Enough For Shoulder Hypertrophy?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I’m tryin to work really hard on my shoulders as of late and I’m just wondering if you all think this is enough of it I’m missing something important.

I do my shoulders along with abs on their own day usually every four or five days.

Standing overhead barbell: 4x8
lateral cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
front cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
rear delt machine: 3x8

I set the weight where I feel appropriate as compared to the rest of my lifting so I’m not worried about that, but should I be doing more or am I missing something big?

Thanks

2

Help me out!

3

Gee, someone’s impatient.

If you have to ask, then I’m thinking this is too much. I’m sure raises have their place, but between military/push press, bench press, and rear delt rows, you should get ample stimulation.

4

Well if your shoulders don’t respond from the heavy compound lifts such as bench, dips, rows then you will need to concentrate on them. I think your exercises seem ok. I think military press, laterals and rear delt flyes are enough.

5

[quote]Politico wrote:
Standing overhead barbell: 4x8
lateral cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
front cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
rear delt machine: 3x8
[/quote]

at this point i doubt your getting much growth benefit from the front raises, i usually like to save them only for people that are on cutting cycles…

what i would do is something like this,

heavy shrugs (will get the Shoulder Girdle ready for what’s to come)
standing barbell overhead presses (clean them from the floor if possible)-do five sets of five, if your total reps add up to 25, add five pounds total your next work out…if not, try it again 'til you do…
seated dumbell overhead presses
lateral raises
and if you still feel the need to do something else, and if your gym has a hammer strength front delt press - than do that.
and you can save the rear delts for the end of back day…

6

[quote]Politico wrote:
I’m tryin to work really hard on my shoulders as of late and I’m just wondering if you all think this is enough of it I’m missing something important.

I do my shoulders along with abs on their own day usually every four or five days.

Standing overhead barbell: 4x8
lateral cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
front cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
rear delt machine: 3x8

Thanks[/quote]

My 2 cents:

Most overhead pressing targets primarily anterior deltoid so adding in front raises might be overkill. Howerever, it is hard to target lateral (medial head of deltoid) portion of shoulder so I would definitely leave in the lateral raises.

And rear delt machine flys are a staple in my shoulder training.

7

no one can answer that son, just write down your volume increase it till your sore. continally increase the volume when you can, and or drop the rest periods.

also shoulders arent very type II fiber oriented. so they can handle higher reps with a lot of work, push it in the gym and see the rewards

8

[quote]Politico wrote:
I’m tryin to work really hard on my shoulders as of late and I’m just wondering if you all think this is enough of it I’m missing something important.

I do my shoulders along with abs on their own day usually every four or five days.

Standing overhead barbell: 4x8
lateral cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
front cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
rear delt machine: 3x8

I set the weight where I feel appropriate as compared to the rest of my lifting so I’m not worried about that, but should I be doing more or am I missing something big?

Thanks[/quote]

That should give you some shoulders, but you won’t double your total shoulder mass in one year.
You need to be patient no matter what you are doing.

Okay, now what is working for me is, picking two heavy compounds that put as much emphasis on the side delts as possible. An example would be snatch grip BNP, and Arnold Press. Combine that with solid iso, for side delts and you should be good. It’s going to take time though, dude.

If you don’t like the idea of a Snatch Grip BNP, you could do Snatch Grip Military Press, or seated Bradford Presses, with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip but not snatch.

I don’t mind front raises, but I think they should be done, wide with dumbbells, or Snatch Grip with a barbell. However, I doubt you need to add front raises, some kind of lateral should suffice for now.
I really like One Arm Leaning Laterals.

Those are examples, now, not some kind of magical list. I didn’t site precisely what I have been doing 'cause that’s me not you. Their are many compounds that will hit your side delts almost, or just as hard as your fronts, research, and experiment, then bust your ass for years.

9

[quote]Politico wrote:
I’m tryin to work really hard on my shoulders as of late and I’m just wondering if you all think this is enough of it I’m missing something important.

I do my shoulders along with abs on their own day usually every four or five days.

Standing overhead barbell: 4x8
lateral cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
front cable raises: (each arm) 3x8
rear delt machine: 3x8

I set the weight where I feel appropriate as compared to the rest of my lifting so I’m not worried about that, but should I be doing more or am I missing something big?

Thanks[/quote]

It all depends on the intensity. Also, never perform shoulder press without leaving 2-3 days between chest and vice versa. Front raises are not necessary, in fact they are useless. I think the emphasis has to be on side delts and u could achieve this by adding close grip upright rows after or before the lat raises.

Shoulders are a small group and overtraining them is not as big an issue as say overtraining chest or legs.
Tos um up, side delts are what should be urs and everyones focus bodybuilding wise, since front and rear delts get some work from presses and dips the former, pullups and rows the latter.

10

Arnold press is awesome, I’d say drop front raise and add it in.

11

You could replace the front lateral raises with a dumbbell shoulder press. Keep the side and defiantly keep the rear delt isolation.

I don’t think there is an actual compound movement that adequately hits the rear delt hard enough to prevent muscle imbalances from pressing, so no matter what you pretty much need isolated rear delt work if you lift weights with your arms.

12

well some might disagree,but work out to failure,if youre doing 3x8 then youre getting 8 reps on youre last set.Go to failure shoot for 8 but only get 7 or 6 and keep doing it till you can do 8 then add weight.fundamentals

13

People who say that you don’t need much direct shoulder work are crazy.

Then again maybe it is just my shoulders that need high volume.

I would use DB shoulder presses to gauge my shoulder progress, only throwing a few sets in on Chest day and my shoulders never got anywhere.

Ever since I gave shoulders their own day they have gotten much stronger and blown up.

From 5x5 @ 55s to 5x5 @ 70s in a little over a month. Yea they still suck… but progress is progress.

I did shoulders yesterday infact.

5x5 DB shoulder press
3x10 BB shoulder press
3x8 BB front raises
3x8 lateral raises One-hand BB
3x8 DB front raises, slow negative
Dropset Lateral raises

It is alot of volume for shoulders, but shit it works.