weak shoulders

  • Brock
    weak shoulders
    on: 2014-11-21 17:32:14
    I have small shoulders that have most definitely fallen behind the rest of my physique and I was wondering if i should train them twice a week when i get on cycle, i know not to naturally, but i need to bring them up a little. and do u have any advice for training shoulders?
  • IFBB Undercover
    Re: weak shoulders
    on: 2014-12-12 03:32:35

    Great topic! We talk a lot about the drug aspect here at Naps, and I want everyone to be safe and educated, but once you're on the cycle, you need a plan to make your gains. On or off cycle, we can all benefit from investing more energy into thinking about our training and diets. 

    Ok, first a general note on lagging body parts. If you train long enough, you'll start to see that some parts are growing faster than others. For guys that have only been training for a couple of years or less, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in the minutiae of trying to balance things out. Just try to keep hammering the basic compound lifts and obtain as much mass as possible. And unless you're a true monster, I would NEVER train anything less to let other parts catch up. Don't let other muscles lag behind, in order to develop "balance". Always work on the weaker muscle, to bring it up to match. 

    As for shoulders...and hang with me, because I'm about to throw a lot of things at you in the paragraph...A lot of times, when you have a muscle that lags behind, it is often next to a muscle that is stronger. Look at your physique. What do your traps look like compared to your delts? A lot of times, guys use their traps during their delt movements. So use the mirror and watch your form. When you do lateral raises, do you begin to pinch with your traps when the weight gets harder? Do you begin to lean your head forward? Lower your weight and focus on keeping your chest high. Keep your neck and traps relaxed. With DBs in your hands, arms down at your side, simply raise your arms laterally. Focus on keeping the weight on the delt through the whole movement. I would suggest picking a weight that you can do 15 reps with. Delts are a very small muscle, so you don't need much weight at all. Using good form, I don't see why a 200 lb lean bodybuilder can't have a great set using 15-20 lbs for 15 perfect reps. If you're smaller than that, start with 10 lbs. If the weight ends of being a little light, get more reps. And take your time on each rep. The key is to improve your mind to muscle connection. 

    I would start with lateral raises, then rear delts. Don't neglect rear delts. They might be the most forgotten muscle, but they complete your back poses and give you a 3D look from the side. Then after rear delts, move on to shoulder press. You won't be able to lift as heavy of weight, but your shoulders will be pre fatigued and better targeted during the press. For presses, I would begin warming up with a ligher weight, then work up to 4 sets of moderate to high reps, 12-15. If you want to hit shoudlers again on a second day, I would simply add in some more shoulder press at the end of another workout. Only this time, I would do very higher reps, like 4 sets of 30 reps. For the heavier delt day, I prefer to use DB's. Then on the high rep day, I prefer a machine, like the plate loaded hammer shoulder press. 

    Try this out for 3 months and report back with your results. If your diet is in order, you should see some results, on or off gear. If you are on, you'll just see the results faster. If you want more of a critique on your form, post up a youtube video and include a link. Remember form is key. It is form that will fix this weakness.