This is another article about focusing shoulders/upper chest/traps to look better. I’m sick of cutting and pasting.
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Okay I see where you are coming from. And it makes sense. I also read the Eye Dentist follow up posts on his recommendation.
There is a point in your saying that I cant be a double athlete and a lifter and him saying to the other guy that he should save his legs for cardio (soccer and kickboxing in my case) until there is a stagnation. It seems both me and the other guy are after aestetics and losing fat.
It makes a lot of sense to go another way as a push/pull routine and complete skip legs at least initially. Afterwards I can add some squats to push and RDLs to pull days and when up for it add a complete leg day. I guess my body will recognise when I can do more.
Solid advise.
I have some troubles understanding the exercises, however I will look into them in google images when I have some time. Sorry English is not my first language.
It seems push day should consist of
OHP
Incline bench
Push day is more of a strength gain, rep range depends on what I enjoy but either around 6 or higher at 12, with longer rest
While pull day is
Lat rises
Upright rows
Rows hitting the back side of the shoulders
And if I would like some back work - chins or rows
Pull days is more reps lower rest
Let me know if I understand everything correctly.
If you have the time please advise on some exercise selection, structure and volume.
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If I were you, I’d train with weights 3 times a week with the lowest volume I can recover from, and that will also give me the most benefit.
In addition, I strongly advice you to drop the deads from your program. If you just want to look good while you’re doing that much sports on the side, you don’t need the deads running your recovery through the ground, especially because they don’t train a single specific muscle.
Now for the workouts, Push/Pull/Legs is a good way to start. Pick 2 exercises for the chest, 2 for the delts, and one for the triceps. 2 for the back, 1 for the rear delts, and 1 for the biceps. 1-2 for the quads, 1-2 for the hams (depending on how tired you are and the weaker muscle). Start by doing only 1 hard set per exercise (after warming up of course), keep it for a few weeks and see how you feel about. After that you can experiment with doing 2 hard sets per exercise. The key is to start with a good base where you can effectively judge what suits you the most.
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This is confusing as shit and overly complicated for most people. Unless you already have a great physique and can overhead press 225 for reps, things like focusing separate deltoid heads are not needed. Getting stronger on basic compound lifts will improve his physique more than finding days to hit the posterior portion of the lateral delts.
This tells me the sports are more important. That’s fine it will just limit the amount of gym work you can recover from.
I think this point is key. You said yourself that you have put on weight and haven’t trained as much lately.
Either
- you are just out of condition hence the body can’t cope with the workload. If this is the case then @FlatsFarmer advice above is where to go. Lower the amount of work for a few weeks and slowly build it back up.
Or
- You have changed something else. Diet, sleep, recovery, different program. If you have been lifting consistently for 4 years with the programs you outlined above and didn’t have these problems before, it would point to something outside of training.
Some good advice above so I won’t over complicate this by giving you more options. Reduce the training slightly, either full body 2 days a week or PPL will be fine as long as you can recover from the work. Give yourself a few weeks to get used to the training and build on that.
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In the gym I go to I think I’d have an easier time finding a lean body with great shoulders than peoples overhead pressing 225 for reps.
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Yeah? Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.
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Yeah man, you’ve got it. I think understand the set up and the lifts.
During this “phase” of your training you could focus on sport and “beach muscles”. If you’re only giving lifting 1/3 of your time and energy, expect 1/3 of the gains from lifting. If you spread them all over your body it may take awhile to see visible results. If you direct all your efforts to one area you may be able to see results faster.
At some time in the future you could adjust the plan,so less shoulder stuff and do more back and legs, or whatever else.
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I dislike when people reject complexity.
The body is complex. Anatomy is complex.
Simple answers aren’t always the best answers.
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Yes, me too.
I have a problem, I am not able to identify what has changed. I blame it on a bad diet and stress. However I was always able to get back. I think this time age is coming to me as well. I am not looking for excuses, but I rather try something new and more complex if I have to, in order to get results.
I will be analyzing some posts and articles posted here, giving it more time for reading and taking notes and I will come back shortly with what I think I should do.
Hope I can get a reasonable critique.
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You asked about exercise selection. I would do lifts that you can feel in your shoulder or upper chest muscles, that feel good and that you like that don’t hurt. If you like barbell overhead press and incline barbell press that’s fine. But if one hurts your wrists and the other one hurts your elbow don’t feel like you have to.
I like seated presses in the smith machine, or with dumbbells. And for upper chest I’ve been using an incline press machine or dumbbells or just incline pressing in the smith machine too.
Here’s a video of Charles Glass, a trainer I’m a fan of working with Brandon Curry, Mr Olympia. Their routine is different, but you can see the way they go through a workout.
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Okay here is what I have in mind, I will be heavily experimenting so I am open for critique
First 12 weeks I will be trying lower volume and skipping legs and lower back. The goal is 3 sports and 4 lifting days
Week 1-4 side shoulder + traps
Push/pull rest push/pull rest rest
Push - strength based progression with adding weights
Ohp 3x6
Incline press 3x6-8
CGBP 3x8-12
The remaining time will be used for stretching and some heavy bag technique work
Pull - progression with reps, lots of reps
Lat rise 3x12 +
Upright row 2x12 +
Haney row 2x12 +
Horizontal rows with pulley 3x12 +
Weeks 5-8 upper chest + biceps
Push
OHP 3x6
Incline bench 3x6-8
Low to high cable cross over 3x8-12
??pullover?? - question marks here, because while I heard it is a great lat builder, I have read reviews it is a good chest builder and when I perform it I feel a lot of the movement in the upper chest
Pull
Lat rise 3x12 +
Upright row 3x12 +
Horizontal pulls with a pulley 3x12 +
Pull downs 3x12
Biceps curls 3x12 +
Weeks 9-12 shoulders
Push
OHP 3x6
Incline push 3x6-8
Close Grip Bench Press 3x6-8
Front plate rises 4x12
Pull
Lat rises 4x12 +
Upright rows 3x12 +
Horizontal pulls with a pulley 3x12 +
Reverse flyes 4x12 +
Afterwards I will thinker and I can add 2-3 sets of squats to push and 2-3sets or RDLs to pull days
If that is too heavy it can be squat to one of push days plus leg curls to the other. And RDLs to one of the pull days while luying leg curls to the other.
Let me know what you think.
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More than 75% of people who’ve regularly trained in their life can’t overhead press 225 for even 1 rep, according to a study I’ve done using common sense. Not training the delt heads separately until you reach that is absurd, I’m not even thinking about people who can’t even overhead press due to them bothering their shoulders or to previous injuries.
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Nice quote.
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Fixed that for you. More than 75% who’ve trained regularly have no reason to worry about their rear delts. Sitting around doing lateral raises is going to do nothing for shoulders compared to a heavy press.
I’m about to blow your mind.
Imagine if you did Presses, And Delt Raises!
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It’s like pleasuring yourself, then eating it.
Jesus.
Exactly. I can understand the first part. The second part just leaves you with a salty taste in your mouth.
Hell yeah