Give this workout a try for broad, more rounded shoulders that others will envy.
Sloping shoulders are a sign of physical weakness and is associated with laziness. Plus, it can start to really hurt your confidence and put you in a hole that you just don’t want to go. On the other hand, broad and square shoulders are linked with physically active and strong individuals. If you study the body postures, lethargic people will drag their feet and walk with dropped shoulders while the powerful people walk with an upright posture with broad shoulders. Wide shoulders are an essential part of a V-taper and can give your physique an appealing look. Oh, and it will seriously boost your confidence to.
Aside from the aesthetic that bigger shoulders can provide, it is important to look at the physical benefits of strong shoulders. As a vulnerable joint, strengthening and making sure those muscle and joints are properly taken care of can and will work wonders when it comes to physical performance. Why put yourself in a vulnerable place by not working those shoulders? Really put an emphasis on making these a priority so none of your training and performance goals falter.
Let’s take a look at a great shoulder workout to really boost all of our gains. Knowing what to do and the best ways to get there can be huge when it comes to strengthening and building up our shoulders. This workout is one to surely fire up your muscles to grow so you won’t be disappointed with the results.
Benefits Of Strong Shoulders
When it comes to building up those shoulders, there are some important benefits to know before diving right in.
Benefits of stronger shoulders include:
- Increased strength and size: By working your shoulders, you will improve pushing movements for all those great exercises while also seeing them get bigger and turn into tiny boulders (1).
- Injury prevention: Working those vulnerable joints can strengthen them and ensure no unwanted pain or injury takes place (2).
- Functional benefits: For everyday activities, stronger shoulders overall can aid in functional strength so you can do other things that you love.
- Improved posture: Posture can be a make or break for confidence and with stronger, more stable shoulders, you can improve your posture in not time and keep yourself walking taller (3).
Boulder Shoulders Workout
Let’s take a look at this awesome shoulders workout to really build that strength and size. A mix of a variety of exercises with things like supersets and drop sets tossed in will make for an engaging and worthwhile workout when looking to boost your gains. With proper form and a desire to really lift big, this workout is everything you need to really boost those boulder shoulders.
Exercise #1 – Superset
- Arnold Press: 3 sets, 10-15-20 reps
- Rope Front Raises: 3 sets, 10-15-20 reps
In this workout, we’ll be training the front, medial and posterior deltoids to get the round and full look. The Arnold press trains the medial and the front delts and will give your shoulders the round and bolder look.
Rope front raises are an isolation exercise which works the anterior deltoids. Using the cable machine keeps constant tension on the front delts throughout the movement which helps in better muscle fiber recruitment.
Exercise #2
- Seated Side Lateral Raises: 6 sets, 10-12 reps
We’ll perform the lateral raises while being seated as it removes the probability of using momentum to lift the weights. In this exercise, we will start by performing 30 reps in the first set and end the exercise again with 30 reps on the sixth set.
Once you complete the third set, use the same weights to complete the fourth set. The challenge in this exercise is to use the same weights in the fifth and sixth set as you used in the first and second sets. It’ll be hard as the fatigue will have set in.
Exercise #3 – Drop Sets
- Barbell Military Press: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
When done with the right form, the barbell military press can be one of the hardest exercises. This exercise is called the military press for a reason. You need to perform the barbell press with a strict form without using any momentum or jerking movement. The military press targets the medial delts effectively. Grab the barbell with a monkey grip and the bar should be resting right above your shoulders at the bottom of the movement.
At the top of the movement, your elbows should be locked out and the bar should be over your temples. With your arms extended over your head, your body should be in a straight line forming a right angle with the floor.
Exercise #4 – Superset
- Alternate Dumbbell Front Raise: 3 sets, 10 reps (each arm)
- Kneeling Cable Rear-Delt Flyes: 3 sets, 15 reps
The dumbbell front raise targets the anterior delts while the rear-delt flyes target the posterior delts. While performing the front raises, raise the dumbbells to your eye-level and bring them back to your sides.
While standing in the center of the cable pulley machine, grab the right cable with your left hand and vice-versa without any extension. Kneeling down eliminates the use of momentum and isolates your rear delts.
Exercise #5: Superset
- Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets, 10-20 reps
- Bent Over Dumbbell Rear-Delt Flyes: 3 sets, 10-20 reps
Dumbbell shrugs target the trapezius muscle. The dumbbell shrugs give you a better range of motion as compared to the barbell and you can move your shoulders closer to your ears. Start with lighters weights and progress to as heavy weights as you can lift.
Rear delts are one of the weakest muscle groups for most people. They can also be amongst the most stubborn muscles to develop. In the bent over rear-delt flyes, hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip and contract your muscles with every rep.
Wrap Up
Working those shoulders for increased strength and size can work wonders for all your gains and this workout above is a great one to boost those boulder shoulders. By building our shoulders up, we eliminate any vulnerable areas that can cause unwanted pain and strain that we just don’t want. Check out this workout above and really work to build those massive shoulders.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Uribe, Brandon P.; Coburn, Jared W.; Brown, Lee E.; Judelson, Daniel A.; et al. (2010). “Muscle Activation When Performing the Chest Press and Shoulder Press on a Stable Bench vs. a Swiss Ball”. (source)
- Wilk, Kevin E.; Obma, Padraic; Simpson, Charles D.; Cain, E.; et al. (2009). “Shoulder Injuries in the Overhead Athlete”. (source)
- Greenfield, Bruce; Catlin, Pamela A.; Coats, Peyton W.; Green, Ed; et al. (1995). “Posture in Patients With Shoulder Overuse Injuries and Healthy Individuals”. (source)