Need more shoulder size!

[PJT]

I'm pretty sure I've posted this a while ago, but I'll ask again. My shoulders suck - compared to the rest, especially my chest, traps and arms. The strength is there, but the size isn't. For those who have well developed shoulders...what do you do for them?

I switch up my training regularly so it's tough to tell if I need to work them more or less. I'm about a month into DC style training right now and I work them first on Shoulder, Chest, Back, Tri day. Wondering if I should go heavier with them, give them their own day...nothing seems to work. Anyone have any opinions?

 

[da_Fonz]

Here ya go:

-Clean and Press (Cant do these DC style)
-Push Press
-Military's Behind the Neck
-Hanging Side laterals (1 Arm with a Dumbbell)

Just me but i would go with power movements to help build brute mass and strength.

 

[PJT]

Maybe that's my problem...I'm not hitting the heavy movements from every angle. When I split body parts out by day, I usually do something like...

DB Presses (4 sets)
Side Laterals (3)
Rear Delt Laterals (2)
Barbell Press (2)

I switch DB Presses for Clean and Press every so often.

 

[MMX2]

No front laterals?

 

[w000dy]

Maybe that's my problem...I'm not hitting the heavy movements from every angle. When I split body parts out by day, I usually do something like...

DB Presses (4 sets)
Side Laterals (3)
Rear Delt Laterals (2)
Barbell Press (2)

I switch DB Presses for Clean and Press every so often.

Looks alot like my shoulder routine. I like doing Arnold DB presses I feel these really make my delts burn and gives them a great workout. Other than that though look into a Larry Scott deltoid workout. I will look later on if you can't find it because I know I have it in an older issue of MD I think, and if you haven't found it by sometime later on tonight I will post it up. To my Larry Scott has a really good Delt workout.

 

[PJT]

No front laterals?

I throw them in there occasionally as a burn out set at the end. My rear delts are even worse than the front so I'm trying to catch them up.

 

[da_Fonz]

No front laterals?

No reason to, your front delt gets hit in every single shoulder exercise and we're trying to add mass and size so we want to incorporate the most amount of muscle fiber in every movement and not isolate one set of fibers.

 

[da_Fonz]

Another thing to remember is progressive overload. Meaning that the weight or reps HAS to increase every workout. This means "balls to the wall", all out and leave nothing back. I look like I have run a marathon after and that is what helps with growth INTENSITY.

 

[saudades]

What are your poundages like? Do you typically go really heavy all the time?

I'm the same way as you but with triceps. I can handle heavy poundage but don't have the size to go along with it. Lately I've been focusing on not lifting so heavy all the time but doing more work sets with a slightly lighter weight--still heavy but not so heavy, you know? That's for a couple of weeks, then I move up a little heavier with less reps per set for another couple of weeks, and then two more weeks at my usual heavy poundage for less reps per set again but trying to keep volume up. My triceps seem to be starting to respond (I still have a long way to go) so I think it's working.

Example:

100 lbs x 15-20 reps x 1-2 sets for two weeks (usually about 60-70% of max)
120 lbs x 10-15 reps x 1-2 sets for two weeks (usually about 80% of max)
140 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets for two weeks (usually about 90% of max)

The next three weeks, I increase weight slightly for each level and repeat the process.

You can see the volume stays up during this process. I've applied this for other muscle groups as well, some of which really respond to it. Perhaps if you did something like this you might start building more size in your shoulders.

 

[PJT]

I go heavy all the time. Usually in the 5-10 rep range. Maybe i'll give that a try...thanks T. I think I'm going to ditch the DC training for now and hit the routine Fonz listed and see how they respond.

 

[da_Fonz]

DONT do all the exercises I listed. That would cause overtraining. If your going to pick some out I would do Push press, militarys behind, and laterals. If you know proper form then switch the clean and press in for the push press. Otherwise leave the cleans out b/c you can hurt yourself if your form is off.

But remember Progressive Overload and Throw the DC stretches in there and you'll grow.

 

[dreww]

front military barbell press....heavy, like 4-6 reps. With good form.

nothing puts on mass like that exercise....IF dont right.

 

[mcgaret]

My shoulders were always my week spot - pretty strong but no rounded size.
Genetics has a lot to do with it. Now I think quanity of exercises and amount of
sets and reps had a lot to do with what you have done up to that point.
Example: I did HEAVY shrugs for YEARS - no more then 10 reps. would get
sore as hell but not much size. I picked up trap and shoulder routine from a
monster at the gym. My trap workout went from 10 reps heavy to 20-25 reps
heavy. Thought I was going to cry the first couple of workouts. Traps grew
for the first time in years. For shoulders he had me do like 4 or 5 diferent
exercises - 4-5 sets each. All pressing power movements. for 4-6 weeks
I would do high reps heavy as possible (12-15) and the next 4-6 weeks I
would do same amount of exercises but 4-8 reps heavy. My good friend -
whos is the owner of the gym told me I was crazy and I would blow my shoulders
out. My shoulders finally grew - got that rounded delt look but they hurt like hell.
I have kept the size but dont nearly do as much shoulder work as it took
to get the size. I previously had only done 1 or 2 pressing and mabey 1 lateral
exercise per shoulder workout for years and this "overtraining" workout MADE them
grow. Everybody is different but sometimes you have to overload the hell out of
the sturborn muscles to MAKE them grow. - Just my experience.

 

[Stickler*]

I do ALOT of isolation exercises.... mainly b/c i got hurt a good while back, (shoulders), and focused on developing core muscle groups, and tried to hit each side of the shoulders.... maybe i really need to re-adjust everything to get things rolling... hmm...

 

[Crazymank]

My shoulders are a little lacking 2. I've thought about giving syntherol another try. But that stuffs crazy expensive.

 

[mcgaret]

Imense growth factor also helped my sholders - little more roundness

 

[MrPerfect]

stay away from any cable movement, stick to free weights !!!

single arm side raises, arnold presses for form, only cables for rear delts

 

[jaywooly]

I too hav had shoulder problems. Subluxation. I agree with jon, free weights are the way to go. Also, try in incorporate everything that you did during physical theropy, if you did go through PT. If you didn't, maybe ask a trainer at the gym, they'll probably know some shoulder PT exercizes, or know of somebody that does.

 

[saudades]

I would agree. I recently switched back to free weights for my shoulders and they are responding well again.