Weightlifting Routines, Exercising Your Shoulders
Some of the lifters in the gym will tell you how muscular shoulders is the greatest contribution toward the overall appearance of the upper body. Thick, round “cannon ball delts” will make your upper body appear wide and powerful. Big, full, separated, striated and capped delts will guarantee you’re wide up top.
The deltoid (shoulder) is a large three-headed muscle group consisting of the anterior (front), medial (side) and posterior (rear) deltoid. The basic function of the deltoid muscle is to rotate and lift the arm. In order to develop massive, all three heads of the shoulder must be fully developed. It is also important to develop the trapezius muscles as well since they extend from the neck down between the shoulder blades.
Both a barbell and a dumbbell can be used to achieve your goal, but dumbbells are the best overall choice. The overhead press is the meat and potatoes of effective shoulder training. There isn’t a single lift out there that can match the incredible shoulder-stimulating effect of a basic overhead pressing movement.
Dumbbells allow you to move through a more natural range of motion and also don’t allow one arm to cheat for the other. They also place a greater amount of total stress on the shoulder region in comparison to the barbell, which shifts some of the stress to the upper chest. I would recommend using the seated overhead dumbbell press as your core shoulder movement. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Press the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are just short of locking out, and then lower them back to shoulder level.
After that, you have to work with side lateral raise, which can also be performed with a pair of dumbbells. Side lateral raises primarily develop the medial head (side delt) of the deltoid. Stand upright with your feet planted firmly on the ground about shoulder width apart and with your knees slightly bent. With a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang in front of your body with the palms facing each other. Using your shoulders, lift your arms up and out away from your body until your hands are at shoulder level or slightly higher.
Most people perform far too much work on their shoulders and actually hinder their gains as a result. Because of this I typically do not recommend that you perform isolation exercises for the anterior and posterior heads. The anterior heads are heavily stressed during all chest pressing movements while the posterior heads are hit equally hard on all rowing movements for the back. A couple of extra sets won’t hurt, but you should try to minimize the volume as much as you can. The key to massive shoulders is quality, not quantity.
This is a sample shoulder routine that you can use: Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 5-7 reps. Standing Dumbbell Side Laterals – 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps. Standing Front Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 reps. Seated Rear Lateral Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 reps.
Big, full, separated, striated and capped delts will guarantee you’re wide up top. Follow these basic guidelines for technique and exercise choices. All sets should be taken to complete muscular failure where no additional reps can be completed using proper form. Week after week you’ll notice how your shoulders grow, i guarantee that.
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