Best exercises for building shoulder mass

[goodLIFT]

sitting millitary press heavy heavy heavy will get mass on any pair of delts

[Canadian Iron]

I disagree, I dedicate Saturday, the end of my workout week, almost exclusively to shoulder exercises, at least five of them, and I have made good progress with this split:

Now I change the exercises up a bit to keep my shoulders guessing.

Hey if it works for you that's great, keep those shoulders guessing

[ThickAsABrick]

Having a day just for shoulders is kinda goofy... Shoulders get hit on a hell of a lot of exercises, there's no point in dedicating an entire training day to them.

Making statements like this is goofy. Triceps get hit with a lot of exercises too. Better nix those from my routine too, eh?
Today is my dedicated shoulder day. But hey, what do I know, I do direct arm work.

[fried96]

Once again, your dumbell rows and seated rows are for your back more-so than your shoulders. Priority lifts for shoulders should be Military press, upright rows, and shrugs, with your lateral raises as add-ons.

You should do some form of overhead press (barbell, dunbell, smith, etc...) every time you lift shoulders, as well as some for of shrugs. Fill in teh rest of your exercise with your favortie movements.

Well I know the db rows are more for my back but let me explain my shoulder problem again. I have posterior and inferior subluxations in my left shoulder meaning my shoulder can partially go out of joint in multiple directions. Also known as multiple directional instability. Now on top of that I have rotator cuff tendonitus. My subuluxation problems are starting to go away because of serious rehab but my doctors and P.T's tell me that I need to keep up reverse flyes and tons of rows. I want to do the other exercises as well like lateral raises but I don't want to put too much pressure on my rotator cuff.

upright rows are awful, they are a compromise of a trap workout and a lateral (the side) delt workout, better to split it up properly and do a real lift for both.

Why are upright rows so terrible?

[Canadian Iron]

Making statements like this is goofy. Triceps get hit with a lot of exercises too. Better nix those from my routine too, eh?
Today is my dedicated shoulder day. But hey, what do I know, I do direct arm work.

Maybe not eliminate them completely, but certainly don't dedicate an entire day to triceps. Perhaps "goofy" was a bad choice of words, if I were to rephrase, I would use "sub-optimal" rather than "goofy".

[FaceTheFacts]

Hey everyone...I was just curious as to what the BEST exercises are for building shoulder mass. I have been struggling to put size on my shoulders...and was wondering if the forum could help me out.

Right now I do shoulders on monday...

seated military press (front)...10,8,6,4
laterals 10,10,8,8
upright rows 10,8,6,4
rear delts on smith machine 10,10,8,8
rotate each week between dumbell shrugs and bar shrugs...same rep sequence...10,10,8,8

Is there anything I can change or improve on? Please feel free to offer any advice...thanks in advance

You just have to change it up a bit bro. I had the same problem as you, but if it's the delt you wanna work on. I would stick to front and side laterals with a dumbbell. I do 15 rep warm-up, 12 rep moderate, 4-6 reps heavy sets I do that for 3 more sets. I go back to the warm-up weight and burnout for 2 sets. I do that so it shoots more blood into the muscle. I do this with side laterals, one side at a time. That way I can focus on the muscle. After I do side laterals, I go to alternate front laterals. Just that workout I've told you, should give you mass for your delts.

[Bodydouble]

Thanks everyone for all your replies and advice. I am by no means a "pro" in this body building game....but I train hard and try to learn more everyday.

I did however get a HUGE gut chuckle out of Canadian Iron's "sub-optimal" versus goofy comment. LMAO...I got the jist of what you were saying no matter how you said.....you obviously have been doing things longer than I have...which I why I come here in the first place....to learn.

Much reps to you all.....I am sure I will be back with more questions soon.

Cheers

[Defiant1]

It seems no one can get a straight answer on anything because a majority of threads are taken up by those who want to re-write the bodybuilding book based on a. research and b. philosophy of strength training.

1. Shoulder are extremely important from a bodybuilding, athletic performance and just every day appearance perspective. Ever seen a bodybuilder with delts too big? Or ANY person?

2. The Deltoids are extremely complex. It has been recently discovered that there are FIVE to SEVEN sections, not three.

3. Because of their structure, fiber make-up and blood supply the shoulders can take a pounding. Anyone who plays "real world" sports knows the shoulders get used a ton. Nature/God has made the shoulders resiliant.

Those who get full shoulder development from presses are rare. If one does, you are lucky. My forearms grow from everything I do. My triceps pump when I SQUAT (no ****). That doesn't mean that I am narrow minded enough to assume that everyone else is like this. Point: speak from the average, not from the select few.

Bottom line: Most people are going to need to do presses, side and rear laterals for full development. To me the only question (and this is an individual thing) is whether isolation exercises are needed for fronts (I do, but not everyone seems to).

[ThickAsABrick]

It seems no one can get a straight answer on anything because a majority of threads are taken up by those who want to re-write the bodybuilding book based on a. research and b. philosophy of strength training.

1. Shoulder are extremely important from a bodybuilding, athletic performance and just every day appearance perspective. Ever seen a bodybuilder with delts too big? Or ANY person?

2. The Deltoids are extremely complex. It has been recently discovered that there are FIVE to SEVEN sections, not three.

3. Because of their structure, fiber make-up and blood supply the shoulders can take a pounding. Anyone who plays "real world" sports knows the shoulders get used a ton. Nature/God has made the shoulders resiliant.

Those who get full shoulder development from presses are rare. If one does, you are lucky. My forearms grow from everything I do. My triceps pump when I SQUAT (no ****). That doesn't mean that I am narrow minded enough to assume that everyone else is like this. Point: speak from the average, not from the select few.

Bottom line: Most people are going to need to do presses, side and rear laterals for full development. To me the only question (and this is an individual thing) is whether isolation exercises are needed for fronts (I do, but not everyone seems to).

Great points.
Got any more info about the 5-7 sections?

[snredrum]

Hey everyone...I was just curious as to what the BEST exercises are for building shoulder mass. I have been struggling to put size on my shoulders...and was wondering if the forum could help me out.

Right now I do shoulders on monday...

seated military press (front)...10,8,6,4
laterals 10,10,8,8
upright rows 10,8,6,4
rear delts on smith machine 10,10,8,8
rotate each week between dumbell shrugs and bar shrugs...same rep sequence...10,10,8,8

Is there anything I can change or improve on? Please feel free to offer any advice...thanks in advance

Do you get a "pump" after this workout? Or the good ol' burning sensation?

I found that alternating a set of arnold press with seated db press helps get blood flowing to all three sections of the delts. It also helps me "feel" my delts a little more so I know that I am working them. I would also try supersetting a set of db shrugs with seated db press. Or upright rows with db press

[Bodydouble]

snredrum,

My shoulders are absolutely SLAUGHTERED by the end of this routine...but I am always looking for advice and ways to tweak it to make it as efficient and effective as possible. I really have gotten away from Arnie presses....a shame in my mind...but I figured the compound movement of military presses would be more beneficial.

[Pullup17]

Great points.
Got any more info about the 5-7 sections?

I know you can train these sections:

1: Pec/Delt tie-in area
2: Front Delt
3: Front Delt-Medial Delt tie-in area
4: Medial Delt
5: Medial Delt-Rear Delt tie-in area
6: Rear Delt

I don't know anything about the 7th section though. Anyway, I learnt from DD(shame he left the boards yet again) that exercises from different angles are important to build the shoulders to their maximum potential.

[Traug]

If you choose seated barbell overhead presses as your overhead pressing movement then make sure you don't turn it into some pseudo-incline leg flail garbage exercise as is too commonly seen.

That made me laugh

[Slucha]

Great points.
Got any more info about the 5-7 sections?

Well probably has something to do with the lateral head being a pennate muscle.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

[coolexec]

I have to agree with Jim Gym ...... for the past 4 months I have devoted one day a week exclusively to shoulders ... and the results have been awesome. In fact I've found that some of my favourite suits are now too tight across the shoulders.
I vary my exercises, always trying to make one week different from the next.
A typical shoulders day incluses, for example:

4 x 10 Lying Rear Delt Raises
4 x 10 Reverse Flyes
3 x 10 'Reverse' Pec Deck Machine

3 x 10 Seated Military Press (I have 2 prolapsed discs - L4 and L5 so am nervous of standing presses)
or 3 x 10 Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press
3 x 10 Smith Machine Behind the Neck Press

3 x 10 Side Lateral Raise (sometimes seated)
3 x 10 Low Pulley Cable Side Laterals (sometimes super-setted with Cuban Presses)

I don't isolate front delts because they get well worked with chest and are already in danger of being out of proportion.

Guys at the gym used to laugh. "Overtraining" was what they all said .... you got to see the results to believe them!

[Ageispolis]

You know what I love? That little dip between the edge of the trap and the top of the delts. That's a nice spot right there.

[Typ2Hypertrophy]

2 Sets Arnold Press(6-8reps) ---- Superset with lighter weight

2 Sets Heavy Seated Dumbell Press(6-8)

1 Set Standing Military Press(10-12)

1 Set Standing Military Press(6-8)

2 Sets Lateral Raise(10-12)

2 Sets Single Dumbell Side Raise(10-12)

This is a perfect workout, gives me rediculous gains but then again I have great genetics so I could be wrong. I alternate the rep scheme every 2 months.....heavy-light........Gotta work all the fibers bro's

[fried96]

Are military presses a definite way to get shoulder impingment because I already have impingment problems. Do you guys think db deltoid press exercsies are effective enough and better for the shoulder?

[dirtydean12]

well...on my "shoulder day" i don't do any front delt exercises. why? because i feel its not as needed as everyone makes it our to be. If you're doing adequate incline and flat bench presses whether it be barbell or dumbbell, your front delts are already getting hit rather well. So on my shoulder day i focus on doing 2 forms of a lateral exercise and two forms of a rear delt exercise. If I do a front delt exercise i'll throw in a couple sets of front raises or db presses after my chest routine.