7-time Mr. Olympia Flex Lewis and the new kid on the block, Andrew Jacked, knocked out a high-volume shoulder workout in Las Vegas. The two went back and forth while pushing each other to step up their game. Towards the end of the training session, Andrew Jacked gets some coaching on his posing from both Lewis and Milos Sarcev. You should read on for a shoulder workout that's guaranteed to test you.
WHO IS FLEX LEWIS?
Flex Lewis is originally from Wales. He developed a love for bodybuilding after seeing some of the greats, such as Tom Platz and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lewis played rugby then began lifting at the age of 15, and was mentored by a local bodybuilder. Not long after, Lewis ended up winning Junior Mr. Wales. Since that time, Lewis has morphed into one of the all-time greats with 7 Mr. Olympia titles and countless other wins under his belt. There’s been some controversy about whether Lewis will compete in some of the biggest events this year. However, we hope to see him grace the stage as he never disappoints.
Who is Andrew Chinedu “Jacked”?
The Nigerian-born Andrew Chinedu "Jacked" made his bodybuilding debut in 2021, that made a lot of noise in the sport. This man is a beast with almost unrivaled aesthetics. Jacked won his Elite IFBB pro card, so he’s still technically an amateur. However, he’s looking to change that when he competes in the amateur Arnold Classic this year. Many people are excited to see Jacked, and he seems like one of the front runners coming into 2022. We think he has a real shot at Olympia in the near future if he stays on this path.
FLEX LEWIS & ANDREW JACKED SHOULDER WORKOUT
The video begins with Flex Lewis introducing Andrew Jacked. Lewis talks about Jacked being super humble and enjoying the process before getting ready to step on stage at the Arnold amateur competition next month. Jacked usually trains out of Dubai but has been spending some time in Las Vegas and training at the Dragon’s Lair gym. Jacked says he’s focused on longevity in the sport.
MACHINE LATERAL RAISES
The two start at the lateral raise machine and pump out a set of what looks like 6-10 reps. On the second set, we see Lewis really focusing on a brief hold at the top then a slow eccentric as the weight is lowered. He knocks out a set of 10 reps, then drops the weight and continues on to do another set a little faster of around 10 reps. Then, he drops the weight once more and bangs out some partial reps where he’s only lifting his arms a little until failure.
Jacked follows Lewis’ sets with the same training modality of slow full reps, dropping them with a set of faster reps and finishing off at a lower weight with some partial reps. Lewis and Jacked go through one more round of the same dropsets while using different tempos and ranges of motion.
Machine Shoulder Press
Moving on to the next exercise, Jacked talks about how difficult this training style is. Both men start off with 2 x 45lb plates on each side, then rep out around 15. In the following two sets, they add a plate each time while pumping out 10-15 reps. On the fourth set, the guys start with 4 x 45lbs and 35lb, then perform a dropset as they continue with high rep ranges. These last few sets look brutal as they go to failure, then pause for a second or two before squeezing out a few more reps. Jacked looks like he gets up to 25 reps of the last dropset. All reps are done with a shorter range of motion to keep the tension on the delts throughout the exercise.
Front Delt Flys
The third exercise has the men on the pec deck. In this exercise, we see the body positioning is vastly different for a standard chest fly. Lewis is leaning his upper body forward with his butt back in the chair while his arms are at shoulder level to shift the tension towards his front delts. They get in 4 sets here at the 15-25 rep range. This workout definitely hits the mark of high training volume!
Incline Rear Dealt Flys
The last exercise of this shoulder workout features the guys on a chest-supported machine where they’re hitting the rear delts. The focus here is on the contraction of the muscles with slow, controlled reps as they perform over 20+ reps per set. They finish up this exercise with 2 full sets, and by now, their shoulders are toasted.
Bodybuilding Posing
Jacked strips off his shirt and looks like an absolute monster. Flex Lewis is impressed with Jacked’s physique and offers some pointers on how he flexes his muscles as he’s posing. Sarcev then comes over to join the posing session to provide some tips to Jacked. This man is a force to be reckoned with. He’s quite new to the sport of competitive bodybuilding, and the sky’s the limit for him.
We won’t be surprised if he ends up following a similar trajectory that Big Ramy did. You better get used to seeing Jacked in this extreme sport as not many men can compete with his size and proportions. Sarcev says Jacked is a scary sight to see and that he looks like Superhero. After some small improvements, he thinks Jacked might be unstoppable.
Related: 8 Mandatory Bodybuilding poses
Sample Flex Lewis & Andrew Jacked Shoulder Workout
This is a killer workout that will get those delts burning. It’s probably best done with a training partner to help push you to your limits and help with executing dropsets.
- Warmup: 5-10 minutes to warmup the shoulders
- Lateral Raises (Machine or Dumbbell): 4 sets x 10-15 reps (1st set go heavy 6-10 reps. Last three sets are dropsets of 3 sets with the last being partial reps)
- Machine Shoulder Press (Or Barbell shoulder press): 4 sets x 10-25 reps (sets 1-3 are 10-15 reps, set 4 is a dropset going down in weight 3 times while going to failure each set)
- Front Flys: 4 sets x 15-25 reps (Push butt back in the chair and lean upper body forward to hit the front delts and reduce tension on the pecs)
- Incline Rear Delt DB Flys: 2 sets x 20-30 reps (focus on slow controlled motion with max muscle contraction)
Note: Take 1-2 minute rest between full sets—no rest between dropsets.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We learned some techniques in this video that Flex shared and can’t wait to try them out in the gym. If you were looking for a shoulder blasting workout, then this is the one!
Let us know if you give this one a go.
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author