Researched and Composed by
The Animal
Introduction
To
the
untrained
eye,
the
shoulders
may
be
seen
as
a
simple
muscle
group,
however
nothing
could
be
further
from
the
truth!
They
are
a
complex
structure
involving
joints,
bones,
nerves
and
of
course
muscles.
This
article
is
meant
to
enlighten
you
in
regards
to
key
facts
involved
in
shoulder
training.
It
will
be
placed
in
a
faq
format
to
better
your
comprehension.
What
muscles
actually
make
up
the
shoulders
girdle
and
shoulder
joint?
Here’s
your
shoulders
anatomy
lesson
for
today.
The
muscles
that
are
involved
in
the
shoulder
girdle
and
joint
and
are
quite
numerous.
Of
prime
importance(
for
this
particular
program
)
in
the
shoulder
girdle
is
the
Trapezius
This
muscle
runs
from
your
neck
down
the
middle
of
your
back
and
forms
the
visual
centre
of
your
upper
back.
Trapezius The
Deltoids
are
the
major
muscles
involved
in
the
shoulder
joint.
This
is
a
large
three-headed
triangular
muscle,
which
stretches
from
your
rear
shoulder
to
the
insertion
in
your
upper
arm.
The
deltoids
are
separated
into
three
areas:
Front
-Anterior Side
/
Middle
–
Medial Rear
–
Posterior
What
do
we
actually
use
our
shoulders
for?
Whenever
you
raise
or
rotate
your
shoulders
your
Traps
have
strongly
come
into
play.
Your
Deltoids
are
used
for
any
lifting
and
pulling
motion.
When
should
I
train
shoulders?
In
my
opinion
Shoulders
are
a
large
muscle
group
and
therefore
should
be
treated
the
same
way
as
Chest,
Back
and
Legs.
This
is
to
say
that
if
you
train
them
in
conjunction
with
another
major
body
part
you
will
not
be
able
to
work
them
properly.
For
this
reason
I
recommend
training
shoulders
on
a
separate
day,
possibly
followed
by
Triceps
if
they
were
not
trained
after
Chest
or
on
an
Arms
day
with
Biceps.
So
I
shouldn’t
train
my
Shoulders
after
my
Chest,
what
about
pre-fatigue?
Pre-fatigue
is
a
great
ally
for
bodybuilders.
However
if
you
train
your
shoulders
intensely
enough
you
can
pre-fatigue
your
Delts
using
a
compound
shoulder
exercise
and
then
hit
them
hard
again
with
another
shoulder
exercise
with
more
isolation
in
mind.
An
example
of
this
would
be
Shoulder
Presses
supersetted
with
Front
Raises.
I’ve
heard
that
Shoulders
are
a
“fast”
healing
muscle
group
is
this
true?
In
essence
yes,
it
is
true
and
they
do
heal
relatively
quickly.
Keep
in
mind
however
that
you
use
your
Delts
when
training
your
Chest
and
your
Rear
Delts
when
training
Back
SO
they
are
put
under
a
great
deal
of
pressure.
I
would
still
recommend
that
you
leave
48
hours
in
between
training
your
shoulders
after
a
Chest
or
Back
day.
How
should
I
train
shoulders
for
best
results?
Shoulders
should
be
trained
heavy!
They
respond
best
to
heavy
loads
being
applied.
Quite
often
when
you
train
you
lift
a
weight
and
think
“Man
this
is
heavy!”
and
then
quite
often
hit
mental
failure
before
physical!
With
shoulders
loose
all
pre-conceptions
regarding
how
much
you
can
lift
and
just
get
down
to
business!
Another
way
to
see
immense
growth
is
to
use
strip/drop
sets
sets.
If
using
dumbbells,
start
heavy
and
then
go
down
or
on
a
machine
just
keep
on
putting
that
pin
down!
Another
very
good
tactic
for
shoulder
growth
is
Power
training.
Using
volume
with
heavy
weights
and
a
slow
negative
and
then
push
it
out
with
as
much
power
as
you’ve
got.
You
will
notice
this
in
workout
B
of
the
8-week
shoulder
routine.
Why
should
I
train
my
shoulders
Heavy?
You
should
train
every
muscle
heavy
but
shoulders
especially
as
they
are
not
only
a
large
muscle
group
but
also
are
very
strong.
Just
to
give
you
an
idea
of
what
I
mean,
professional
bodybuilders
have
been
known
to
use
150lbs
dumbbells
for
dumbbell
presses.
In
addition
they
are
a
very
versatile
muscle
group
and
by
hitting
them
hard
they
will
utilize
more
of
the
muscle
fibers
surrounding
the
shoulder
joint.
How
do
I
get
WIDE
shoulders?
You’re
not
going
to
like
this
answer!!
To
an
extent
it
depends
on
your
genetics,
either
you’ve
got
a
wide
shoulder
frame
or
you’ve
got
a
more
slanting
frame,
which
will
appear
smaller
when
relaxed.
Saying
that
though
you
can
train
your
Side
Deltoids,
which
will
help
you,
obtain
those
wide
shoulders
and
thus
that
magical
V.
Even
if
you
do
not
have
a
long
colar
bone
however,
you
can
still
create
the
illusion
of
having
one.
See
The
Essence
of
Bodybuilding,
"
The
Art
Of
Illusion!
Are
my
shoulders
an
important
muscle
group?
HELL
yes,
they
are
one
of
the
most
important
in
the
entire
body!
They
not
only
help
you
get
the
wide
V
shape
but
also
are
vital
in
so
many
poses.
For
example
they
add
width
to
your
body
during
a
Front
Bicep
Pose
or
add
to
overall
musicality
in
the
Most
Muscular
pose.
They
are
possibly
the
most
vital
muscle
groups
for
posing,
as
they
get
seen
from
the
front,
side
and
rear.
So
what
if
I’m
not
interested
in
Competition’s
and
Posing,
are
shoulders
still
important?
Yes
they
are,
you
will
be
amazed
how
much
you
use
your
shoulders
in
everyday
life
and
essentially
every
sport.
Anything
which
involves
arm
movement,
lifting
and
rotation
requires
the
need
for
good
strong
shoulders
development.
You
often
find
that
when
training
your
Chest
the
stabilizers
fatigue
more
than
your
Chest,
so
if
you
have
strong
shoulders
this
will
assist
you
in
the
training
of
your
Chest
also.
Is
it
all
right
just
to
do
a
few
compound
exercises
for
shoulders?
NO!!
The
shoulders
are
a
very
versatile
muscle
group
this
is
quite
often
why
after
a
workout
people
think
they
heal
fast.
When
the
truth
of
the
matter
is
they
haven’t
trained
them
hard
enough
or
with
the
correct
routine.
You
should
hit
your
shoulders
from
many
different
angles
to
fully
condition
all
three
heads.
I
like
to
change
my
shoulder
routine
up
more
frequently
then
other
muscle
groups
.
This
way
I
notice
more
pain
and
gains! Well
that's
enough
of
the
technical
mumbo
jumbo
now
on
to
some
hardcore
ACTION!!!
That's
if
your
man
or
should
that
be
Animal
enough
to
cope!
The
Animal
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