How to get bigger shoulders (Guide for bigger more defined delts)

Summary

In this fitness-focused video, Jo discusses the importance of well-developed shoulders for a striking physique. He shares his personal experience and expertise, emphasizing the effectiveness of heavy pressing movements like the seated dumbbell shoulder press. Jo advocates for a slow negative technique to maximize muscle engagement and suggests a rep range of 4 to 10 for heavy pressing. He also covers targeted exercises for each deltoid head, including front raises with rope variation for the front delts, and various lateral raise options for the medial delts. For the often challenging rear delts, Jo recommends cable flies or reverse pec deck exercises. He stresses the importance of high rep ranges, proper form, and progressive overload for optimal shoulder development.

Takeaways

• 💪 Shoulders are a crucial part of a man's physique and can significantly impact first impressions.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Heavy pressing movements, like the seated dumbbell shoulder press, are effective for building big shoulders.
• 📉 Emphasizing a slow negative in exercises can enhance the burn and stimulate muscle growth.
• 🔄 A mix of exercises targeting different parts of the deltoids is necessary for a well-rounded shoulder development.
• 🚫 Front raises are essential despite being a lateral plane exercise, as they target the front deltoids differently than presses.
• 🔗 The rope variation for front raises provides stability and allows for a controlled negative, enhancing the exercise's effectiveness.
• 📈 Progress in shoulder exercises is incremental, and it's important to focus on consistent effort and nutrition for growth.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Lateral raises, in various forms, are fundamental for developing the medial deltoids and should be done with high reps for isolation.
• 🔙 Proper back training can reduce the need for direct rear deltoid work, as they are significantly activated during certain back exercises.
• 🔄 Rear delt exercises like cable flies and reverse pec deck are beneficial for targeting the often underdeveloped rear deltoids.
• ⏫ High frequency and intensity techniques can be particularly effective for shoulder training due to their fast recovery rate.

Q & A

What is considered one of the most defining parts of a man's physique?

The shoulders are considered one of the most defining parts of a man's physique, often being the first thing that people notice when evaluating someone's physical appearance.

Why are shoulders important in bodybuilding?

In bodybuilding, well-developed shoulders are important because they can significantly enhance the overall appearance of one's physique, contributing to an impressive and intimidating look.

What is the first exercise recommended for developing good shoulders?

The first exercise recommended for developing good shoulders is a heavy pressing movement, specifically a seated dumbbell shoulder press with the bench inclined.

What is the significance of the 3-second negative in dumbbell shoulder presses?

The 3-second negative in dumbbell shoulder presses is significant because it allows for a deeper stretch and increased time under tension, which can lead to greater muscle stimulation and growth.

What is the recommended rep range for heavy pressing movements for shoulders?

The recommended rep range for heavy pressing movements for shoulders is between 4 to 10 reps, which is beneficial for building strength and size without excessive volume.

Why are front raises considered important even after performing heavy pressing movements?

Front raises are considered important because they target the front deltoids specifically in a lateral plane movement, which is different from the multi-head stimulation provided by pressing movements.

What is the advantage of using a rope for front raises compared to dumbbells?

Using a rope for front raises provides stability and allows for a slower negative, which can increase the intensity and focus on the movement, potentially leading to a better pump and muscle activation.

What is the recommended rep range for lateral plane exercises like lateral raises?

The recommended rep range for lateral plane exercises like lateral raises is between 12 to 20 reps, which helps to build muscle endurance and definition.

Why might someone's rear delts be underdeveloped despite proper back training?

Even with proper back training, someone's rear delts might be underdeveloped if they are not engaging the muscles with enough intensity or if they are not performing exercises specifically targeting the rear delts, such as cable flies or reverse pec deck.

What are some intensity techniques that can be used to further stimulate shoulder growth?

Some intensity techniques that can be used to stimulate shoulder growth include drop sets, forced reps with a partner's help, and controlled partial reps, which can increase the time under tension and muscle fiber recruitment.

How often should one train their shoulders to take advantage of their fast recovery?

One can train their shoulders more frequently, potentially every other day, focusing on the lagging deltoid head to stimulate growth, due to the shoulders' ability to recover quickly from intense training sessions.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Shoulder Development for Aesthetics and Intimidation

The speaker, Jo, emphasizes the importance of well-developed shoulders in bodybuilding and aesthetics. They discuss the impact of genetics on shoulder width and share personal experience with shoulder training. Jo introduces a seated dumbbell shoulder press as an effective exercise, highlighting the significance of a slow negative phase for muscle stimulation. They recommend a rep range of 4 to 10 and stress the importance of progression over time. Jo also touches on the role of heavy pressing movements in shoulder development and the need for a balance between intensity and volume in training.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Targeting Front Deltoids with Rope Variations

Jo explains the necessity of including front raises in a shoulder workout routine, despite the involvement of front delts in pressing movements. They advocate for the rope variation of front raises due to its stability and ability to control the negative phase for increased intensity. Jo suggests a rep range of 12 to 20 for these exercises and encourages focusing on form and contraction. They also discuss the benefits of progressing in weight slowly and consistently over time, aiming for a 25% increase as a significant milestone.

10:01

🤸‍♂️ Lateral Raises for Medial Deltoid Growth

The paragraph focuses on exercises for the medial deltoids, with Jo recommending lateral raises as a staple movement. They discuss the effectiveness of different lateral raise variations, including the standing cable variation, and the importance of intensity and contraction over heavy weight. Jo advises on a rep range of 12 to 20, emphasizing the need for consistency and proper form. They also mention the potential for higher training frequency for shoulders due to their fast recovery capabilities and androgen receptor density.

15:02

🕺 Isolating and Progressing Rear Deltoids

Jo addresses the challenges of training rear delts, suggesting that proper back training can significantly reduce the need for direct rear delt exercises. They recommend the reverse pec deck and cable fly as effective exercises for those who struggle to feel the rear delts during training. The paragraph also covers the importance of training intensity and the use of higher frequencies and volume for shoulder development. Jo concludes with general advice on shoulder training, encouraging the use of incline pressing and intensity techniques to maximize shoulder growth.

🏋️‍♀️ Comprehensive Shoulder Training Tips

In the final paragraph, Jo provides additional tips for shoulder training, including maintaining high rep ranges for isolation exercises, incorporating incline pressing for additional volume, and taking advantage of the shoulders' fast recovery rate. They stress the importance of proper exercise selection, intensity, and progression. Jo also advises on the importance of training other muscles that indirectly affect the shoulders, such as the back, and concludes by inviting feedback from the audience on future video topics.

Keywords

💡Shoulders

Shoulders are a key muscle group that significantly contribute to the overall appearance of one's physique. In the context of the video, they are described as one of the first things people notice, affecting perceptions of attractiveness or intimidation. The script emphasizes the importance of well-developed shoulders for bodybuilders and those concerned with their physique.

💡Genetics

Genetics play a role in determining one's natural muscle structure, including the shoulders. The speaker acknowledges the influence of genetics on shoulder development but also stresses the importance of training. The video suggests that while genetics can provide a foundation, consistent and targeted training is crucial for optimal shoulder development.

💡Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This is a specific exercise mentioned in the script for developing the shoulders. It involves pressing dumbbells while seated with the backrest inclined, which provides stability and comfort. The script highlights the importance of a slow negative (lowering phase) in the movement to increase the intensity and effectiveness of the exercise.

💡Negatives

In the context of weight training, 'negatives' refer to the lowering phase of a lift. The script emphasizes the importance of slowing down this phase to increase the time under tension, which can lead to greater muscle stimulation and growth. This technique is particularly highlighted for shoulder exercises like the dumbbell shoulder press.

💡Front Raises

Front raises are a type of exercise that targets the anterior (front) deltoid muscles. Despite some belief that front raises might be redundant after pressing exercises, the script argues for their necessity due to their unique movement pattern that isolates the front deltoids. The rope variation of front raises is recommended for its stability and control.

💡Lateral Raises

Lateral raises are exercises that target the lateral (side) deltoid muscles. The script suggests that these exercises should be performed with a higher rep range to focus on muscle endurance and hypertrophy. It also mentions the importance of maintaining proper form to prevent other muscles, like the traps, from taking over.

💡Rear Delt Flies

Rear delt flies are exercises designed to target the posterior (rear) deltoid muscles. The script notes that if one's back training is comprehensive, the rear delts may not require as much direct work. However, if targeted, exercises like cable flies or reverse pec deck can be effective. The emphasis is on feeling the contraction and not just lifting heavy weights.

💡Progression

Progression in the context of the video refers to the gradual increase in weight, intensity, or complexity of exercises to promote muscle growth. The script provides examples of how to progress in exercises like the seated dumbbell shoulder press and lateral raises by starting with a manageable weight and increasing it as one's strength improves.

💡Androgen Receptor Density

Androgen receptor density refers to the number of androgen receptors in a muscle group, which can influence how muscles respond to training and hormones. The script mentions that shoulders have a high androgen receptor density, which may allow them to recover faster and grow more in response to training, especially when intensity is high.

💡Incline Pressing

Incline pressing is a variation of the bench press where the bench is angled upwards, targeting the upper chest and front deltoids. The script suggests that incline pressing can be beneficial for shoulder development, especially for the front delts, and can be incorporated into a routine to provide additional volume without overtaxing the chest muscles.

Highlights

Shoulders are one of the most defining parts of a man's physique and can be a key indicator of attractiveness or intimidation.

The speaker has genetically good shoulders and emphasizes the importance of training them hard for well-developed physique.

Seated dumbbell shoulder press with a bench cocked back at an incline is recommended for heavy pressing movements.

Taking a 3-second negative on dumbbell shoulder presses can significantly enhance the burn and effectiveness of the exercise.

Heavy pressing movements should be done in a 4 to 10 rep range for optimal shoulder development.

Progression in heavy pressing exercises is achieved by increasing the weight as one's ability to perform more reps improves.

Front raises, especially with a rope, are emphasized for targeting the front deltoids with more stability and control.

Lateral raises are crucial for shoulder development, with the rope variation offering a stable and intense exercise.

The importance of high rep ranges (12 to 20 reps) for lateral plane exercises like lateral raises is highlighted for muscle growth.

Consistency in lateral raises and gradual progression over time is key to seeing improvements in shoulder development.

Rear delts can be sufficiently developed through proper back training, reducing the need for direct rear delt exercises.

Exercises like cable fly or reverse pec deck are recommended for directly targeting rear delts when needed.

The reverse pec deck exercise is described as effective for feeling the rear delt contraction and progression.

Cable flies are noted as an excellent exercise for targeting rear delts with tension throughout the movement.

High rep ranges are also recommended for rear delt exercises to focus on form and contraction over heavy weights.

Incline pressing is suggested as a way to add extra volume to shoulder training without overtaxing the chest.

Shoulders' fast recovery due to androgen receptor density allows for higher intensity and volume in training.

High-frequency training and intensity techniques like drop sets can be beneficial for shoulder development.

Proper training of other muscles that also engage the shoulders, such as presses and back movements, can contribute to overall shoulder growth.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of consistent, intense training and progression for developing well-defined shoulders.

Transcripts

what's up guys Jo here back with another

video and today we're going to be

talking about shoulders now shoulders

are one of the most defining part of any

man's physique right there the first

thing that women look at and think oh

he's kind of hot as [ __ ] or the first

thing men look at and be like oh he's

kind of intimidating or just in general

when you see somebody with some type of

good build there is some level of

shoulder development there always

whether it's in the adults or whether

it's in them having a genetically wide

clavicle bone um so yeah shoulders are

relatively important they're one of the

things that can really make a physique

especially in bodybuilding so obviously

it is very important for you to have

well-developed shoulders if you care

about the way your physique looks in

general right and being somebody that

has like genetically pretty pretty good

shoulders I think I'm qualified to talk

about this I know a lot of it genetics

but I do train my shoulders very hard

and very well so yeah we're going to get

right into it so the first exercise for

getting good shoulders is just a heavy

pressing movement now there's a lot of

effective heavy pressing movements that

are working to getting you big shoulders

but what I personally have found to be

very effective as of late is just doing

a seated dumbbell shoulder press where

the bench is cocked back one incline so

it's a lot more comfortable and you have

a lot more stability and instead of just

kind of going through the motions going

fast and whatnot taking a 3 second

negative to really feel the burn makes a

huge [ __ ] difference now I know the

negative is very important on any

exercise but some exercises really

slowing the negative down feels like a

huge difference like hamstring curls for

example I don't really feel too much of

a difference when I slow the negative

down but on these dumbbell shoulder

presses when I do there's a huge

different and it just feels great in

general and you can generally do this in

I'd say the 4 to 10 rep range um I think

when it comes to the heavy pressing

movements especially for shoulders just

having something that you can do

relatively heavy and not insanely

insanely high volume is very beneficial

IAL especially when you consider the

other exercises in this video that are

generally taken with a higher rep

approach you don't really need a crazy

amount of volume with this you just need

three to four sets of a good heavy press

with very high intensity um and for

improving or progression over time

started a weight that I can do for four

reps then I'll stay on it until I can do

10 reps on it right whether I need to do

this with a spotter or I get this done

myself right just progress over time try

to beat what you did last time in the

grand scheme of things just generally

improve on the lift and you will see

amazing progress you'll hit all three of

your delts but this is mostly a front

delt movement moving on to some more

front delts is front raises um a lot of

people think it's redundant to have a

front raise and a pressing movement in

your exercise because your front delts

are hit very well um I've and this is

not to offend anyone um but I've rarely

ever seen see anybody with actual good

real developed shoulders say that I have

very insane shoulder genetics as you can

see in this and this [ __ ] is only pulled

halfway up so if I was to overdo

something in my shoulders you would

certainly see it by overdevelopment and

it's not the case having a heavy press

and a and a fly are both mandatory the

heavy press is going to hit a mix of all

three heads while you're pressing but a

front raise is more of a lateral plane

exercise where you're going to be raised

there're two different types of s imuses

and now for some people they may not

both be necessary but the average person

I do think should be doing both of these

now A A variation that I like in

particular for front raises is the Rope

version with the Rope version you can

just walk out stand still and because of

the way the Rope is set your body is not

going to be shaking when you raise the

the Rope up just like with the dumbbells

right cuz with the dumbbells you'll find

a lot of instability and it'll kind of

take away from what you can focus on in

the movement but when you change it to

the Rope variation your whole body is

stable and you can really feel it on

everything in addition to that the Rope

variation does allow you to slow your

negative down so if you want to add some

extra intensity to the end of your sets

or you want to do all of your reps with

slowed negatives that is a plus and the

burn is just amazing at I would say the

burn is like slightly better than the

dumbbell variation which the burn

doesn't matter too much but the burn

like and the pump does does have some

impact on muscle growth oh no that's

extra nonsense I just prefer the Rog

variation I typically do this for 12 to

20 reps I'll just pick a weight that I

can do for like 12 stick on it until I

can do 20 now with these lateral plane

exercises which is pretty much the rest

of the exercises for the video it will

take a pretty long time to progress on

them so don't rush it just go in try

your best give your best effort try to

progress in the long run eat enough fuel

your body and you will see progress in

your doubts if you go from like a 20 lb

lateral raise to a 25 lb lateral raise

that was essentially a 25% increase so

you made a lot of progress so when it

comes to these lateral plane exercises

don't rust the process just go through

the motions give it your all and you

will see good progress now we're going

to be moving on to the medial D and um

it's really easy this is very silver

spim everybody knows you just find a

lateral raise it does not matter which

lateral raise you do as long as you do a

good lateral raise with intensity you

will be fine shoulders are a muscle that

can recover faster and due to their

Androgen receptor density they can often

respond pretty well to proper training

or just training intensity in general so

you don't honestly need the most fancy

exercise if you want to take something

more optimal go ahead but if you want to

opt for something basic like dumbbell

lateral razors that works too but an

optimal variation that a lot of people

who tend to prefer in fancy these days

is is the standing cable variation you

kind of hold on to the pole stand get it

with your other hand take a slight lean

and you raise outward and the

contraction is amazing the stretch is

amazing the tension is good all the way

through it just may be hard to move up

on weight in this or just do heavy

weight in general but that's not the

point with these lateral exercises the

point is to really bias the de without

wearing too much about weight you'll see

improvements over time if you just stay

consistent but yeah that's a variation

most people think

sometimes I do it with a plate when I

can't find any dumbbells sometimes I

just do the regular dumbbell L A rays

and sometimes I do the machine one which

is another variation that I really like

because the contraction feels good and I

can really feel it a lot deeper in my

lateral delts then I can do like a

dumbbell lateral raise so yeah just find

a lateral raise variation that you will

enjoy because you'll train it harder

stay consistent and progress over time

and you will see growth um generally

it's the same thing with like with the

front raises a 12 to 20 reprint so you

can prevent other muscles from taking

over goes a very long way and the same

general approach for progression is here

too you started something you can do for

12 stick with it until you can do it for

20 and then find another way that you

can only do for 12 and repeat the

process now when it comes to rear delts

there is a bit of let's say difficulty

in controversy first and foremost if you

really properly hit your back and I'm

not talking about just oh yeah I'm

hitting it good like the average person

who does even me I hit it good but I

wouldn't say hit an amazing if you learn

how to really hit your back amazing like

whenever you do a row really squeeze

that [ __ ] as hard as possible like if

you can get like a an experienced

bodybuilder to train back with you one

day do it because you'll really see how

the [ __ ] your back is supposed to work

when you properly train your back your

rear delts are cluster [ __ ] and they

really don't need a whole lot of direct

work the main area people run into

problems with rear delts is that a

really huge chunk of your rear delts is

supposed to come from your back training

but it's very hard to really get that

back training down in general you

generally want to however you want to do

it whether you want to do it flare to

hit your upper back or like this tit

your lats whenever you contract squeeze

your back as hard as can I'm not talking

about just a really good squeeze but

literally as far back and as hard as you

can take your exercises to failure with

intensity and you will see insane growth

in your rear delts but an exercise to

directly hit them and complement this

proper back training is something like a

cable fly or a reverse pec deck or a

bent overfly now people typically have a

lot of problems feeling the bent

overflow so I'm not going to recommend

that one but the two exercises that did

work in terms of like being able to feel

it and progress were the bent overfly in

the cable fly not the bent overfly but

the reverse Peg deck the reverse p tech

deck is very simple you just sit set it

up go back and focus on actively

squeezing and flexing your shoulder once

you get this to parallel like once you

get your wrists paralleled with your

shoulders squeeze your rear delt and you

will feel it the cable Del [ __ ] um it's

probably the best variation like some

guy came up and asked me hey how do I

hit the back of my shoulders because it

it's really hard I told him to do the

rear delt cable fly and he didn't he was

like Bueno cuz you know he didn't speak

much English but or he spoke English but

he was like Spanish but that's besides

the point the reverse cable flies

they're very good you will feel it in

your shoulder there's tension all the

way through and they're just an amazing

exercise same thing with this 12 to 20

rep range really take your time focusing

on the form like more so on the rear

delts than anything because they're

typically the most

underdeveloped muscle out of all the

delts check your ego really focus on

getting the form right that first two

months getting an insane contraction and

then you can really nail that training

intensity um trying to go up on weight

whenever you can right cuz it will be

slow since this is a lateral plane

exercise but yeah generally it's not

that hard and once again the same

progression protocol after you get past

the initial learning curve of just

hitting rear delts start at something

you can hit for 12 reps stick with it

until you can do 20 and go up now that

what I pretty much gave you a simple

guide on exercises that you need to do

those are the only three sl4 exercises

that you need here are just some other

General things to elaborate on your

flying movements keep them in that

higher rep range rep exercises like

raises your lateral raises your rear

delt flies when you start to go heavy to

the point where you can do below 12 reps

or below eight reps with them what will

happen is your traps will take over and

it'll kind of take away from your

shoulders and this is not a bad thing

but when you want to isolate a muscle

like the shoulders that is incredibly

important for making your physique pop

we're going to try to keep this as

strict as possible

so in order to achieve that keep the

Reps on your flying movements high they

are meant to be higher rep movements

where you just get a [ __ ] ton of blood

in the shoulder with a nice solid

control Tempo you really don't want your

traps taking over this because you're

going to have your own trap exercises

you do not need your traps taken over an

additional tip is to have have more

incline pressing in your routine I'm

like very heavy incline Enthusiast I

don't really do any type of flat

pressing anymore um because incline

press one it's shaer on your shoulders

so the less injuries you have the less

time you're spent out of the gym the

more time spent in the gym meaning the

more time you spend actually grinding

breaking down muscles able to grow and

whatnot but also it's just

inconsequential extra volume for your

shoulders um as long as you don't

overtrain the [ __ ] out of your chest or

you don't don't overdo your sets of

incline pressing it will add something

to your shoulders it'll also make your

front delt a lot stronger so you're able

to effectively progress shoulder press

even better and Progressive overload

will always help you grow more muscle

that's one of the main principles so it

just has a bunch of positive effects on

your shoulders in general and though

your incline presses is mainly for your

front dels it will actually hit just a

little bit of your lateral delt as well

and some rear delt but yeah trying to

have more in CL pressing as just an

inconsequential way to get some extra

like shoulder work in there is very

smart as well and another little thing

to note is um I'm going to elaborate a

little more on something um your

shoulders are probably one of the

fastest recovering muscles in your body

simply due to their Androgen receptor

density um this is why when you call

people out for steroids the first thing

you look at is their shoulders because

of this Androgen receptive density your

shoulders will grow the fastest in

response to increased hormones so when

somebody has shoulders that are so

proportionally big that it kind of

dwarfs the rest of their physique that's

when you can typically tell that there

ear roids so moving on with this

information what does this tell us the

shoulders can probably take a little bit

more intensity and volume so don't be

afraid to implement a lot of intensity

techniques or even spam shoulders like a

lot of people will have an approach

where for whatever lagging delt they

have they'll do like whatever fly

movement to hit that lagging delt

they'll do it every other day and I've

seen it work very well higher frequency

goes well for every single muscle there

are studies to prove this but especially

for shoulders that's something that can

recover fast and can actually benefit

from this it is not a bad idea just pick

whatever delt that you're lagging on the

most or you want to see the most

progress a lot of people want to see

most progress and their lateral delt I

might try to do this with my rear delt

right

do it every other day maybe three sets

because you're doing two to three sets

every other day so you don't overdo it

and you will probably see amazing gains

um in addition to that the intensity

techniques don't feel don't be afraid to

add

um drop sets or have someone like help

you push the the the you know the

dumbbell up when you're doing lateral

raises or like very smart and controlled

partial reps do the partial reps in such

a way to where your traps are not going

to take over

and just finding ways to really cluster

[ __ ] your shoulders you do not have to

go easy on your shoulders you can really

cluster [ __ ] them in the training

because they can handle it and they will

be able to recover so take advantage of

your shoulder's ability to recover and

just get stronger and use it to progress

and get bigger shoulders all in all know

getting shoulders is not that hard you

just need proper pretty simple but

effective exercise selection that you

will train intensely and progress over

over time take advantage of the fact

that your shoulders can recover properly

learn how to properly hit the other

muscles that also hit your shoulders so

your presses and your back movements and

you will get a lot of shoulder growth

from that as well and don't be afraid

like I said to really cluster [ __ ] them

because of how fast they can recover

getting um welldeveloped shoulders is

not a hard thing um if you have bad

genetics for them hey you have bad

genetics for them but you can generally

improve them without an insane amount of

difficulty if you just do it right

getting

shoulders consistently train Hard

Exercise selection you got it but um

yeah that's pretty much it let me know

what videos you guys want to see next

and I'm out