‘I Tried Henry Cavill’s 10-Minute Shoulders and Biceps Finisher

Henry Cavill has some of the most enviable arms and shoulders in Hollywood. It’s far from a surprise, considering his decade-long stint as Superman, but the British actor didn’t just acquire his muscles through superhuman genetics.

Instead, Cavill had to graft hard in the gym. He trained with strength coach Dave Rienzi, who curated a 10-minute finisher to torch Cavill’s shoulders and biceps at the end of workouts using just 6 sets.

I completed the two exercises at the end of an upper workout that largely focused on chest, back and triceps movements, because I wanted my shoulders and biceps to be feeling as fresh as possible for this Henry Cavill-inspired finisher. While I had accumulated some secondary fatigue during the course of my main workout in those muscles, nothing could have compared to the intense burn I was about to let myself in for.

The WorkoutIs it Worth Trying?

It all now makes complete sense how Cavill managed to sculpt his 3D shoulders and shirt-popping biceps. By the time I had reached the fifth full rep of the 3-way shoulder raise, my delts were on fire and barely able to force the weight out to the side and front of my body. And as for my biceps – well, you know it’s tough when you’re looking forward to doing each curl more than the isometric hold itself.

Admittedly, I was quickly humbled. And in the process I learned something key for this workout: drop your ego and drop the weight. I can tell you that from first-hand experience, having chosen two sets of dumbbells that became extremely difficult to finish the initial first sets with, when using the correct technique and fully working through each movement. To keep relatively strict form, you’ll likely only need dumbbells that are up to 75% of your usual weight for a lateral raise and biceps curl.

The pain is definitely worth it for the payoff. These two movements don’t just deliver an unreal pump – they also create the kind of muscle fatigue and microtears essential for growth. I don’t typically train with isometric holds or the dynamic range of a 3-way shoulder raise, so shocking the muscles this way was a refreshing and effective change of pace.

While the finisher is billed as 10 minutes, I found it took slightly longer once I factored in enough rest to maintain intensity. Still, if you’ve got 15 minutes or less to train and want a solid arms-and-shoulders blast, this works well on its own. You could even throw in a triceps exercise to round things out and give the rest of your body a little breathing room before your next big session.

How to Do the Movements3-Way Shoulder Raise henry cavillinspired shoulders and biceps workout

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with dumbbells in each hand. Lift laterally first, keeping your arms straight and raising dumbbells to shoulder height. Pause briefly with weights at sides, lower them and then raise them out 45 degrees in front of you, before lowering them again. Then bring the weights out in front of you, so that the dumbbells almost meet in the middle. That’s 1 rep.

Isometric-Hold Biceps Curl a person exercising with dumbbells in a gym environment

Grab some dumbbells, curling them up to where there’s a 90-degree bend in your elbows. Holding your right arm here, squeeze that bicep as you lower the left dumbbell, then curl it back up. Now, squeeze your left and lower your right.

‘I Tried Henry Cavill’s 10-Minute Shoulders and Biceps Finisher – and Can Still Feel It’

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