Dominant upper chest = underdeveloped delts... help!!

[gbrice75]

I have a rather unimpressive physique with the exception of my upper chest... probably my only stand out feature. Interestingly enough, only my inner/upper chest is decent; the outer portion and/or delt tie-ins are pathetic to the umpth degree. Which leads to my point...

The area mentioned above as well as my delts in general (all 3 heads) are extremely underdeveloped. My theory is that I am very chest dominant on press movements, so very little of the delts are activated. Maybe this is flawed logic, but it's the best I can come up with.

Shoulder specific movements haven't helped. Presses, laterals, upright rows, etc... I have done high volume and low volume, high reps and low reps, faster movements and slower movements, trained once/week and trained 3x a week... these fvckers won't budge. Any tips on engaging my delts with more of my chest press movements? A much wider grip for instance? Perhaps a reverse grip incline bench with a wide grip?

I'm at wits end!

[Tx89]

What helped my Delts more than anything else was Military Press with very Strict(!!) Form! Try to imagine pressing up from under the elbows and keeping this tension on the delts the whole movement.
Also seated shoulder press in the smith machine with a reverse grip could help bring them up.
And of course one arm dumbell presses with relatively light weight. Mind muscle Connection is key here, maybe close your eyes and imagine that damn deltoid working.
You might have to lower weights with the way i described but it should help! A gym buddy had sort of the same problem and thats what my trainer at that time advised him...
Hope its clear what I mean, Hard to Explain that kind of stuff in English

Btw. I bet many folks would love to have that physique of yours man!!

[--->>405<<---]

I cant offer u any advice but think u r too hard on urself ive noticed with myself the tendency to seek perfection at the expense of recognising where i came from, most likely due to comparing myself with BB'ers and others who have more time and cycle experience than i do..

Dont get me wrong.. Im not suggesting we condone mediocrity as it relates to effort.. But it seems i continue to strive for more than what i currently have (which can be good, but also can be detrimental if driven to excess)..

My initial goal was sub 12% bf.. Well now that im there its become 7-8%.. whats it gonna be when i get there? Who knows.. Probably something do the best u can with wat uve got to work with.. As i mentioned before a bulking cycle would prob prove beneficial for both u and i

My fav shoulder exercises are seated or standing db press and/or seated BB press with smith or standing BB press freeweight.. I alternate monthly

[baseline_9]

Come to England and train delts with me....


Try super controlled overhead BB presses.... Forced reps, push press's and finishing a couple or rest pauses)

Cable side laterals with a pause at the top of each rep (ensure the elbow is above the hand during the movement)... To failure, then 3 or 4 forced reps with a spotter and then 3 negatives, then a drop and repeat... That is one killer set and your delts will be done!

[baseline_9]

And I think your attacking this the wrong way by trying to engage more delts during chest movements....

Just master your delt training.

[gearbox]

Cable side laterals with a pause at the top of each rep (ensure the elbow is above the hand during the movement)... To failure, then 3 or 4 forced reps with a spotter and then 3 negatives, then a drop and repeat... That is one killer set and your delts will be done![/QUOTE]
X2 for cable.side laterals. I do mine very slow and strict. Make sure you go from arms stretched across your chest to triceps fully flexed.

[gbrice75]

What helped my Delts more than anything else was Military Press with very Strict(!!) Form! Try to imagine pressing up from under the elbows and keeping this tension on the delts the whole movement.
Also seated shoulder press in the smith machine with a reverse grip could help bring them up.
And of course one arm dumbell presses with relatively light weight. Mind muscle Connection is key here, maybe close your eyes and imagine that damn deltoid working.
You might have to lower weights with the way i described but it should help! A gym buddy had sort of the same problem and thats what my trainer at that time advised him...
Hope its clear what I mean, Hard to Explain that kind of stuff in English

Btw. I bet many folks would love to have that physique of yours man!!

No problem on the English, it's fine, and thanks for the advice. I have done lower weight, strict - but alas, I will go at it again! And thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it!

I cant offer u any advice but think u r too hard on urself ive noticed with myself the tendency to seek perfection at the expense of recognising where i came from, most likely due to comparing myself with BB'ers and others who have more time and cycle experience than i do..

Dont get me wrong.. Im not suggesting we condone mediocrity as it relates to effort.. But it seems i continue to strive for more than what i currently have (which can be good, but also can be detrimental if driven to excess)..

My initial goal was sub 12% bf.. Well now that im there its become 7-8%.. whats it gonna be when i get there? Who knows.. Probably something do the best u can with wat uve got to work with.. As i mentioned before a bulking cycle would prob prove beneficial for both u and i

My fav shoulder exercises are seated or standing db press and/or seated BB press with smith or standing BB press freeweight.. I alternate monthly

Very true bro. I've said it before... a few years ago, if I could see into the future and see that i'd look like I do today, I probably would have creamed myself. But today, I hate the way I look and of course want more. It's a progression. It started with just not wanting to be fat. Then I just wanted to look thin. Then I wanted to look 'in shape'. Then I wanted to look like I actually worked out. Now, I want the body of a bodybuilder.

Come to England and train delts with me....


Try super controlled overhead BB presses.... Forced reps, push press's and finishing a couple or rest pauses)

Cable side laterals with a pause at the top of each rep (ensure the elbow is above the hand during the movement)... To failure, then 3 or 4 forced reps with a spotter and then 3 negatives, then a drop and repeat... That is one killer set and your delts will be done!

I wish I could mate!

That is the one thing I haven't tried with shoulders... advanced techniques, rest/pauses, forced, etc. I have done drop sets though. The reason I haven't gone to this level is because I feel I should get SOMETHING out of basic lifts/training. If I don't respond whatsoever to that, then how can I justify advanced lifts? But... i'm willing to give anything a shot.

And I think your attacking this the wrong way by trying to engage more delts during chest movements....

Just master your delt training.

Let me clarify. I don't mean that i'm trying to train my delts on chest lifts, particularly with regards to compromising chest. But like it or not, for most people anterior delts are engaged quite a bit on chest presses. I don't want to engage them any more than they 'normally' should be; I simply don't want to shortchange them as I feel I have been.

X2 for cable.side laterals. I do mine very slow and strict. Make sure you go from arms stretched across your chest to triceps fully flexed.

Thx Bro. Back to the drawing board for shoulders I suppose!

[Standby]

im not a fan of my delts either so i cant help you GB but i want to give th eprops and thanks to everyone else that is because i will be behind the scenes trying your guys ideas

[JDBeretta]

Great reads here!!

And Gbrice, you look pretty damn good in your avatar if you ask me. No homo n stuff.

I'm not sure how much flack I'll catch for suggesting this, but have you considered doing your BB military presses behind the neck? I know it's an unnatural and injury-prone exercise, but I do them and get a good feel from them. It would definitely take more of your upper chest out of the exercise.

I don't know, just a suggestion... But based on your pic, you should be telling me how to lift

[MajorPectorial]

Gotta admit I've always preferred behind neck. If I was having problems getting the workout I'd try a few "new" excercises n see if they work.

[gbrice75]

Great reads here!!

And Gbrice, you look pretty damn good in your avatar if you ask me. No homo n stuff.

I'm not sure how much flack I'll catch for suggesting this, but have you considered doing your BB military presses behind the neck? I know it's an unnatural and injury-prone exercise, but I do them and get a good feel from them. It would definitely take more of your upper chest out of the exercise.

I don't know, just a suggestion... But based on your pic, you should be telling me how to lift

lol thanks man! I have tried behind the neck, but my joints suck and it seriously limits my already limited ROM. Furthermore, I have to drop the weight quite a bit to hit the same rep ranges.

However, I agree it almost completely takes the upper chest out. When coming down to the upper chest, it's nearly impossible to stay upright - you almost always wind up in a (very) inclined bench position via an arched back. Not the case with behind the neck.

[rj2k10]

What are you looking to work on? You're width or thickness of your delts, if you're looking to add width your side delts are obviously your target area, if you're looking for thickness then front & back are obviously the target area (If you're looking for both, SMASH THEM ALL! )

One I very much enjoy is on the cables - Right hand grabs the left side cable and vice versa for the left hand, put the cables behind your head (no grips just the ball or the rope of a hand pulley if they dont have the "balls" to grab (nohomo haha), keep your arms at an angle that suits you and pull like you're fistpumping.

Clean & Press is another one I stand by as being one of the better shoulder exercises.

Flicks (Power cleans I believe some people call them? The first part of clean & press) - Flick from ground level deadlift positions to your chest, and back down.

Arnie press is very good for using strict form and adding mass I think.

I can think of lots more, I have a few random ones which are headwork to explain, but will do if you want, I know I've probably said stuff you already know but ah well, just trying to help! Good luck

[oatmeal69]

Well, first off, looking @ your avatar you're doing FINE!
Your front delts look nice and proportioned - Seems like maybe your middles are the ones you want more bulk with?
|I'm still learning what works with delts, but it seems to me they're VERY sensitive to the angle at which I work them. Example - I like Arnold presses as my mainstay movement. I've been doing them seated for years. Recently, I tried doing them seated, but with just a bit of recline on an adjustable incline bench. - Like I was sitting in a normal chair, instead of a straight backed one. Felt Like I hadn't worked 'em in weeks the next day!
Same with reverse pec-dec- flies. I just started standing up and leaning my head against the pad - instead of sitting. It changed the angle just a bit and wham, I'd swear I saw new development in two workouts.