8 Reasons Your Shoulders Are NOT Growing (Science Based)
Summary
TLDRThis video discusses common mistakes people make when trying to build shoulder muscles and offers tips for maximizing shoulder growth. Key points include using a full range of motion in exercises like overhead presses, balancing focus between front, side, and rear delts, and starting workouts with shoulder exercises for better gains. Emphasizing progressive overload, sufficient training volume, and proper nutrition, including a calorie surplus and adequate protein intake, are also highlighted. The video provides practical advice for achieving more defined, muscular shoulders while improving overall posture and reducing the risk of injury.
Takeaways
- 💪 Full range of motion is crucial for shoulder exercises, especially overhead presses, as lowering the weight fully activates the delts more.
- 🏋️♂️ Overhead presses focus mainly on the front delts, so it's important to incorporate exercises targeting the side and rear delts for balanced growth.
- ⚖️ Side and rear delts are key to achieving a wide, athletic shoulder look but are often neglected, unlike the front delts which get worked during chest exercises.
- 🗓️ Training shoulders at the beginning of a workout leads to better gains, as muscles worked earlier in a session see more progress.
- 🚨 Allowing traps to dominate shoulder exercises, especially side delts, can hinder shoulder growth. Stretching traps pre-workout can help reduce trap involvement.
- 📈 Progressive overload is key to shoulder growth. Gradually increasing the weight or reps in shoulder exercises is essential to muscle development.
- 🔄 Higher training volume (more sets per week) correlates with better muscle growth, so increasing the number of shoulder sets may help break growth plateaus.
- 🍽️ Being in a calorie surplus is necessary for muscle growth, but excessive surpluses lead to unnecessary fat gain, so aim for a modest surplus of 5-8%.
- 🥩 Sufficient protein intake is essential for muscle growth. Aim for at least 0.73 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.
- 📊 Keeping track of workout progress, including weights and reps, can help ensure continuous improvement in shoulder muscle growth.
Q & A
What is the main benefit of training your shoulders through a full range of motion?
-Training your shoulders through a full range of motion, especially in exercises like overhead presses, helps activate the deltoid muscles more effectively. The lower part of the movement stimulates the delts the most, leading to better muscle growth.
Why is it important to focus on side and rear delts rather than just the front delts?
-Focusing on side and rear delts helps achieve a balanced shoulder appearance, improves posture, and reduces the risk of shoulder injury. Overemphasizing the front delts can lead to disproportionate muscle development since front delts are already activated during chest exercises.
Why should shoulder exercises be done earlier in the workout rather than at the end?
-Training shoulders at the start of a workout ensures that the muscles are fresh, allowing you to lift heavier weights and stimulate more growth. Exercises performed earlier in the workout have been shown to produce better gains compared to those done later when muscles are fatigued.
How can lifters reduce trap involvement during side delt exercises?
-Lifters can reduce trap involvement by stretching the traps before the workout, which decreases trap activation, and by focusing on pushing the dumbbells far to the sides during lateral raises, rather than lifting them straight up.
What role does progressive overload play in shoulder development?
-Progressive overload, or gradually increasing the weight or workload over time, is essential for muscle growth. Failing to progressively overload during shoulder exercises can prevent meaningful muscle gains.
Why is overall training volume important for shoulder growth?
-Higher training volume is directly linked to increased muscle growth. If shoulder muscles aren't growing, increasing the number of sets per week may help break through plateaus and stimulate more muscle development.
How does a calorie surplus impact shoulder muscle growth?
-A calorie surplus provides the necessary energy for muscle growth. Consuming too few calories can stall muscle gains, while a moderate surplus of 5-8% above maintenance is ideal for maximizing growth without excessive fat gain.
What is the recommended amount of protein intake for muscle growth?
-The recommended protein intake for muscle growth is 0.73 grams per pound of body weight. For a 180-pound person, this equals about 131 grams of protein per day. Eating more than this amount does not necessarily improve muscle-building progress.
Why are isolation exercises for the front delts often unnecessary?
-Isolation exercises for the front delts, such as frontal raises, are usually unnecessary because the front delts are already heavily activated during common compound exercises like the bench press and overhead press.
What are the risks of performing upright rows for shoulder development?
-Upright rows can potentially lead to shoulder impingement, which is why they are not recommended for training side delts. Instead, exercises like lateral raises or cable reverse flies are safer alternatives.
Outlines
💪 Common Shoulder Training Mistakes and How to Fix Them
This paragraph emphasizes the importance of achieving a V-shaped upper body by developing well-defined shoulder muscles. It explains that many people fail to make meaningful progress due to common mistakes in shoulder training. One of the most prominent errors is not utilizing a full range of motion in exercises like the overhead press. Lowering the weights only to where the arms are parallel to the floor limits shoulder activation, particularly in the delts. The lower portion of the exercise is where the deltoids are most engaged, while the upper part primarily works the triceps. Research supports that a full range of motion is generally more effective for muscle growth, as shown in studies comparing full and partial movements in squats and curls.
🏋️♂️ Balancing Shoulder Muscle Training: Front, Side, and Rear Delts
Here, the focus shifts to how lifters often overtrain the front delts while neglecting the side and rear delts. The front delts are highly activated during exercises like the overhead press and bench press, leading to an imbalance in shoulder development. On the other hand, side delts, which are crucial for shoulder width, are less targeted by most compound exercises. Isolation movements for side and rear delts, like lateral raises and reverse flies, are recommended for achieving balanced shoulder development. Strengthening rear delts also contributes to better posture and shoulder health, reducing the risk of injury.
⏱️ Prioritizing Shoulder Exercises for Better Gains
This paragraph discusses the timing of shoulder exercises within a workout routine. Studies show that muscles trained earlier in a workout see more gains. Many people, especially those who combine chest and shoulder exercises in the same session, tend to leave shoulder exercises for the end, which limits their progress. Starting the workout with shoulder-specific exercises, particularly those targeting the side and rear delts, can lead to better results. A separate arm day that includes shoulder exercises can help maximize shoulder development, allowing for heavier lifts and better muscle growth.
📉 Reducing Trap Dominance in Shoulder Exercises
Some people overactivate their traps during shoulder exercises, particularly when targeting the side delts, leading to disproportionate trap growth at the expense of shoulder development. While it's impossible to completely isolate the delts from trap involvement, techniques such as static stretching of the traps before training can reduce trap activation. Additionally, focusing on pushing dumbbells outward rather than upward during lateral raises can help engage the side delts more effectively.
📈 The Importance of Progressive Overload for Shoulder Growth
Progressive overload, or gradually increasing the weight lifted, is critical for muscle growth but is often overlooked in shoulder training. Many lifters fail to track their progress or aim to increase weights in shoulder exercises like overhead presses or lateral raises. Small increments in weight over time can lead to significant gains. Keeping a record of workouts and striving to improve by small margins each session is crucial for shoulder development.
🔢 Increasing Training Volume for Bigger Shoulders
This section highlights the importance of training volume for shoulder growth. Research shows a direct relationship between the number of sets performed and muscle gains. Lifters who only train shoulders once a week or with too few sets may struggle to see growth. Increasing the number of sets per week, especially for side and rear delts, can help break through plateaus and stimulate further muscle development.
🍽️ Calorie Surplus: A Key Factor for Shoulder Growth
Muscle growth requires a calorie surplus, meaning you need to consume more calories than you burn to build mass. If shoulder growth is stalled, increasing your calorie intake may be the solution.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Full Range of Motion
💡Deltoids
💡Overhead Press
💡Progressive Overload
💡Training Volume
💡Caloric Surplus
💡Side Deltoid
💡Traps Activation
💡Protein Intake
💡Isolation Exercises
Highlights
Three-dimensional cap-like shoulders create a V-shaped appearance, making the upper body appear leaner and more athletic.
Training shoulders through a full range of motion, especially in exercises like overhead presses, maximizes shoulder muscle activation.
Lowering weights to ear level or below during overhead presses targets the delts more effectively than partial presses.
Overemphasizing front delts is a common issue; rear and side delts must also be trained for balanced shoulder growth.
Side delts play a critical role in creating the wide-shoulder look, but they are often neglected in favor of front delts.
Rear delts contribute to shoulder joint integrity and help prevent injuries, making their training essential for both aesthetics and health.
Starting workouts with shoulder exercises, especially if your goal is shoulder growth, is more effective than leaving them for the end of a session.
Traps can take over in shoulder exercises; stretching the traps before workouts can help reduce their involvement and allow for better shoulder activation.
Progressive overload is crucial for shoulder growth, but many fail to apply it in shoulder-specific exercises.
Tracking workout performance and gradually increasing weight or reps over time helps achieve continuous muscle growth.
Not enough training volume can stall shoulder growth—doing more sets per week may help break through plateaus.
Eating in a calorie surplus is necessary for muscle growth; a surplus of 5-8% above maintenance is ideal for building muscle without excessive fat gain.
Consuming sufficient protein is key for muscle repair and growth; 0.73 grams per pound of body weight per day is sufficient for most lifters.
Overhead presses primarily target the front delts; side and rear delt isolation exercises are essential for well-rounded shoulder development.
A balanced shoulder workout includes a variety of exercises targeting front, side, and rear delts to maximize muscle size and prevent imbalances.
Transcripts
three-dimensional cap-like shoulders
help form a v-shaped appearance for your
upper body making you appear leaner more
attractive and more athletic it also
helps your arms look significantly more
muscular when you have pronounced
shoulders that appear to separate from
the rest of the muscles in your arms
unfortunately many guys make the same
common mistakes that prevent them from
adding any meaningful Mass to their
shoulders at all so today I want to go
over eight of the most common mistakes
that are holding you back in terms of
bulking up those shoulders and the first
one that I see all the time is that most
people don't train through a full range
of motion especially when doing
exercises like overhead presses if
you're someone that actually does go all
the way down when you do overhead
presses next time you go to the gym take
a look at how most people perform their
barbell dumbbell and machine overhead
presses you'll see that most people
don't lower the weight further than the
point where their upper arms are
parallel to the floor before pressing
the weight back up what you want to do
instead is lower the weight all the way
down until your hands are at least at
ear level and you can go even lower than
that until the dumbbells are about the
same height as your shoulders this is
beneficial because it's specifically the
lower part of the exercise that
stimulates the delts the most the upper
part on the other hand is largely a
function of the triceps if we divide the
motion of an overhead press into a lower
middle and upper portion we can see that
the triceps are heavily involved in
locking out the weight during that upper
portion not so much your shoulders your
shoulders fire fully in the lower and
middle portions of this exercise on top
of the fact that your shoulders are more
active in the lower and the middle
section research also indicates that in
general training through a greater range
of motion is better for muscle growth
for example studies show that full
squats cause more glue and adductor
growth than partial squats and full
range of motion curls produce more a
bicep growth when compared to partial
curls another common mistake is that
you're focusing too much on the front
delts but not enough on the side and the
rear delts this is usually done
unintentionally and this issue can even
affect Advanced bodybuilders forming a
disproportionate amount of volume for
your front delts is common for two
reasons first one of the most staple
shoulder exercises in everyone's routine
is the overhead press unfortunately the
overhead press as great of an exercise
as it is focuses primarily on the front
delts meanwhile the side and especially
the rear delts get much less activation
the second and also the bigger issue is
the fact that you already train your
front delts quite a bit during all your
horizontal pressing exercises like the
dumbbell and barbell bench press so when
you train your chest you inadvertently
also train the front part of your
shoulders a lot even your rear delts
will get recruited to a decent extent
when you perform different pulling
exercises like pull-ups rows and
especially bent over high rows but
that's not the case for the side delts
which are especially important for
giving your shoulders that wide look
with the exception of upright rows which
can actually lead to shoulder
impingement your side delts are not
activated to a very significant extent
from most other compound exercises
including the bench press pull ups and
rows that's why you want to put extra
emphasis on training your side delts
during your shoulder workouts there are
pretty much no lifters that need to do
isolation exercises for their front
delts like dumbbell frontal raises for
example however pretty much every lifter
can benefit by adding more side and rear
delt exercises like dumbbell lateral
raises and cable reverse flies now on
top of the aesthetic benefits focusing
on the side and rear delts is also
beneficial from a posture and shoulder
Health perspective a study published in
the journal of clinical biomechanics
found that strengthening the posterior
head of the deltoid helps to ensure
shoulder joint integrity and reduces the
likelihood of a shoulder injury next is
the mistake of saving your shoulder
exercises till the end of your workout
or simply hitting shoulders too late in
your workout many studies including a
randomized controlled trial show that
exercises and muscle groups that you
train first in a workout are the ones
that you'll see the most gains from
however a lot of people that are trying
to grow their shoulders don't train
their shoulders first if your split
training routine combines chest
shoulders and triceps for example into
one push workout you're most likely
starting your workout with exercises
like bench presses and dumbbell presses
which means you'll exhaust your
shoulders quite a bit before you finally
get to your shoulder exercises that
works just fine if your primary goal is
to grow your chest but if you primarily
want to grow your shoulders it would be
much better to hit them at the beginning
of your workout this is why I like to
combine shoulders biceps and triceps
into one arm workout on a separate day
from my chest and back workout having an
arm specific day where you can start
fresh with shoulder exercises that
Target your mid and rear deltoids like
bent arm lateral raises and dumbbell
reverse flies can wind up being
extremely beneficial for balancing out
the shape of your shoulders even if you
start the workout with overhead presses
which Target more of your front delt
starting off with shoulder exercises can
help you lift significantly more weight
than if you were to finish with shoulder
exercises and that in turn will benefit
muscle growth another mistake is
allowing your traps to take over for
your deal else this definitely isn't the
case for everyone but some people feel
shoulder exercises and especially side
dealt exercises more in their traps than
they do on their shoulders due to this
increased level of trap activation their
traps grow like crazy while their
shoulders get left behind this can be a
tricky situation because unfortunately
it's impossible to stimulate your delts
without also having your traps involved
in the movement but the good news is
that there are a couple things you can
do to reduce trap recruitment first you
can static stretcher traps before you do
your shoulder workout various studies
show that stretching a muscle for 60
seconds or longer decreases subsequent
muscle activation during exercise you
can effectively stretch your traps by
simply bending one arm and putting it
behind your back as you take your
opposite hand and pull your head down to
the side towards your shoulder you'll
want to hold that position for 60
seconds on each side for one to two sets
before training your shoulders another
great way to train your side delts while
reducing trap involvement is to focus on
pushing your dumbbells as far away to
your sides as possible possible as you
bring them up during a lateral raise
rather than just focusing on lifting
them straight up moving on to the next
one we have the common problem of not
applying Progressive overload it's very
interesting when it comes to the bench
press many lifters try to beat the
amount of weight that they lifted the
week beforehand or the month beforehand
which is a good thing because increasing
the amount of stress you place on your
muscles like this stimulates growth but
I find very few people that are focused
on trying to increase the amount of
weight that they can use on compound
shoulder exercises like overhead presses
and especially on isolation exercises
like lateral raises that's a big mistake
when doing shoulder exercises or any
other exercise for that matter you want
to focus on Progressive overload this
means that you have to gradually
increase the amount of workload that you
put on a muscle it doesn't have to be a
huge increase small little increments
will add up to large increments over
time so focus on just increasing the
amount of weight you can lift by even
two and a half pounds in one month if
you're doing a weight load for 10 reps
and not hitting fan failure increase
that weight load until you're doing like
six or seven reps before hitting failure
then work on getting your rep count back
up to 9 or 10 reps before upping the
weight load again and repeating that
entire process this is also why it could
be highly beneficial for you to keep
track of your workouts so that you know
how much weight you use during your last
couple workouts and how many reps you
were able to do with that weight this
way you always have a tangible number
that you can try to beat over time
another issue you might be running into
aside from just not upping your weight
load is you're not doing enough overall
training volume if you only train your
shoulders once per week or you only do a
couple of sets here and there that's
likely the reason why your shoulders
aren't growing to maximize muscle growth
you absolutely have to do enough
training volume in fact the
meta-analysis found a dose response
relationship between training volume and
muscle growth in train lifters the more
sets the participants did the more
muscle they gained also looking closely
at another eight week study where
participants did either one three or
five sets per X exercise the results
once again show that there was a dose
response relationship where higher
training volumes led to more muscle
growth so if your shoulders aren't
growing consider doing more sets for
that muscle every week so if you're
currently doing let's say nine sets for
shoulders per week try 12 or 15 sets per
week and see if that helps you break
through your Plateau now even though
I've just been talking about your
shoulder workouts one of the main
reasons you might be struggling to add
Mass to your shoulders is that you're
not consuming enough calories consuming
enough calories is crucial if you want
to maximize muscle growth so if your
shoulders aren't growing make sure to
check whether you are in fact in a
calorie Surplus if not that could be the
fix that you need to get your shoulders
growing again keep in mind you don't
have to go crazy stuffing yourself with
as much food as possible to maximize
muscle growth you don't need that big of
a calorie Surplus in fact a huge Surplus
can do more bad than good this was
proven in a study where a scientist
compared muscle growth and fat gain in
individuals that consume different
calorie surpluses while one group
consume a regular calorie Surplus the
other group went 600 calories above the
regular calorie Surplus Group after 12
weeks both groups gained a statistically
similar amount of muscle but the group
that consumed an additional 600 calories
gained more than five times the amount
of fat so if you want to keep it stupid
simple I recommend that you consume a
calorie Surplus Target of around five to
eight percent above maintenance per day
that'll be enough to maximize muscle
growth while minimizing fat gain finally
last but not least you may not be eating
enough protein so not only is getting
enough calories important for muscle
growth but you also want to consume
enough protein that's because the amino
acids found in protein form the
foundation of our muscle mass in fact
muscle growth is all about building up
more protein in a muscle compared to
what gets broken down on a daily basis
if you can accomplish that your muscles
will grow now just like with the calorie
Surplus more is not necessarily more a
2018 meta-analysis published in the
British Journal of sports medicine found
that you only need 0.73 grams per pound
of body weight per per day that equals
about 131 grams of protein for a 180
pound person you can of course eat more
protein than that amount but based on
the scientific evidence it won't have
much more of an effect on your muscle
building progress instead I recommend
saving those additional calories for
fats and carbs that can make your diet
more enjoyable so that about wraps it up
I really hope you guys enjoyed this
video and if you have make sure you
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someone that wants any extra help and
you want a done-for-you system that'll
help you build up all the muscles in
your body including your chest shoulders
arms and legs then head on over to my
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Progressive workout plan a recipe book
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guys soon
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