The Blue Prints of the Beam
What exactly is the design of this cross beam of your physique?
The shoulder (deltoid) is a large, three-headed, thick, triangular muscle
which begins from the clavicle and the scapula at the back of the shoulder, and
extends down to its' insertion in the upper arm region. The muscle group’s name
originates from the triangular shaped Greek letter Delta, which is taken from
its triangular appearance.
Before we tackle these workouts it’s important to note that there are three
separate heads of the deltoid muscle group. Each of these three heads performs
their own function that gives the great mobility of the deltoid region. Let me
explain further…
The basic function of the shoulder complex is to rotate and lift the arm in a
nearly 360 degree motion. With such a large range of motion there are many
angles which we can train the shoulders to bring out their full shape and
development.
Each head of the shoulder complex functions in unison together with some of
the fibers of all three heads contracting, coordinating, and balancing each
other regardless of which way the plane of resistance is originating.
But, depending on the section of the range of motion, each head of the
deltoid is stressed more than the other two to allow this 360 degree rotation.
So, logically, an optimal shoulder prioritization workout cycle would focus on
building up all three of the deltoid heads! This is the logic that will be
applied to the next eight weeks!
Motionary Complexes Uncovered
1.
The
anterior
(front) deltoid lifts the arm to the
front.
Front raises with a barbell, dumbbell, EZ curl bar and cables are all
excellent pieces of equipment for stimulating the frontal delts. Frontal deltoid
strength is imperative in numerous lifts. They are primarily responsible for
getting you out of the "hole" or starting point in almost any pressing
exercises, and also tend to take the brunt of the load for the first half of
shoulder pressing exercises.
2. The
medial
(side) deltoid lifts the arm to the
side.
Dumbbell and cable exercises can create a whole pantheon of lateral side delt
movements! This part of the shoulder tends to take over at the top half to top
one-third of the range of motion in a shoulder press.
A lot of shoulder width is determined by your skeletal structure. However,
the medial shoulder pads are the chief muscle responsible for creating the
impression of width in the upper body. So, even if you are born with a narrow
skeletal structure, don’t give up hope! Just take medial deltoid training very
seriously and constantly shock this area into new growth.
Broader shoulders can also create the illusion of a narrower waistline, which
is a crucial part of the formula for achieving the V shape in
the upper body!
3. The
posterior
(rear) deltoid lifts the arm to the
rear.
I also wanted to convey an important message conveying lagging posterior
deltoids and a full range of motion.
The main stimulus for achieving complete development in the rear delts is
attaining a full range of motion. This mentality applies to any exercise. I find
that dumbbell movements that involve using two arms at the same time can
restrict the rear delts' full range of motion.
Let me explain…
Get into the same position you would when you are about to execute a bent-over
lateral raise. Now, make a fist with your right hand and reach all the way
across your chest until that same fist touches your left shoulder. This arm
position is the bottom of the range of motion for your rear delts.
Two handed dumbbell movements only allow you to go to the center of your chest
(where the dumbbells meet in a bent-over raise), thus cutting the range in
motion in half!
Now two handed dumbbell types of exercise definitely have their usefulness!
Don't take that statement the wrong way; bent-over laterals are a legendary rear
delt exercise. You can get more power and weight with two-handed exercises.
But I think many people's rear shoulders plateau because they do not include
exercises that give a full range of motion, like one handed movements do.
Putting the beam together!
You can’t escape your shoulders. They are literally the brace of your whole
frame. They can be seen from any angle you are at, so balance in this region is
going to be a big priority in this series.
The development and thickness of all three shoulder heads play a role in
giving a balanced look to the upper body when viewed from all sides.
This progression is highly dependent on balanced deltoid development. From
the back, the V taper is highly dependent on how much shape, separation, and
definition you have achieved in the rear delts. From the front and from the
back, good medial deltoid development makes you look wider, which is also
crucial for the V
taper. From the side view, front deltoids make the man (or woman). As you can
see, the complete development of all three heads is of the utmost importance!
Your shoulders should show definition and striations no matter what pose you
perform when you are ripped. There has to be a balance in the shape so that all
three heads coordinate with each other, and with all the neighboring muscles, to
give the look of complete deltoid development.
Not only does each head have to be developed in proportion to each other,
each must be completely separate from the others. So that all three separate
heads are distinguishable from the other.
The ideal shoulder complex should also be completely separated from the
muscles of the upper arm, along with the trapezius and upper back muscles. The
front delts also must be distinct from the sweep of the pectoral muscles. This
kind of shape and definition in the shoulder region can only come about from
separate isolation work for each head.
For this reason we will focus on bringing out the definition of all three
heads over the next eight weeks. Each week we will hone in on shaping one
particular head, with the overall intent of equal proportion of the deltoid
region.
Now we will hit all three heads each week, but each session we will focus
more on exercises that stress a particular head over the other two heads. So in
essence, we are using the prioritization principal to the extreme. This cycle’s
overall scheme is to prioritize the shoulders, but we will take that principle
to the next level and prioritize each individual head of the shoulder, on a week
by week basis.
I call this the
specialization principle.
Basically it can be described as prioritizing a particular part or range of
motion (angle) of a muscle group, while at the same time prioritizing the muscle
group as a whole.
This layout can be illustrated like this:
Overall we are prioritizing the Deltoids during this cycle. But…
Week 1: Specialize on the Front deltoid
Week 2: Specialize on the Side Deltoid
Week 3: Specialize on the Rear deltoid
Week 4: Specialize in proportion of all 3 heads together.
This principle can be used on any muscle group! And helps to set goals of
proportion much better. As we know, the correct ratio within a muscle group can
make or break a championship physique. For example you can have a Herculean
chest, but if the lower chest is out of proportion with the upper chest, it will
completely throw off the whole pectoral region! If this is the case I would
suggest the
specialization principal to set
realistic goals of bringing any lagging areas into proportion.
Nothing will propel the Battering Ram like Raw Power!
I personally believe power training is detrimental to maximum shoulder
development. The deltoids respond well to working with heavy weights. This also
helps your overall development in many other muscle groups because so many other
power exercises rely on elemental deltoid strength.
All whole slew of exercises, ranging from Bent-Over Rows to the Bench Presses
to Dead lifts to frontal squats, relies heavily on basic fundamental shoulder
strength. That’s why I strongly advise exercises like the Hang Clean, heavy
Upright Rows, power rack presses and Push Presses in addition to Dumbbell
Laterals of all angles for overall deltoid progression. You shoulders are
literally the pillar of your upper body! Strengthening this area will yield very
desirable results in all your other lifts. I even believe squat maximums can be
increased due to shoulder development! I’ve noticed that the bigger my shoulders
get the more comfortably and more balanced huge poundages feel across my upper
back! Now doubt broader shoulders and thicker traps are to blame!
As you can see, building up power in this area will improve your entire
lifting career! Not to mention the size increases in your deltoids from this
type of training! As you can imagine we will be implementing all types of
shoulder power lifts in the next eight weeks!
However, you need more than just mass and strength. We also want to work
toward overall shoulder development. This means symmetry and detail in all three
heads of the deltoids as well as the trapezius muscles. So, isolation exercises
and detailing techniques will definitely have their place in this program. To
get the total shoulder package we will also include some trap work in this
series.
Our Tools for the beam!
So, what kind of tools will we use to build the pillars of our physique?
There are three basic types of exercises for the shoulders; laterals, presses
and upright rows. But these three can bring about numerous variations!
Shoulder Raises
Raises involve lifting your extended arm upward in a wide arc. Remember all
three heads work together, but one portion of a deltoid head strains more than
the other two dependants upon where the weight is in the shoulder’s range of
motion. For this reason we will need to do raises to the front, to the side, and
to the rear for complete development.
Raises involve completely isolating the various heads of the shoulders, and
are paramount for total shoulder development. Raises are also great for
pre-exhausting various deltoid heads so that a particular head will come to
failure first in a compound shoulder movement.
But keep in mind, the main purpose of a shoulder raise is to completely
isolate portions of the deltoids total range of motion
.
Presses
Shoulder pressing exercises are the primary power deltoid movement! The
position of the shoulders during a press allows you to exert maximal force form
the deltoid region over its full range of motion. Exhausting your shoulders in
this manner is the type of hardcore work your delts will demand for hypertrophy.
Because you are straightening your arms as well as pushing upward, presses
not only heavily involve the deltoids but require a lot of secondary emphasis on
the triceps along with other stabilizing muscles. So, pressing exercises are
generally referred to as compound shoulder movements. When done in the seated
position, presses can’t be pushed up with leg strength, so you should expect to
use 10-20 percent less weight than the poundages you can easily handle for a set
of any form of standing press.
You can vary the stress on your shoulders to direct it toward the different
deltoid heads by doing different kinds of angled presses and also through
pre-exhaustion with laterals.
Upright rows
This is genuinely one of the best upper body exercises ever invented!
It stresses the shoulder muscles quite hard, as well as the trapezius, biceps
and forearms.
These are essentially the squat of shoulder width. There are many variations
including dumbbell upright rows, barbell upright rows, EZ bar upright rows, and
cable upright rows, with each of these having multiple variations of their own!
Remember earlier when I said the ideal shoulder complex should also be
completely separated from the muscles of the upper arm, along with the trapezius
and upper back muscles? The upright row is renowned for achieving this look.
Architectural plans for constructing a solid structured beam
of WAR!
It is my belief that any sound body building shoulder workout will include a
variation of all three of these basic types of movements; raises , presses, and
upright rows, within some variation of their theme.
However, I want to emphasize that a excellent workout is not limited to just
the correct array of exercises, shocks, sets, and reps. A hardcore workout has
to be moved out of the limiting physical reality, and into the fathoms of the
mental actuality!
You
are the only one that can make
your
cycle successful! It’s all about
your
decision to "make it" or "break it" in the weight
room.
Are you just going to go into the gym, go through the motions, leave, and
make no progress? Or are you going in with the championship mentality of not
leaving until you’ve boldly gone where you have never gone before! Don’t settle
for the same old pain or for the past victories.
This can type of attitude can only be achieved in the mind. Pain and victory
are a mental response to physical stimulus. Apply the mind over matter
principle and convince yourself that you will ascend above both and bring
yourself to realize new definitions of pain and victory over the next eight
weeks, no matter the cost.
Settle only for a new threshold of pain, and a new meaning of victory with
each and every workout…
I’ll leave you will Chris Dickerson’s philosophy of body building, from
"Body Building, The Weider Approach".
"A proper mental approach is essential, because your mind literally
controls your body. The mental outlook of any champion body builder going into a
competition is consistently super positive. Each champion has already rehearsed
his victory in his mind a thousand times. He is so sure he is going to win that
the actual act of winning is often somewhat of an anticlimax. It’s merely a
matter of playing out the scenario before the audience.
I’m no different from any other champion in this respect. I spend hours
visualizing my victories, seeing myself in vivid detail the way I expect to look
onstage. And this visualization allows my subconscious mind to help me look and
act like I imagine myself to be. As long as my image is totally positive, I end
up being completely positive myself. And I win again and again in reality, just
as I’ve already won again and again in my imagination."
I understand that many of us may have no intentions of competing, but I think
we can all learn from this mental approach to body building that Chris thrived
on. And in a sense we are all competing with ourselves, so I’ve found that this
frame of mind can apply to any body building career!
Visualization, attitude, and mentality, are the real keys to building bigger
shoulders and all around better physiques! The champions of yore and the present
thrive on it, so should we!
Under Construction- Boulder Shoulders!
I believe that by applying the above philosophy and assembling it into a
shoulder construction workout, while also incorporating the specialization
principle, will result in shoulder muscles that will not only grow like weeds,
but will cause all three heads to grow in eye pleasing proportion to one
another.
Now that we have the war-worthy blue prints for building a set of cannon ball
delts, let’s hit the gym and give homeostasis the cold shoulder!
-Adam Knowlden
oldschoolabcbbing@gmail.com
