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Every-Day Delts
by Michael Berg (2016)
Well, not every day, but this high volume approach could be just the short term fix you need to reignite your slumping shoulder growth.
"Having stimulated the growth mechanism by going to failure on the first set, it is neither necessary nor desirable to do a second set; it's not just a waste of time, but counterproductive." That was legendary bodybuilder Mike Mentzer, who through his "Heavy Duty" training method espoused the idea of drastically cutting your workload when dealing with a lagging muscle group.
Mentzer -- God rest his soul -- would absolutely hate what we're about to tell you. Because we're advocating doing shoulder work in every single workout you do this week.
Truth be told, he would have a point if you took this idea out of context and used it interminably. But in short spurts of a month or less, this technique, which in this case is aimed at delts that have proved unresponsive to more traditional training methods, could provide just the right short-term spark needed.
"There are hundreds of ways to develop mass in the shoulders; once in a while you just need to give them a shock," says Michelle Brown, NASM-certified personal trainer and IFBB Figure pro based in Los Gatos, California. "While time under tension is always a debated subject, I have seen good results with it. I'm not talking your average time under tension regimen, but rather taking it to the limits."
In this program you'll train at least a part of your shoulders on five separate days a week, including one comprehensive workout. "Those other four days aren't a full-out delt session, but one exercise or a superset aimed at a particular area of the delts, whether the rear, middle or front head or the traps," Brown explains. "On those days you'll work shoulders with another bodypart, either before or after as you see fit."
On the first day you'll do legs and front delt superset; the next day is chest and a shoulder press; on the third day you'll do the synergistic pairing of back and rear delts. After a rest day you'll do a shoulders-only session, followed by another rest day before finishing out the week with an arms and traps routine.
"Only follow this for four weeks max," Brown cautions. "Then take a break and go back to your previous routine or a general layout of your choosing. Give that at least two to four weeks, then you can return for one more shoulder blast with this program. This pattern will not allow your delts to adapt and then stop responding to the stimulus. Remember to always warm up before your workout and stretch after to help prevent injuries."
Before You Begin
Each time you train shoulders precede the workout with a warmup for the rotator cuff muscles. "There are a variety of tools you can use, from bands to Indian clubs to dumbbells," Brown says. "Use very light tension and work the entire shoulder capsule." Here's her sample warmup program. Run through the circuit twice, doing 15 reps each.
Front Raise
Lateral Raise
External Rotation
Internal Rotation
Overhead Press
Reverse Flye
The Every-Day Delt Program
Use your regular workouts for the other bodyparts listed while adding the shoulder movements before or after. On Day 5 you'll do a full deltoid workout that hits the bodypart from every angle.
Day 1:
Legs.
Front Delts -
One-Arm Dumbbell Front Raise, 3 x 12-15 per side, medium weight
superset with
Barbell Front Raise, 3 x 20, lighter weight.
Day 2:
Chest.
Side Delts -
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press, 4 x 12-15, to failure.
Day 3:
Back.
Rear Delts -
Bentover Lateral Raise, 3 x 12-15, heavy
superset with
Machine Reverse Flye, 3 x 15-20, lighter.
Day 4:
Rest
Day 5:
Shoulders -
Standing Cable Reverse Flye, 3 x 8-10, heavy.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise, 4 x 10, heavy
superset with
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise, thumbs down, 4 x 10, heavy.
Incline Bench Dumbbell Front Raise, 4 x 10-12, heavy.
Seated Overhead Press, 4 x 8-10, to failure.
Barbell Wide Grip Upright Row, 3 x 12-15, medium.
One Arm Bentover Lateral Raise, 3 x 10-12 per side, medium.
Day 6:
Rest
Day 7:
Arms.
Traps -
Dumbbell Shrug, 4 x 10-12, heavy
superset with
Face Pull (elbows at 30 degrees), 4 x 10-12 medium.
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