Purpose of this post:
The following is an edited version of a response I sent to someone asking help with their shoulders. I thought that it might be helpful for others to see this in case they are having similar problems or questions.
Background:
The person who wrote me appears to be either an ectomoph (very hard gainer) or an ecto-mesomorph (slightly hardgainer). Other body parts are apparently growing reasonably well, so diet does not seem to be an issue here. He works his shoulders separately from his chest and back. Here's a brief look at his shoulder routine:
Front raises: 3 sets
Dumbbell Press: 3 sets
Reverse Flyes: 3 sets
Side lateral raises: 3 sets
Shrugs: 3 sets
Here's the edited version of my response to him:
If your satisfied with your back growth, then there's no need yet to tweak your back program. On the other hand, you shoulder plan needs some attention.
My first observation is: You might be overworking your shoulders.
Remember that you work your shoulders in every upper body routine. So, if your workout split is (for 7 days): chest, rest, back, rest, shoulders/arms, rest, legs; then you'll have worked your shoulders 3 times in one week and will not have given them time enough to grow (while resting). NOTE: the above is not a recommended split, it was written only to make a point about the shoulders.
Consider combining your shoulder workout with either back or chest. This way, You will pre-exhaust your shoulders by working either chest or back first, will put less strain on the shoulders (using less weight because they are pre-exhausted), and will have more days to rest your shoulders and to let them grow.
OR
Take a weak-point training approach in which you combine some of the other body parts such as chest and back on one day to allow you work shoulders on a single day (alone) so you: (1) can put effort as possible into using heavy weights to work shoulders (2) can avoid working your shoulders 3 times per week as described above. A rest day should follow your shoulder day to allow for growth.
When you’re not growing, do not be afraid to rest more, for we grow as we rest.
My second observation is:
Front raises and lateral raises are fine-tuning exercises that should be completely thrown out of your routine if you are having difficulty making your shoulders grow. I'll tell you why in a second. First let me say:
I have lateral movement exercises in my routine that I shared with you because my shoulders tend to grow fast, mainly because I am a shoulder presser (I use my shoulders too much when doing pressing exercises for the chest). That's why my chest is lagging, and that’s why my shoulders are developed. So, I can throw in a few fine-tuning exercises for shoulders; however, using variations of shoulder presses are the only way to make your shoulders grow. The overhead press (and variations) is to deltoids as the squat is to quads.
Front raises and lateral raises sap your energy--energy that could be used far better doing heavy presses. You should NOT put any exercise before the main exercise for the muscle group unless it is light weight used ONLY for warm up of one or two sets. However, it's preferable to warm up using the same exercise with which you're about to begin your routine. In other words your routine should start with one or two LIGHT warm up sets of dumbbell presses then you should head straight into HEAVY dumbbell presses.
When I say use heavy weight, I mean that the weight should be heavy enough that you will fail (without spotter-forced reps) at the 8th - 10th rep. If you cannot execute every rep of an exercise using perfect form (no cheating, twisting, arching your back excessively or using momentum at the beginning of the exercise to move the weight), then you are using too much weight. All of your reps must be controlled and slow—not explosive. Explosive pressing uses momentum to move the weight. Explosive pressing deprives your muscle of much needed time under controlled stress while pressing the weights upward at the beginning portion of a rep of an exercise.
I suggest that you do the following for your shoulders:
--Dumbbell Press: (dumbbells kept at side of shoulders)** 4 sets, 3 when doing drop-sets
--Military Press: (front press--pressing bar approximately from chest to above head)** 3-4 sets, 3 when doing drop-sets
--Reverse Flies: 4 sets, 3 when doing drop-sets
--Shrugs: 4 sets...In this exercise you should be able to slowly pull your shoulders up so they move up noticeably, hold at the top for a second, then slowly return weight to starting position. DO NOT completely relax your shoulders at the bottom of the shrug, or else you risk damaging your shoulders by transferring the weight to non-muscular structures. Keeping the shoulders under stress at the bottom of the shrug helps protect your shoulders and it increases the intensity of the exercise and the stimuli necessary for the shoulders to grow. DO NOT rotate your shoulders when doing shrugs—the rotation under stress damages the shoulders. The motion should be straight up and straight down. First, do the exercise without any weight in your hands and note how far your shoulders move up. If you cannot move your shoulders that far up with weights in your hands and if you cannot hold the weight for a second at the top of the shrug, then you are using too much weight.
**--NOTE: Do not do behind-the-neck presses. They put too much strain on the shoulders (as do behind the neck lat pull-downs) and can damage them.
Let me know if you have more questions.
Keep growin'
Best,
BASK8KACE
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Originally Posted by Beat
