Wow! A set of ripped shoulders is the one of my favorite muscles on the human body! I love to see a person that is built like a gymnast or a word class sprinter. The shoulder is where the arm starts. A well developed shoulder is the focal point in our daily work attire and of course a tank top.
The anatomy of shoulder is very complex…but to make it simple I will identify 3 main muscles in our exercise descriptions. I feel light weight, low rest periods, and supersets work very well for shoulder development! So.. lets get started! Here is the workout regimen.
- Posterior Deltoid Flys: 3-4 sets of 12-15 repetitions. 30-45 sec rest between sets.
- Seated dumbbell military shoulder press “supersetted” with lateral deltoid raises. Superset definition is once the first set is completed on the military press then go right into the first set of lateral dumbbell raises. Rest 1 minute 15 between sets.
- Anterior shoulder raises “supersetted” to floor pushups.
Keep in mind shoulders are super vulnerable to injury so be safe and be smart on the weight you choose. All of the movements should be slow and controlled to maximize the muscle developement. Almost every big bench presser has had one or more injuries to his/her shoulder! The #1 reason is lack of warmup, overtraining the shoulder and not properly training all of the shoulder muscles.
Exercise 1. Posterior Deltoid Fly’s.
I personally choose training the posterior deltoid first because we often neglect this area of the shoulder. A very effective exercise is the posterior deltoid fly. Standing or seated bend over at the waist with knees bent and elevate the elbows upwards to the ceiling. Choose a set of light dumbbells and hold for a pause of 1-2 counts at the top of the movement. 3-4 sets of 12-15 repetitions
Exercise #2. Seated Dumbbell Military Shoulder Press
The seated dumbbell military shoulder press is an overall shoulder developer. This movement will target all of the main muscles of the shoulders. Standing or seated choose a moderate to heavy dumbbell weight. Start the movement with arm extended above the head. Slowly lower the weights downward until elbows are parallel to the floor. Very important not to go lower than parallel. We are targeting shoulders and not triceps. At the top of the movement touch dumbbells together. Choose 3-4 sets of 9-15 repetitions.
Exercise #3. Lateral shoulder raises.
To really maximize your lateral shoulder developement you must focus on dumbbell lateral raises. When done correctly this movement is icing on the cake. Seated or standing slowly elevate elbows to the ceiling. Hold for a count of 1-2 and then slowly lower the dumbbells to the floor. For an extra burn twist the dumbbells downwards at the top of the movement. Choose 3-4 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
Exercise #4 Anterior Deltoid Raise
The anterior deltoid is the most overtrained muscle of the shoulder. This muscle is stimulated in every single chest movement that we perform. This is the reason for this exercise pushed to the end of the list. Seated or standing with dumbbells at your side slowly raise the weights above shoulder level. The reason we elevate higher than shoulder level is to stimulate the trapezius. Slowly lower the weights downwards to the floor. Choose 3-4 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
Exercise #5. Floor Pushups
Yes the floor pushup is the overall best shoulder developer. Look at a gymnast or a boxer. These athletes have incredible shoulder developement. Also these athletes have incredible shoulder developement because of the high intensity interval routines that they perform. Activities like jump rope, sprinting, or swimming are great overall shoulder exercises. Choose 3-4 sets of failure and then some.
So overall when your shoulder workout is done you should struggle to take a shower and wash your hair. If you can easily elevate your arms up to drink your protein shake then you didn’t push the envelope. Remember “good pain is only weakness leaving your body”.
{ 1 comment }
i like your advice on these workouts
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