After a year-long reign as the Mr. Olympia champion, Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan relinquished the title to a much-improved Derek Lunsford at the 2023 Olympia. Choopan is already back in the gym training to improve his physique and reclaim the title at the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV. Choopan is already qualified for the 2024 Olympia as a former champion and for finishing in the top three in 2022.
On Dec. 12, 2023, Choopan published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he shared his off-season shoulder training tips to build three-dimensional delts. Check it out below:
“Shoulder workouts put your whole body, including the front, back, lumbar spine, and knees, under pressure…and must be done carefully,” said Choopan. He warmed up via shoulder rotations and stretches.
Choopan cautioned against lifting heavier weights to build bigger delts and upper traps, as it significantly increases injury risk.
Hadi Choopan’s Shoulder Workout
below is a summary of Choopan’s high-volume shoulder workout:
- Cable Front Raise
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Cable Front Raise
- Seated Dumbbell Front Raise
- Barbell Front Raise
- Power Smith Machine Shoulder Press
- Barbell Shrug
[Related: Francielle Mattos — Biography, Wellness Olympia Career, and Workouts]
Cable Front Raise
Choopan opened with cable front raises with a rope attachment to bias the front delts. He faced the cable pulley and grabbed the rope attachment with a shoulder-wide neutral grip. Choopan maintained a consistent rep cadence and externally rotated his wrists on concentrics to load the anterior deltoids.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Choopan performed dumbbell shoulder presses through his full range of motion. The dumbbells were at his shoulder height at the bottom of each rep. He stopped just shy of full elbow extension at the top to maintain tension on the delts.
Choopan kept his wrists, elbows, and shoulder joints aligned throughout the movement to bias the anterior deltoids. Over-rotating the shoulders can alter the line of pull and elevate the risk of injury to the rotator cuff and acromioclavicular (AC) joint.
“For exercises like shoulder and chest presses, try to do them in the scaption plane,” said Choopan. Scaption involves lifting the arms from the sides at a slightly forward angle.
According to a Sensors study, scaption is the most efficient movement plane, decreasing the risk of injury by placing the greater tubercle’s apex under the coracoacromial arch’s high point. [1]
Cable Front Raise
For the third shoulder exercise, Choopan performed cable front raises with a D-handle attachment to bias his anterior delt heads. Choopan grabbed the D-handle with a supinated grip, facing away from the cable pulley.
Choopan maintained slight elbow flexion throughout the exercise to eliminate biceps engagement.
Seated Dumbbell Front Raise & Barbell Front Raise
Choopan grabbed the dumbbells with a neutral grip and kept his back flat against the back pad of the utility bench throughout the exercise to eliminate momentum.
Choopan performed EZ bar front raises using a narrow supinated grip to stimulate his front delts. He advocated for adequate rest between sets to allow for sufficient recovery time to replenish adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels.
Power Smith Machine Shoulder Press & Barbell Shrug
Choopan performed shoulder presses on the Panatta Power Smith Machine Dual System Upper. This machine’s unique converging line of pull biases the anterior deltoids and overloads the muscles at peak contraction.
Choopan concluded the workout with barbell shrugs to stimulate the traps. “Most people trying to build bigger upper traps and neck muscles are hurting their lumbar spine and cervical disks by lifting too heavy,” said Choopan.
“Perform three exercises with cables, three with dumbbells, and one to two with barbells, then finish your workouts with shrugs,” said Choopan of his ideal shoulder workout.
Choopan has not yet disclosed his competitive plans for the 2024 season beyond presumably competing at the 2024 Olympia.
References
- Roldán-Jiménez C, Cuesta-Vargas AI, Martín-Martín J. Three-Dimensional Kinematics during Shoulder Scaption in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Subjects by Inertial Sensors: A Cross-Sectional Study. Sensors (Basel). 2022;22(8):3081. Published 2022 Apr 17. doi:10.3390/s22083081
Featured image: @hadi_choopan on Instagram
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