Shoulders

The shoulders are an area that men want to bulk up and widen to get the “broad shoulders” and women want to tone for the summer for tank tops, spaghetti straps, and swim suits.  Over the years I have found training the shoulders can be a tricky endeavor.  There are so many exercises compound and isolation alike, it can be confusing on which ones to do and when.  One piece of good news for the shoulders is the fact that there is limited fat in the area so toning can be fairly easy.
There are three parts to the shoulder, anterior (front), middle (side), and posterior (rear).   The key to developing a nice shoulder is to hit all three areas with compound and isolation movements.  First lets explain what a compound movement is, it is the a movement that incorporates more than one joint, for example, the military press uses the shoulder and elbow joint.  Therefore, an isolation movement isolates or uses just one joint, for example, the dumbbell shoulder side raise uses just the shoulder joint.
As for building the different areas I am a big believer in using press movements, such as the barbell or dumbbell to bulk them up and using side, front, or rear raises for isolating or toning.  I like to start my workouts with the press movements when I am strongest usually performing 2-3 sets with reps in the range from 7-12.  Starting with a lighter weight first for 12 and adding weight lowering the reps, which is called the progression principle.  As for the isolation movements I like to perform higher reps for toning and burning the area.  Also, for an extra burn I like to perform holds at the peak of the movement.  For instance on a side dumbbell raise I will hold at the top when my arms are parallel with the floor for at least one second then lower slowly without rocking.   

    
Keep in mind that many of the exercises are universal with cables and machines, but the angles give an entirely different workout.  If I get bored or feel as if my workouts are lacking I will perform the same exercises on a machine or the cables to shock the muscle for growth.  Another good shock workout for the shoulders is called running the rack.  Start with the heaviest weight you can on any shoulder exercise for 4-5 reps and perform until you fail, then set those back on the rack and grab the pair next to them and perform until you fail again, then repeat until you get to the end of the rack or the last set you are performing 20-25 reps.  The burn is unbelievable and the benefits can be huge.

…For more information and tips, check my website, www.chadamartin.com. Thanks to Universe Gym for supplying equipment for this show.