You saw my example of efficiency of effort using the ideal medial-delt exercise: one-arm cable laterals for your medial-delt heads…
You train one side all the way through—15 to 20 reps to failure, rest 20 seconds, 10 speed reps, 1.5-seconds each to one rep short of failure. Then do the other side…
That can be enough for many drug-free bodybuilders, especially if you’re older; however, you may need more if shoulders are a problem body part.
You have a few options…
1) Do 3 sets of the ideal; make set 2 a normal 1/3 tempo sets, then do set 3 as your Speed Set (you may need to reduce your weight for that last set)
2) Use a stretch-position add-on exercise; studies show that training a muscle with significant stretch loading results in unique hypertrophy
3) Use a contracted-position add-on exercise; this not only can produce new muscle girth in the belly of the muscle, but enhance the target muscle’s ability to engage fast-twitch fibers.
4) Do a full Positons-of-Flexion medial-delt routine: ideal + stretch + contracted
Before you go hog wild and add lots of sets, remember that the medial heads do get some residual work with chest presses as well as lat work…
That is, when the front heads help in a press, some anterior medial-head fibers are involved. Same with rear head and more posterior medial-head fibers.
Even so, you may benefit from four to five sets for the medial heads twice a week, as in the POF routine pictured above.
Always remember, however, that every additional set for a muscle has a reduced mass-building effect and increases damage, which leaches overall mass-building recovery.
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