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Shoulder
Training
Here is a nice little shoulder exercise that you could benefit
from by incorporating into your workouts. Be warned, it is intense
and may take some getting used to. That said, you will make great
gains in shoulder width for all that pain.
Warm Up
As usual, the best way to start any exercise routine is to start
with a basic warmup, this way you help prevent injuries to the
muscles and delicate joints involved. One method of stretching out
your shoulders is to grab a stationary bar and pull to the front
and back. Stretch slowly to help accustom your muscles to the lifts
which will follow. If you don’t like conventional stretching,
then I would suggest doing one or more light sets before starting
your workout; or pyramiding the weight up as you do subsequent
sets. This will help you shoulders get used to the lifts, without
straining them during the initial light sets. This will aid
flexibility and help prevent injuries. Once you have completed your
warmup sets, be sure to increase the weight to ensure a quality
workout. The following exercises listed below are a few which I
have selected which will help you hit all three heads of the
lateral deltoid. Once you are finished, you should feel your delts
blasted.
Seated Dumbbell Press
Grab two dumbbells and press them straight up overhead. Go slowly
all the way down, lowering the weight in a controlled manner with
proper emphasis on form throughout the entire range of motion. Try
to keep your body stationary and feel your shoulders doing the
work, in order to gain the most muscle and strength possible from
the movement. I would suggest two or three sets of dumbbell press
before going on to the next exercise.
Dumbbell Lateral Raises (Seated or Standing)
Dumbbell lateral raises emphasize the side (lateral) head of the
deltoid. Keep your palms facing down throughout the exercise.
Gradually turn the pinky side of your hand up as you raise the
weight. Do another two to three sets of this exercise, and consider
drop sets, or partial reps to really hit the shoulders beyond the
point of failure.
Dumbbell Front Raises
Dumbbell front raises are a great exercise to hit your front
(anterior) deltoids. Dumbbell front raises hit the same part of the
deltoid as front raises such as military press, and dumbbell press,
however, many say that incorporating dumbbell front raises into
their workouts helps to sharpen the tie in between the front part
of the shoulders and the upper chest, and as a result makes your
extreme upper body look much more full and developed.
Training the Rear Deltoids
To train the rear deltoids, you can do bent over dumbbell
laterals, or do the same movement on the cable machine. If you find
this is hard on your lower back (lumbar region), you should
consider using a rear - delt machine. Using this machine, you are
in the seated position, and you thereby take stress off your lower
back. Once again, only two or three sets is necessary.
Barbell Shrugs
There is always some argument over whether to include trapezius
training on back day or shoulder day, and many agree either is
fine. If you are going to include trapezius training as part of
your shoulder routine, I would suggest some heavy barbell shrugs.
Use a shoulder width grip, and raise the barbell up using only the
power of your traps. Pretend you are trying to shove your traps
into your ears, to ensure you go through the entire range of
motion. Remember form over weight is always important, and it is
even easier to use heavy weight with improper form for barbell
shrugs. Do the weight you can handle, and don’t try to show
off. When you find your shoulders getting wider and wider in the
workouts which follow, you will thank yourself for using strict
form. As always, only one or two sets is necessary.
Always train with maximum intensity and use as much weight as you
can providing you can complete 6 to 12 reps with perfect form
throughout the entire range of motion.
If you have any further questions or concerns involving your
shoulder training, feel free to e - mail me any time, and I will
try to help you as much as I can to achieve the goals you’re
looking for!
Best regards, and good luck!
Take care,
webmaster@bodybuildingpro.com
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