistakes to Avoid
• Victory Raise Benefits
• Programming the Victory Raise
• Victory Raise Alternatives
• Overview

Victory Raise Correct Form and Video

Whether it’s dumbbells, a barbell, or a cable machine, there’s always a right and wrong way to exercise. The wrong way might let you lift heavier or squeeze out more reps, but it’s usually less effective and increases the risk of injury.

It is, however, right: stricter, sometimes with lighter weights, and with fewer reps. It is safer, and it keeps the focus on your target muscles. Long-term, good form yields better results and fewer setbacks. So always make sure to practice good technique.

Here’s how you do a victory raise correctly and effectively in a few easy steps:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Put a mini-band around your wrists.
3. Grasp one dumbbell with each hand and maintain a neutral grip, as the hands take a position hip-width apart.
4. Engage your core, push your shoulders down and back, slightly bend your elbows, and keep them fixed during the whole exercise.
5. Lift your arms up and forward, making an overhead ‘V’ shape. Push your hands outward against the resistance of the band, and maintain the dumbbells in a neutral position without twisting.
6. Lower the arms back down to the starting position, very slowly, while maintaining tension on the band at all times.
7. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps and sets.

Focus on form to maximize your results in every repetition and prevent injury to the shoulder.

Victory Raise: Muscles Worked

While the victory raise can be classified as an isolation shoulder exercise, it surprisingly works a rather wide array of muscles. This is one reason it’s such a great timesaver; targeting these many areas makes it the only move you need to get strong, balanced shoulders.

Here are the main muscles you engage in this powerful exercise:

• Anterior deltoids
• Medial deltoids
• Posterior deltoids
• Upper trapezius
• Middle trapezius
• Lower trapezius
• Rhomboids
• Supraspinatus
• Infraspinatus
• Teres minor
• Subscapularis

By calling on this entire range of muscles, the victory raise achieves strength, stability, and muscular balance in your shoulders.

Pro-Trainer Tips

Make the most out of your victory raises with these pro tips from trainers:

Use a Slow, Controlled Tempo

Take 2-3 seconds to lift your arms and take another 2-3 seconds to lower them. “Moving slowly keeps your muscles under tension, which is important for muscle-building. As you speed up, you build momentum, which takes the stress off of your shoulders and traps,” says Nugent.

Go Light

Heavier isn’t better here. Light dumbbells and a light resistance band allow you to control the movement and maintain proper form. Your shoulders will be burning after a few reps, even with lighter weights.

High Reps, Short Rest

Do 3-4 sets of 12-20 reps, resting only 45-60 seconds between sets, and you’ll really feel the burn. This technique will significantly bump up the metabolic stress and yield a pretty decent shoulder pump, which may be helpful for building muscle.

Keep Your Shoulders Down

Pull your shoulders up during the movement; this reduces the effectiveness of this exercise. Keep them down by imagining pulling your shoulder blades into your back pockets as a means of maintaining proper form to fully engage your deltoids.

Victory Raise Mistakes to Avoid

How to get the most from your victory raises, avoiding the following common mistakes.

Use of Legs or Back

Victory raises are an isolation exercise for the shoulders. Only the shoulder joint should move; do not use your legs or back to raise the weight since this takes tension off the muscles you are trying to train.

Allowing Your Hands to Come Together

Perform the entire movement with tension on the mini-band by pressing your hands outward. This constant tension outward fully engages your shoulder muscles and provides a greater stimulus on every rep. Don’t let your hands drift together at the bottom of the movement.

Turning Your Arms or Wrists

Keep your hands in a neutral position throughout the range of motion; a good cue is to “lead with your thumbs.” Twisting at the wrist or arms inward will make the movement less effective and will put your joints in poor positioning.

Victory Raise Benefits

Here are the extra key benefits of adding victory raises to your shoulder workouts:

Smarter Exercises

The Victory Raise involves several shoulder muscles simultaneously, thereby eliminating the need for multiple exercises-the overhead presses, front raises, lateral raises, bent-over flyes, and shrugs. That makes your workout more time-efficient without any loss of effectiveness.

Balanced Shoulder Development

Since it’s used in a lot of pressing exercises, most lifters overdevelop their anterior deltoid (front shoulder). Victory raises work all three deltoid muscles-anterior, medial (side) and posterior (rear)-with extra focus on the medial and posterior heads, helping to create balanced, well-rounded shoulders.

Improved Posture

But beyond fortifying your shoulders, victory raises work the mid and lower traps, along with your rhomboids that support your shoulder girdle. By doing this, it will help combat poor posture-particularly if you have spent much time hunched over a desk.

Less Joint Stress

Many people get shoulder discomfort when performing overhead presses due to limitations in the range of motion or structural abnormalities. Victory raises are easier on your joints while still providing an extreme workout for your shoulders. This makes it much safer for those with shoulder pain.

Stronger Rotator Cuffs

Your rotator cuff muscles are small, yet so significant to the stability of the shoulder. Victory raises strengthen them with the larger shoulder muscles, hence minimizing injury and also averting pain in the shoulder.

Ideal for Home Workout

The victory raises are easy to incorporate into a home workout. All you need is a pair of light dumbbells and a mini-band-or a belt or booty band-and it is really an inexpensive exercise that is highly effective for shoulder strength and muscle development.

Programming the Victory Raise

Here’s a few ways you can incorporate victory raises into your training program:

1. As an opening exercise to your delt workout

Use the victory raise as an activation and pre-fatigue exercise for your shoulders. Make sure that with this early fatigue, the weights used in your key exercises will be less stressful on the joint while stimulating the muscle effectively.

2. As your primary shoulder exercise

Victory raises are an excellent primary shoulder workout if one doesn’t have the time to do a full workout, or they’re too exhausted. It’s an excellent all-in-one exercise, as it hits many of the shoulder muscles.

3. At the end of a workout

Do victory raises as a finisher. A couple of high-rep sets will make certain you’ve totally annihilated your shoulders, leaving no fiber unrested. It’s a great way to round off the session with a killer burn.

You could play with these variations to find what works best for you and your goals, and even energy levels.

Victory Raise Alternatives

While victory raises are one of my favorites, mixing things up in your routine is always good for a little variety and to avoid plateaus and boredom. Here are three effective alternatives, all of which have similar benefits:

1. Cable Y Raise
This will hit the anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids, middle and lower trapezius, and rhomboids. The cables can keep constant tension on the muscles, which is excellent for development. It does, however, require an adjustable dual cable machine.

2. Incline Y Raise
The Incline-Y raise is going to put more emphasis on your posterior deltoids, mid and lower traps, and rhomboids. It may not be as multivalent as the Victory Raise in terms of affected muscles, but it’s a decent exercise nonetheless for building a more solid upper back and helping improve your posture.

3. Cable Face Pull with External Rotation
Face pulls have long been a fantastic movement for the rear delt and upper back, but adding in the external rotation brings into play your rotator cuffs. This is great for stability and resilient shoulders, which works well from a strength perspective and one of injury prevention.

Overview

The general notion running rampant in the bodybuilding world is “go heavy or go home”. The general consensus of most lifters is that one should only be lifting heavy weights to achieve and build the body muscles, which puts them into some sort of poundage comparison. But the reality of the matter is that lighter weights with smart, targeted exercises can be just as effective, if not more so, for certain movements.

Take the victory raise, for example. You’ll need nothing more than a pair of light dumbbells, a mini-band, and a full range of motion to give your shoulders a workout that you wouldn’t believe. It looks like such a simple move, but it really does burn and will develop all the major muscles in your shoulders.

The victory raise has become such a staple in my shoulder routine and in my clients’ that it has proven to be truly valuable time and again. Give this a try; you’ll be amazed at how quickly your shoulders feel the difference!

References;

• Elzanie A, Varacallo M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. [Updated 2024 Jan 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537056/
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