Training The Shoulders - Part 2

Here’s Part 2 of our Shoulder Series! In this article, there are 2 routines. The goal for each is simple: more strength and more size. Begin with routine # 1 and work it for 4 weeks then switch to routine # 2 and work that for 4 more weeks. Ready to rock? Let’s train!

The Routines

As noted, we’re doing this routine as part of a 4-Day split. If the popular Push/Pull/Legs split has a drawback, it’s that there’s too much work on Push day. Think about it, you have to work the chest, shoulders, and triceps. If you want to fully work each muscle in a reasonable time frame, this may be a problem. The answer? Move shoulders to their own day. 

Work Traps With Shoulders

As noted in Part 1, we will work shoulders and traps together. The traps are a large muscle that occupies space around both the shoulders and back. That’s one reason they can be trained with either. Besides, the extra day provided by the 4-day split allows ample time to get a quality shoulder and trap workout in the same session.

Shoulder Routine #1

We’ll start with a dynamic warmup:

Dynamic Warm-Up

Lateral Reaches x 5
Upper Back Rotation x 8 each side
Shoulder Twists x 10
Shoulder Circles x 10
Shoulder Back & Front Raise x 10
Forearm & Grip Stretch x 5

WORKOUT

Overhead Press
(You can use a barbell, dumbbells, or shoulder press machine)
Warm up over 2 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 10 reps
40% RM x 8 reps
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set
Using a reverse pyramid, start with your heaviest weight and reduce weight every set. You should fail by the 6th rep on each set.

Dumbbell Side Laterals
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set

Dumbbell Rear Laterals
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set

Shrugs
Use a barbell, dumbbells, or machine
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set
Using a reverse pyramid, start with your heaviest weight and reduce weight every set. Shrug or pull your traps as high as possible and hold for a 3-count on every rep.

Performance Notes

Add weight to all exercises every other workout. Your tempo should be as follows: 3-second concentric/2-second pause just shy of the turnaround/4-second eccentric - This means that every set uses negative emphasis. Increase Time Under Tension by holding the pause longer. Work on reaching a 10-second pause in the position just before the turnaround. If you think this workout was too easy, you aren’t working hard enough. Add weight next time. 

Shoulder Routine #2

This routine incorporates intensity techniques: rest-pause, drop sets, and static holds.

We’ll start with a dynamic warmup:

Dynamic Warm-Up

Lateral Reaches x 5
Upper Back Rotation x 8 each side
Shoulder Twists x 10
Shoulder Circles x 10
Shoulder Back & Front Raise x 10
Forearm & Grip Stretch x 5

WORKOUT

Overhead Push Press
Warm up over 2 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 10 reps
40% RM x 8 reps
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set. Use rest-pause on all 3 sets.
Using a reverse pyramid. start with your heaviest weight and reduce weight every set.

Front Barbell Raise
2 Working sets - 6 reps each set
As above, use a reverse pyramid. Use Rest-Pause on the last set.

Power Dumbbell Side Laterals
2 Working sets - 6 reps each set
These are partial rep laterals. You won’t go very high, but lift as high as you can and hold for 10 seconds. At the end of the 2nd set, do a drop set using 3 preset pairs of dumbbells.

Wide Grip Upright Rows
3 Working sets - 6 reps each set
Your grip is about 2 inches wider than shoulder width. This exercise has a short ROM compared to regular upright rows. Still, pull the bar as high as you can. You will feel it in your shoulders and traps. Use a reverse pyramid as above. Use Rest-Pause on each set.

Performance Notes

Add weight to all exercises every other workout. Your tempo is: 3-second concentric/2-second pause/4-6-second eccentric - every set uses negative emphasis. It’s essential to focus on rep performance no matter how tough the set gets. If you complete this workout and feel you could do more, you aren’t working hard enough. Add weight next time.

Don’t Forget Your 5% Nutrition Supplements! 

This is a mass program so you’ll need to start with your favorite 5% Nutrition pre-workout. We suggest our new Kill It Pre-Workout RTD. It’s convenient and ultra-powerful! With 10g of glycerol, 4g of pure citrulline, and a huge 400mg of caffeine, Kill It RTD gets it done! From there, use All Day You May as an intra-workout. With a leucine-heavy 6g BCAA complex, this makes perfect sense. Finally, mix up Shake Time and Real Carbs post-workout to get a great start on recovery. While you’re here, check out our natural muscle builders and our Core line!