Shoulder Development For Rookies
In this article, Shoulder Development For Rookies, we look at shoulder anatomy, the best exercises for the area, and nutritional and supplement guidelines. I will also provide a good example routine, and tips to help you get the most out of it. If you’re ready to get to work on this very impressive muscle group, let’s hit the gym and lift!
The Anatomy Of The Shoulders
Before you can correctly train shoulders (or any muscle group), you need to know the anatomy and function of that muscle. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the anatomy of the shoulders.
First, the shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that sits between the humerus bone of the upper arm and the scapula bone (shoulder blade). The shoulders are a complex joint with the greatest range of motion of any joint that is in your body. (1, 2)
Understanding The Shoulders
The shoulder muscles include the deltoids, rotator cuffs, and traps. I would say that many people use the terms “shoulders” and “deltoids” interchangeably, but they are not the same. You need to be sure you are hitting the entire shoulder area when you train. It is not hard to neglect muscles you can’t see, such as the rear deltoids.
The Functional Aspects Of The Shoulders
The functional aspects of the shoulders include any task or exercise that involves the upper body. In daily life, that would include lifting a grocery bag, a suitcase, or any object you might be using at the time. It also includes lifting overhead, such as putting something on a high shelf. You can see how important strong, well-developed shoulders are to your daily life.
The Functional Movements Of The Shoulders
The movements of the shoulders are as follows:
- Abduction is when your arm moves up and out to the side of your body.
- Adduction is when your arm pulls in toward the side of your body.
- Extension is when your arm moves backward behind your body.
- Flexion is when your upper arm is elevated forward toward your face.
- Rotation – External is when your arm pulls your forearm away from your body.
- Rotation – Internal is when your arm pulls your forearm toward your body
The Function Of The Deltoids
The deltoids have three heads and are a major part of the shoulder muscles. They form a “cap” over each shoulder joint. In regards to the heads: the front head is also known as the anterior deltoid. Next up is the middle head, also called the lateral deltoid. Finally, the rear head is also known as the posterior deltoid.
The Functional Movement Of The Deltoids
- The Anterior or Front Deltoid raises your arm to the front of your body. It also pulls your arm across your body.
- The Lateral or Middle Deltoid elevates your arm perpendicular to the body. This moves your arm to the side, as in lateral raises.
- The Posterior or Rear Deltoid pulls your arm back.
The Rotator Cuffs And Traps
The rotator cuffs are four small muscles that hold the shoulders in place. These small muscles let your arms rotate at the shoulder. They are crucial for the stability and strength of the shoulders. The rotator cuff muscles originate from the scapula (or, the shoulder blade) and go across the shoulder joint. They attach to the humerus bone of the upper arm. (1, 2)
The traps, or trapezius, is the muscle at the base of the neck. Think of that enormous muscle (on guys that train traps hard) around the neck when hitting a most-muscular pose. The traps raise your shoulders, rotate your shoulder blades, and turn your head. (1)
Routine Basics – Progressive Overload
One of the key principles of working out is progressive overload. If you want to get stronger and bigger, it’s all about progression. Let’s find out more.
What Is Progressive Overload?
Progressive overload is the act of gradually increasing the weight on the bar. There are other ways to apply it but adding weight is the most common, especially for rookies.
Why It’s Important
This is one of the most important principles in training. You will never make progress if you always do the same workout with the same weight and number of reps. That’s a common mistake that you should avoid making.
Another mistake many lifters make is the idea of “constantly switching things up” or “muscle confusion”. Perhaps this kind of thinking works for advanced lifters who have reached their strength ceiling. But if you are new to the sport, or haven’t been lifting long, you need to focus on building a strength foundation using progressive overload. Trust me, get stronger and you will get bigger.
How It Works
Following the progressive overload principle lets you progress towards your strength goals by taking gradual steps. It’s a common principle that is used by countless bodybuilders, powerlifters, and any other athletes that train with weights. (3)
By gradually putting plates on the bar, you’ll get stronger and bigger. This makes sense because most lifters expect to get stronger as they continue their training journey. In fact, the majority of weight lifting authorities recommend using this principle right from the start. It’s the best way to build a foundation of size and strength.
What About “Muscle Confusion”?
This is important to address because there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some lifters will encourage you to “shock the muscles” by “never doing the same thing twice”. First of all, that would be great if the muscles knew they were being “shocked” or “confused”. Since they don’t, the only reason to “mix things up” is for your own mental stimulation.
Secondly, if you constantly change things around, you won’t build any meaningful strength. To get stronger and bigger, you have to work the same core exercises and consistently add weight. If you do a 100 lb bench press today, and then don’t come back to the exercise for a week or two because you’ve been “shocking the muscles”, do you really think you’ll be stronger on the bench press? The bottom line is to save techniques like this for when you are advanced and as strong as you will ever get.
OK, So How Often Do I Increase Weight?
The most practical way is to use the 2 x 2 rule. This rule says you should increase the weight by 10% on large muscles and 5% on small muscles once you can perform 2 additional reps beyond your rep goal for 2 workouts in a row.
An Example Routine
If you’re doing shoulders after chest, you will already be warmed up. If not, I suggest doing 3 light sets of the first exercise, as noted below.
Overhead Press
Perform 1 set of overhead presses using an empty bar.
Warm-up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 12 reps
- 40% RM x 10 reps
3 Working Sets x 8, 8, 6 reps
Use a reverse pyramid – that means starting with your heaviest weight, then going down in weight and reps.
Dumbbell Side Laterals
2 Working Sets x 8 reps
Dumbbell Rear Laterals
2 Working Sets x 8 reps
Shrugs
3 Working Sets x 8, 8, 6 reps
Use a reverse pyramid, starting with your heaviest weight, as noted for the Overhead Press.
Performance Notes
Your tempo should be as follows: 3 second concentric (lifting) phase, 4 second eccentric (lowering) phase, and a 3 second pause in the fully stretched position, just before lock out. Perform your reps under control, no half or quarter reps. I believe in going until you hit monetary failure, that should happen on the last rep or two. If not, add weight.
Nutritional Guidelines
I always advise consuming roughly 50% of the day’s carbohydrates (that should include all of your simple carbohydrates) in the hours before and after your workout. Plus, I advise following a high protein diet at all costs. I recommend eating/drinking a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. It makes sense, of course, to divide this amount over several meals and a couple of shakes per day.
Supplement Guidelines
Your supplement arsenal should be based around cornerstone products. The first product should always be a good protein powder. I suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein. It tastes delicious, but what sets this protein powder apart from the rest is that it optimizes leucine absorption. As you should learn if you don’t know, leucine stimulates protein synthesis, which is a key trigger of muscle growth.
Next up is a quality pre-workout (I refuse to train without one). My suggestion is Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode, one of the best pre-workouts currently on the market. I also suggest creatine monohydrate, such as AllMax Nutrition Creatine. Finally, don’t forget a post-workout shake. I suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein with the fruit of your choice, and Greek yogurt as desired.
Summary
You now have all the info you need to get in the gym and train those shoulders! Make sure you fully utilize everything in this article. If you do, you’ll have huge, wide shoulders in no time!
References:
- Bodybuilding Anatomy: Shoulders • Bodybuilding Wizard (bodybuilding-wizard.com)
- Normal Shoulder Range of Motion (healthline.com)
- Plotkin, D., Coleman, M., Van Every, D., Maldonado, J., Oberlin, D., Israetel, M., Feather, J., Alto, A., Vigotsky, A. D., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2022). Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 10, e14142. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14