Shear failures under seismic loads often represent a paramount issue in pre-code and low-code Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings. In these structures, beam-column joints generally totally miss stirrups, and beams or columns often have a minimum amount of transverse reinforcement, according to obsolete technical or seismic codes in force in Italy before ‘90s. A number of strengthening techniques exist in the literature and in common practice to solve such critical failure typologies. This work is focused on the experimental assessment of the effectiveness of one of these techniques, which relies on pre-stressed stainless steel strips (CAM® technology), applied on beams/columns or joints to improve shear strength and displacement capacity without change lateral stiffness. Pseudo-static tests have been performed at the University of Naples Federico II on shear critical columns and unreinforced joints with and without strengthening. Experimental results are described and global responses compared to prove the effectiveness of the investigated technique.