if you look at it from the point of view of a good looking shape body, bigger, rounder and wider shoulders are actually more visually appealing than chest, back or arms. After all, the width of your shoulders directly determines whether you have a v-shaped or h-shaped body. If you think shoulders are important just because of this dimension, then you are really too young , too simple!
Why is that?
think about it, your shoulders play a role in bench presses, pull ups and even hard pulls, they not only help with the actual fitness but also provide better stability. Take for example the overhead shoulder press, improving the strength of the overhead shoulder press will directly increase the balance and stability of the bench press, overhead press and row.
Now you probably have a general idea of the importance of shoulder training and development. Better functionality, more strength and improved weaknesses. Let's have a good training program and change our way of thinking so that you can gain greater dimensional muscle on your existing body type.
the real story behind big shoulders
is your normal shoulder training routine something like this: Dumbbell or barbell bench press, dumbbell side planks, machine backbone flyes, barbell or dumbbell shrugs? How long have you been doing this workout routine? Does it produce the kind of results you want?
There is nothing wrong with this routine. It trains all the deltoid heads, the obliques, and utilises multi-joint and isolation movements in what seems to be a well-rounded workout program. But do you have any training changes? More sets, reps and weights? You may have tried these techniques with little success.
you may need a new way to properly stimulate these deltoids. Training certain body parts in the same way does not work well. In other words, if you train the chest with larger weights, lower repetitions and longer rest periods, but such an approach may not be optimal for shoulder training.
You may need other, more specific parameters to get better results. You have to get over your ego and your preference for big weights to know what works for your delts.
before we move on, the first step is to clear your movement position. I can't remember how many times i've seen gym goers hurt their bodies doing push-ups, side planks and upright rows. They are like moths dying slowly, desperately trying to catch their last breath.
If you feel guilty about poor posture and technique (honestly) then cut the weight and start working on your best posture. Without proper posture, (especially with shoulder training) no training program will be effective.
Now let's review a few categories of shoulder movements. It is important to gather a list of training movements that you can use before tackling this issue.
shoulder movement arsenal
below is a list of the different types of shoulder movements. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it does break down the types and their subsequent movement variations.
1. Shoulder thrusts
the overhead press is usually at the top of the shoulder training list. Most fitness enthusiasts will start their training with standing or seated dumbbell and barbell shoulder thrusts and will do military style or assisted thrusts. Other variations of the movement include reverse grip barbell presses and those with shoulder strain will do neutral grip dumbbell presses.
this is the part of the list you need to check. Be sure to lower the dumbbells and barbells to deltoid height and then push up all the way to near lockout position. If your shoulders are healthy, then lighten the load and finish the movement correctly. You wouldn't do a half-way move on a bench, would you?
2. Side planks
side planks, front planks and back planks performed with dumbbells are common movements to isolate the deltoid head. They directly stimulate the anterior middle and posterior deltoid bundles respectively.
although these movements are not considered to be high weight, multi-joint movements, the lateral planks are still viable movements for training specific areas. Again, movement posture is of paramount importance. Remember the death moth analogy? Yes, it applies here too.
3. Upright rowing
the upright row is the unsung hero of deltoid development. As another multi-joint movement, he can use more weight and train mainly the deltoid mid-bundle, allowing for a stronger physical appearance. A wider grip will allow more stress to be directed towards the deltoids rather than the obliques.
it is also important to remember to direct the force with the elbows rather than the hands. Keep your elbows up and above your hands, maintaining or slightly above shoulder height. Avoid swinging, swaying and throwing the barbell upwards.
Equipment and other pulling movements
there are, of course, many other movements to choose from such as the instrumented shoulder press, instrumented side planks, rear deltoid flyes and face pulls. These can all be put into your shoulder training. Put the heavy multi-joint movements up front and put these machine movements at the end of the workout.
1. Face pull tips
be sure to pull the handles towards the face, separate the ropes and guide the elbows back above shoulder height. This will allow more of the deltoid head to be engaged rather than just the posterior fascia.
2. Shrug your shoulders
to round out your shoulders, incorporate some oblique movements. Barbell, dumbbell, smith machine and hexagonal barbell shrugs are some of the more traditional movement options. Other machines, devices and rope shrugs are also available, but for simplicity's sake, just use some basic equipment.
caution: Do not throw weights upwards and then drop them downwards. It is mainly a lower back and arm movement. Any shrugging movements should be performed slowly and controlled. Contract at the top for a few seconds, then slowly lower.
Shoulder training angles
adopting a new perspective, let's now look at a few different approaches to shoulder training. Improve your posture, reduce the weight and look at your shoulders from three different angles.
Traditional big weight movements
typically, you will start with large weight, multi-joint movements such as barbell and dumbbell shoulder presses, machine push-ups and other movements such as power pushes and high rollers. These movements involve the most muscles in a seated or standing position.
2. Angle of extension
deltoid extensions are difficult to perform and require precise movement positions and techniques, but will be very effective and will give the shoulders a very unique sense of stimulation. Exercises like the rope side planks and the upward inclined dumbbell side planks are your best bet.
3. Angle of contraction
you may think that all muscles contract through movement, but here i'm talking about optimal contraction, the kind that gives you a strong squeezing sensation at maximum pressure. Like pausing at the top of the movement during the overhead dumbbell side planks, overhead rope side planks and upright row.
a few ways to train the shoulders
1. High reps method
one of the most common practices when strengthening and improving a weak link is to increase the load at the expense of reps and movement position. Simply increasing the weight may not be the solution. This is because the shoulders are more of an endurance muscle. Think of swimmers, whose shoulders are constantly being trained on a daily basis.
experiment with high reps and short rest periods - these two factors may be the key to increasing shoulder muscles. Be sure to pay close attention to the rest periods between sets. Wear a watch or use a fitness clock to keep track, but try not to use your phone - it will distract you too much. For high reps, do 10, 15, or even 20 reps. You will have to lighten the weight, but the intensity of the workout will be insane.
2. Pre-fatigue method
another technique you can use is pre-fatigue. This is another way to force you to let go of your ego. You need to do isolation movements before you do multi-joint movements to force more growth in the isolated muscles.
for example, if your goal is to increase shoulder width by increasing the lateral deltoid bundle work, then you can do the lateral bundle movements first and then do the push press. At first, your push-ups will not be as heavy as you used to do, but over time you will adapt and build strength.
Shoulder exercises
here are three unique shoulder exercises that can deal with different training situations. One for the traditional fitness enthusiast, one for the home trainer and the last one for the self weight training enthusiast. One or all of these shoulder exercises can be used to gain new muscle for your shoulders.
training movements sets reps rest
gym shoulder workout 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
single arm rope side planks 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
hammer machine or machine push-up 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
reverse butterfly or rope face pull 3-4 10-20 30-60 sec
hexagonal barbell or barbell shrug 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
home shoulder workout 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
upper incline bench lateral raises 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
seated or standing dumbbell press 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
dumbbell upright row 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
dumbbell prone side planks 3-4 10-20 30-60 sec
dumbbell shrugs 3-4 10-20 30-60 sec
deadlift 3-4 10-20 30-60 sec
floor self weighted side planks 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
inverted or high push-up 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
hanging backbone flyes 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
reverse scapular contraction 3-4 10-20 30-60 seconds
