Ahh the shoulder pump, one of life’s little joys. There are few
things in life more satisfying than the floating sensation you get after
a great shoulder workout. What’s more, unlike that killer leg workout,
you don’t have to walk on your shoulders later – they just float on top
of your body and you know you’ve built some mass.
Huge shoulders are the holy grail for most bodybuilders, usually because it takes a bit of experience before they realise they’ve been doing it all wrong. Achieving barndoor shoulders isn’t rocket science, so let’s dispel the myths and lay out the best way to achieve them.
#1. Always Use Proper Form
Building bigger shoulders is especially difficult if your form is not impeccable. Learn to do each exercise properly, then make it a habit to continuously watch your form when in the gym. Never perform extra reps when you are tired-you’ll only increase your risk of a shoulder injury without getting much benefit in return.
#2. Incorporate Compound Movements
If you want the most bang for your buck, add in compound exercises like the seated dumbbell shoulder press and standing military press. These exercises recruit more muscle groups and allow you to lift heavier which gets you head turning shoulders! Include these exercises first (after your warm up) and use a 6-10 rep range.
#3. Vary Your Shoulder Training
Use dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands and cables. They are all great tools to use when it comes to hitting your shoulders. It can be all to easy to stick to one thing you’re comfortable with, but for me using a combination of the above keeps things exciting, hits the muscles from a different angle and simply provides a different stimulation. Be sure to mix up the rep range, amount of sets and time under tension.
#4. Train your rear delts
Most weight trainers start off by working on their mirror muscles, chest, biceps, and front deltoids. All of this front work predisposes them to injury and sets them up for an unbalanced physique. Great shoulders are well-rounded at the front, side, and back.
Many bodybuilders will say that it takes years to develop good rear delts, but they start to grow when you start training them. If you start training your rear delts early in your weight training career, you’ll have boulder shoulders in half the time of most other lifters.
#5. Change your Angle
One thing that makes it easier for Kuclo to perform so many reps is the fact that he often switches up his angle in order to better target different deltoid heads. For example, he may perform a set of hammer strength exercises facing forward, then turn and face backwards during the next set. Placing a bit of foam against the seat back will change the angle somewhat as well.
#6. Change your Routine Occasionally
Varying your routine from time to time will help you stay motivated to build bigger shoulders, while also ensuring you develop that entire muscle group. You may sometimes perform sitting exercises while standing up or do certain ones seated rather than on an incline bench. Switch up the way in which you develop your trapezius muscles by working them along with your back rather than with your deltoids on occasion.