[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
properly warming up. The good news is that the shoulders pump easily. It doesn't take too many
sets to get a "burn" going. In this phase of the routine, work the exercise in its full range of
motion and stick with a weight that's light enough to complete at least 15 reps. Yeah, I know that
seems like it's on the high side, but again, these are slow twitch muscles we're working with and
we're looking to get as much blood into the area as quickly as possible. (This also acts to "pre-
exhaust" the muscles which is an extremely effective technique for instilling intensity without
overtraining.)
Begin with seated rotating dumbell presses. This will be a full range of motion. Begin with
holding the dumbells with your palms facing your chest. As you slowly raise the weight straight
overhead, twist your hands so that the palms will be facing forward by the time they're in the
extended position. Pay special attention not to let the bells collide at the top of the motion.
Keep them shoulder width apart. At the top of the movement, with elbows unlocked, "force" the
elbows outward and backward. This "non-movement" will add stress to the delts. Slowly return to
the beginning position. Due to the potential strain on the rotator cuff, it is crucial to use a
light weight for this movement. It's better to go too light than to go too heavy. You can always
add more reps.
Immediately following the seated presses, stand up and with the same dumbells, perform a set of
upright rows. A mistake a lot of people make when doing this exercise is that they try to get too
much "height." This puts undue stress on the wrists while accomplishing little in terms of muscle
growth. Raise the bells just up to the upper chest. Make sure the bells stay approximately 6" in
front of the torso. Keep this movement strict without using momentum of any kind. No "swinging!"
One way to assure against cheating is to pay attention to keeping your knees locked. This will
prevent that little "jump" you so often see people employing while executing upright rows.
Rest long enough in order to complete this superset one more time.
Now, you're ready for the hard part.
2) STATIC LATERAL RAISES
Using a weight slightly lighter than you're used to using for lateral raises, perform a lateral
raise but STOP when your arms are parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in the elbows. Hold
this position for a count of eight, then slowly lower the dumbells to the side. Now you know why a
light weight is necessary! Shoot for 3 sets of 10 reps of these lateral "holds." Prepare to be
humbled by the fact that not moving a light weight can get pretty painful!
3) "W" PRESSES
Lift a pair of dumbells overhead in the standard fashion, palms facing each other. Now w-i-d-e-n
your arms so that your hands are further out to the sides, simulating the look a of a "W". Do so a
few short pumps and then hold the position for 10 seconds. Repeat the short pumps until you feel
as if you're being stabbed in the shoulders with a hot knife. Resist the urge to whimper like a
schoolgirl. (It's only pain.)
4) MINI PRESSES BEHIND THE NECK
Some people have a problem with presses behind the neck but if they don't cause you discomfort,
they can be the greatest movement for increasing shoulder width. This variation is particularly
punishing--and effective. Begin a press in the normal fashion but at the halfway point between the
starting position and the extended position, stop and hold the weight. Now, while the bar is in
that position, perform some "mini" partial presses, moving the bar just a few inches. Now complete
the press but on the descent, repeat the hold at the halfway point. More "partials", then back to
the start. Three sets should be plenty as long as you keep the rest periods between sets under two
minutes. Once again, reps in the range of 10 to 15 is the theme. These are murder! But they work.
You're almost out of the woods. Just one more movement and you'll be cooked.
5) LEANING CABLE CONTRACTIONS
This is similar to a lateral raise with a cable but with a few variations. For one, keep the cable
behind your back instead of in front of you. With your free hand, hold on to the supporting bar
and "lean" your torso away from the rack. Raise the cable just a few inches and hold it. After
about four seconds, you'll feel quite a bit of tension in the medial delt. At this point, continue
on up and complete the raise. When the delt feels as if it's completely fried, tag on a few
"cheating" lifts to properly insure a total thrashing! Just two sets with each arm should be
plenty.
As you can see, this routine doesn't involve a lot of exercises or a lot of sets. A good majority
of the working sets doesn't involve much movement! Yet, it targets exactly what you want to hit.
The end result will be wider, shapelier shoulders.
Now give the shoulders a good stretch in all directions.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]