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     Shoulders

 
 

The shoulders (delts) are a smaller muscle group consisting of the front, rear, and side head. The shoulders get worked a lot when doing your chest workout so you don't have to spend a great amount of time in the gym on shoulder day.  Many people will work chest and shoulders on the same day which is not a bad idea if you have the time.  You could easily do your full chest routine and then throw in 3 shoulder exercises at the end. We are going to hit the shoulders with 8-12 reps just like the other body parts to get some mass and strength.  There will be times when we get into more advanced training where we cycle into a higher rep workout pattern but generally we will stay consistent with the 8-12 reps.

The military press is to the shoulder routine what the squat is to the leg routine.  The military press is great for building good shoulder strength and muscle mass.  After a quick warm up set I would do 3 sets of the military press for 8-12 reps.  Then we need to hit the side head of the shoulder with the side lateral raises.  You can do these seated or standing and I prefer the seated variation because it is a more strict movement. Pick a weight for the side lateral raise that enables you to perform the movement in a controlled smooth motion with no jerking or throwing the weight up.  Form is important with this movement.

The push press is something I started using years ago when I read one of Arnold's books and he raved about it.  This movement is called the push press because you are allowed to cheat and push the weight up with your hips and legs.  The idea behind this front shoulder movement is that you are using a weight that you cannot do if you were not to "push" it up without a little cheating.  This move will really build your front delt if done consistently.  If the push press is not for you then I would do standing front lateral raises to hit the front delt.

                                                Beginner Shoulder Routine

Warm up with 2 sets of military presses for 15 reps each set

Seated military press - 3 sets for 8-12 reps each set

Seated side laterals - 3 sets 8-12 reps each set

Standing push press - 3 sets 8-12 reps each set

 

Military Press

 

Side Lateral Raises

 

Standing Lateral Raises

 

The Push Press

 

 

   

                                          Shoulder Articles Coming Soon

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