Have you ever wondered what the secret is to convincing people that you have arms as big as Sylvester Stallone? It has huge three dimensional shoulders the size of a rock. And you can also build huge delts with the best shoulder exercises for men using only dumbbells. Better yet, you only need three exercises to achieve Peak Delts.
But we will provide you with more than just the best shoulder exercises. Below you will find all the information, from anatomy to diet, to help you Strengthen muscles the most efficient way possible.
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and plays a role in every upper body exercise what you do These factors, combined with improper exercise selection and execution, explain why they are the subject of so many injuries. This means that people often skip them or find they can’t train them hard enough to pack on mass.
Don’t be those people and start growing your delts today.
shoulder anatomy
You need to understand the anatomy of your shoulders to build them in monolithic proportions. To develop perfect proportions, we are basically going to be concerned with the following three muscle groups.
Anterior delts: Your anterior delts cover the front of your shoulder and are responsible for abduction; perform any pushing or lifting movement in front of the body and you’ll be hitting the anterior delts.
Medial Deltoids: The medial deltoids are the largest muscles in the shoulder and are also responsible for abduction. Adding batter to these is what is going to achieve that “stuffed” look everyone craves.
Rear delts: Your rear delts not only handle external rotation and transverse abduction, but they’re also famous for getting the least love from the three muscle groups that make up your shoulders. That’s a big mistake because packing on muscle here will make your triceps look thicker and help fill out those shirt sleeves.
Why grow shoulders?
Wide shoulders and a narrow waist they are the cornerstones of a classic bodybuilding physique. In lifting circles, the delts are a key component of what’s known as the “top shelf,” that area of muscle between your upper chest and neck. Absolutely nothing gives you that look faster than packing dough on that top shelf.
Stronger shoulders also help with just about every exercise you can think of. most people want bench press heavy but rarely press in the vertical plane. I guarantee that a few extra pounds added to your strict press will do wonders for your bench.
The following exercises and routines will make your shoulders grow or grow back if you experience a plateau in your progression.
the equipment you need
You don’t build a Top Shelf with Lizards and bicep curls. You are going to need to move an important tonnage and that means that you are going to need a quality barbell, weight plates and a squat machine.
Remember how we mentioned that your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body? Well, that means phenomenal shoulders are built using all angles. That means a good set of dumbbells they are a key weapon in your shoulder arsenal.
The best shoulder exercises for men.
1. Strict overhead press
In deep: How to master the overhead press
Nothing will pack mass on your shoulders like the strict press if you do it correctly, so follow the steps below to ensure you’re getting the most out of this exercise.
Grab a barbell (or dumbbells) that’s slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Achieve full-body tension by breathing deeply into your abdomen, pinching your scapulae, and flexing your lats and glutes forcefully before dismounting the bar. Pull the bar out, take a maximum of two steps back, relax for a second, and immediately start pressing.
Press the bar directly over your head without sinking your hips. Remember, this is a strict press. Tuck your chin in or tilt your head back slightly to clear your chin (this takes practice to perfect and will feel weird to begin with).
Push your head back into a neutral position once the bar has passed over your forehead. Your shoulders should cover your ears if viewed from the side. Your traps should be contracted once the bar is locked above.
2. Incline Dumbbell Raise
You can’t build monster shoulders without targeting your rear delts and this is the best move to hit them hard. You are going to get a real t-shirt stretch bomb.
Take a pair of dumbbells, place them at your waist and let your arms hang down. Grasp pronated (turn your hands inward so your palms face you). Keep a slight bend in your elbows. This should be almost invisible.
Focus on contracting your rear delts by trying to lift your little finger skyward at a 90-degree angle to your torso. Only raise the dumbbells about two-thirds of the way up, not parallel. I know everyone tells you to use a full range of motion, but your traps will take over if you do and we want to keep the tension firmly on your rear delts.
3. Partial Range of Motion Lateral Raises
If you’re not already following a routine that takes advantage of progressive overload, then you’re leaving muscle blocks and mountains of strength on the table. Once you’ve got that fixed, these exercises will fit nicely into your routine.
Strict overhead presses can and should be done at a higher intensity and with fewer reps. You’re aiming for three sets of between three and five reps depending on experience and where you are in your training cycle. Really push yourself here, you want to push yourself with the weight because the reps will increase dramatically as we go through the workout.
You’re looking for 3 sets of 10-15 reps on the incline raises. The idea is to pump as much blood as humanly possible into the rear delts. They’re going to hate you for it, but that’s okay because building muscle isn’t easy.
At this point your delts will be on fire and 3 sets of 15-20 reps on the partial raises is a lot to ask after all that muscle annihilation. Stick to your guns though because that fire will become hellish by the tenth iteration and almost unbearable by the twentieth.
You’re probably so full to the brim with lactic acid that you find it impossible to lift your shoulders at the end of your workout. That’s great because it’s time to jumpstart that growth you just stimulated.
eat well to grow well
Forget what you’re seeing on Instagram. You don’t build Bigfoot shoulders with salad and croutons. Pushing heavy weights and bathing in lactic acid requires calories and carbohydrates. We’re building muscle here, and a lot of it.
That said, keep the following common sense rules in mind and it won’t be long before you’re having trouble getting through the doors.
- Your macronutrients must be balanced. This means steak, potatoes, eggs, and olive oil.
- No one ever failed in the fat arena by eating too much broccoli. Every vegetable on earth is a good choice.
- About 1.5 grams per pound of lean body weight is the goal for protein.
- Intra-workout nutrition it is incredibly important in your quest for divine shoulders.
- You will definitely feel sore after this workout and that is normal. You can stimulate recovery by investing in a high-quality product. whey protein shake.
- The magical things start to happen around 200 to 500 calories above your daily maintenance level. Aim for the low end before moving up the spectrum.
- The dirty lump is not your friend. He will tempt you but don’t give up. I promise you it’s not worth it.
