Shoulders are, perhaps, the part of our body that impress the most and that best highlight our figure. It’s the first thing you see on someone, and that’s why we must strive to make them as wide as possible. Ideally, they should be rounded and well developed in all three parts or heads: front, side and back. In order to achieve full, strong and visible shoulders, we have prepared this high intensity programme, recommended only for advanced athletes who intend to compete or have been working out seriously with weights for a long time. Keep in mind that the shoulder joint is the most unstable joint of them all, so you have to take good care of them, strengthen them and warm up well before starting the exercise.
As the shoulder joint is the most unstable joint of them all, you should precede this training routine with a general light warm-up (treadmill, ski simulator or stair climber) and a specific warm-up, adding one or two very light sets of basic exercises (press and row). Remember to stretch at the end of the routine.
IMPRESSIVE SHOULDERS PROGRAMME
DURATION: 10 to 12 weeks
EXERCISE TIME: Between 35 and 45 minutes + warm-up
FREQUENCY: once a week
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS | REST |
| BEHIND THE NECK PRESS | 4 | 10 to 6 | 2-2,5 min |
| UPRIGHT ROW | 4 | 10 to 6 | 2 min |
| LATERAL RAISE | 4 | 12 to 8 | 1,5 min |
| REAR DELTS | 4 | 12 to 8 | 1,5 min |
Warm up by walking quickly or using a stair simulator for 5 to 6 minutes. Then do a set of behind the neck presses of 12 or 15 reps with half the weight you’ll be usingin the work set.
Start doing (in press and row) 10 reps in the first set (staying within 1 or 2 reps of muscular failure, without reaching it), and in the remaining set, reduce the reps by1 or 2, using the same weight, to continue training with the same intensity. Pushyourself hard in the last set (now you must reach muscle failure, or the momentwhen you can’t do more reps without help). Do the same for both lifting exercises. Rest times are approximate: always try to reduce them, but without doing theexercise wrong or adding momentum.
