Best Shoulder Workout for mass

When it comes to building an aesthetic figure, nothing is more important than big, broad shoulders. A well-formed set of boulders is the foundation of the V-Taper that makes for a head-turning physique. The V-taper is achieved with muscular shoulders, fully developed lats and a small waistline.

Check out this chart showing you all three heads of the deltoids:

The Best Shoulder Exercises

While many athletes perform standard presses such as the dumbbell shoulder press and barbell military press (which are extremely important), these exercises mainly target the middle head of the deltoid, and the anterior and posterior delts are left neglected.

Developing the anterior and posterior deltoid muscles produces incredible overall aesthetics and an action-figure-like physique.

The anterior deltoids are the very front head of the shoulder muscle and if developed properly, create a round and impressive looking shape from a front-facing view. Rear (posterior) delts give a thick and powerful appearance from the side and back. Rear deltoids are what really make the shoulders “pop” and give you that 3-D look.

Take a look at the three major principles to follow in order to get the most out of your shoulder workouts:

Three Principles of a Solid Shoulder Workout Routine

1. Lift Heavy and Focus on Strength Gains

Many athletes over-complicate their training. One of, if not the best time-tested and proven strategies is to simply lift heavy on the most important exercises and focus on making small incremental improvements each workout.

This means carefully tracking workouts and focusing on improvement in each and every session. Shoulders are a stubborn muscle group, especially for naturally skinny people (ectomorphs), so it’s necessary to emphasize progressive overload principles.

Take for instance the dumbbell shoulder press – one of the best mass building shoulder exercises used by athletes at every level. If you performed the dumbbell shoulder press with 55 lbs for 7 reps in your last workout, push yourself to do 8 reps with the same weight the following workout, or move up to 60 lbs and do 7 reps again. This forces the muscles to respond and grow bigger and stronger. This may sound extremely basic, but too many people in the gym don’t follow this simple, effective principle. It’s the little things that make a huge difference.

2. Train all three heads of the deltoid muscles

As we mentioned earlier, deltoids actually have three sections. Unfortunately, many people fail to realize this, which is why you rarely see a shoulder with the front, middle and rear portion fully developed. Without adequate development in all three sections, it’s nearly impossible to form those powerful looking boulders.

The difference between the average guy who is fairly lean and muscular with some ab definition and the ripped fitness model is all in the V-taper, and for many people, developing the anterior and posterior deltoid muscles is the missing link for achieving that sought-after shape. The wider and thicker your shoulders are, the better your V-taper ratio will be.

3. Mix up your exercises, rep ranges and rest times

Vary the exercises used to target each section of the shoulders. Aim to have 4-5 solid exercises that work the anterior, main, and posterior deltoid, and change these up every so often.

Varying rest time between sets. One of the best ways to stimulate growth is a combination of heavy sets with short rest times.

So what does an insane shoulder workout routine that develops all three deltoid sections and unleashes powerful gains look like? Check this out:

Boulder Shoulders: The Best Shoulder Workout for Mass

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Sets: 4

Reps: 4-8

Rest Time: 60 Seconds

Pace: 2 Seconds Down

2. Standing Barbell Military Press

Reps: 5

Rest Time: 75-120 Seconds

3. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Reps: 6-10

Rest Time: 75 Seconds

Pace: 1:2 (one second down, two seconds up)

4. Dumbbell Arnold Press

Reps: 8-12

Pace: 2:2

5. Dumbbell Shrugs

Reps: 8

Pace: 1:2