BIG THANK YOU to Liam Tweed for another Tony Ditillo Article!
In my opinion, there is great need for the present day bodybuilder to regain his senses when it comes to shoulder and chest specialization. For too long I have seen an inexhaustible number of young men and boys approach the epitome of masculine perfection only to be beaten back time and time again due to their lack of properly developed deltoids and pectorals.
To be sure, properly developed shoulder and chest muscles will do tremendous things for the appearance of your physique. In fact, I do not think I have ever seen a man with what I could honestly consider over-developed shoulders. Oh yes, it's true that there are many men who overdevelop their chests, or perhaps it's more honest to say that there are many men who give the appearance of an overdeveloped chest, when in reality it is the lack of sufficient deltoid development which causes them to appear so unsymmetrical and odd.
And it is also quite true that you are never going to see a major title holder without properly developed shoulders and a well developed chest. I mean, let's face it, the shoulder and chest muscles frame the entire body; they give you a sort of "idea" as to what to expect from the rest of the man.
When your shoulders are broad your back has to be broad, too. When your chest is deep and spacious you naturally assume that the pectorals will be thick and bulky too. Do you see what I mean? Nothing looks more horrible than a man with huge thighs and arms and a flat chest and narrow shoulders. Such a man might look alright from a straight-on, front position but when he turns to the side he is really quite a hilarious sight!
And the craziest thing of all is that there are quite a few fellows who will go out of their way just to try and look like this! As long as their bony shoulders are wide and as long as their waists are quite small and thin, they feel they are the living end. All they seem to be interested in is their width. They never give thickness of their muscles a second thought. Three fourths of their training is divided between lateral raises and bench presses and leg extensions. This, they feel, will give them that much desired physique. This, they feel, is the answer.
Reg Park has about the most massive shoulder development of any man I have ever seen. He has each of the three sections of his deltoids equally developed. His pectorals are high and wide and do not hang down from the crest of his rib box as so many others do. You can be sure, if you want a shoulder-chest development to begin to compare with Park's you will have to do a great deal of pre-planning concerning your exercise routines and also you will really have to work.
For every muscle group in the body there are one or two exercise movements which all experts consider the best for that area in comparison with all the others. This fact also plays an important part in chest and shoulder training. To be sure, there are certain movements which are tried and true exercises of the "champions" and you will be saving yourself a lot of time and trouble if you will only try and find out just which movements these are, and once you do, stick to them like glue until you obtain from their constant use properly developed deltoids and pectorals.
In the modern day and age, when in comes to specialization, bodybuilding is no exception. Just as our schools of higher learning have become sectionalized, so have our schools of physical culture become more specialized in their attitudes toward physical training and training dogma. Sooner or later just about everyone needs to specialize on his chest and shoulders and since such training will have to be most severe and demanding, it is necessary that the trainee has an intelligent attitude toward such training and a realistic hope of just what he can expect.
Now there is no type of training in this world which can turn anyone into a Mr. Universe, and he who tries to tell you different is surely very badly mistaken. But even tho you may not be able to climb the physical culture ladder right to the top, you will still be better off in the long run if you train in an intelligent manner using common sense and logic and a lot of hard work.
To properly specialize on any body part you must take into consideration three basic and essential things:
1) Proper diet and sufficient rest.
2) Proper mental attitude.
3) Proper exercise movements and routine.
All three aspects of your training must coincide with each other in order for you to reap all the benefits which are yours by right. You cannot take into consideration only one or two of these three essential facts and necessities and expect to really fully succeed. You must concentrate equally on all three requirements in order for you to really "reach the top" so to speak.
When attempting any specialization program it is essential that you obtain enough of the proper foods and that you make sure that you obtain sufficient rest. Without these two essentials it will be impossible for you to progress without undue setbacks. Without sufficient foods for the building and repairing of your muscles you will not be able to continue to train for long, for instead of gaining in muscle size you will begin to lose! Without sufficient rest you will not have the energy to even begin a training routine and therefore you will be licked even before you start. So it should be brought to your attention that in order for you to begin to specialize for greater shoulders and a larger chest, you must make sure, first and foremost, of just what your dietary and recuperation needs are and make sure that you will have adequate supplementation in their respect.
As far as your diet is concerned, you must always make sure that your intake of protein is above average and that your supply of energy is continuous. Such a combination will most assuredly supply you with foods to grow on and foods to go on. Try to drink quite a bit of milk. It will help you to grow. If you are worried about your definition then you are not reading the right article. However, if you are one of those chosen few who has enough farsightedness to see that it would be far better to neglect his definition for a short while, and then, after he has fully developed his muscular bulk return to his usual defining routines, reaping the benefits from both types of training, then I would heartily advise you to drink plenty of whole milk mixed with a great deal of skim milk powder and protein supplement to add even more to the protein content of such a delicacy. Meats, cheeses, fish and poultry should be the main items on your dietary regimen. Now add to this continuous supply of protein enriched foods some fresh vegetables and fruits and you will have set up for yourself quite a muscle building and energy yielding diet. As far as additional supplements are concerned, I feel that this is entirely up to you. Just remember that in order for you to get big, you must eat big!
Sufficient rest is very important when undertaking any specialization routine. You should make sure that your sleeping habits are left undisturbed and try to take short naps throughout the evening and day, if possible. There is nothing like peaceful sleep to liven you up for a heavy training session in the evening. You must try to maintain a tranquil mind. Put away the little frustrations and upsetting incidents of the average worker in the average day. Try to concentrate only on obtaining peace of mind and a peaceful life. This is very necessary in order for you to obtain all that is possible from such training as you are going to shortly undertake.
Your mental attitude during such a period of intense specialization as you will be shortly going through, can either make you or break you. Without the proper mental attitude you can't even begin to hope for any real substantial gains. You have not allowed such gains to even enter into your possible future by neglecting to develop a mental attitude which will be conducive to such training and expectative gaining. While on such a routine of chest and deltoid specialization as I am about to divulge to you here in this article, it will be of the utmost importance that you fully believe in yourself and in what it is that you are about to undertake. Believe in the power you have in yourself to succeed beyond your wildest dreams. This is the truth. You CAN succeed beyond your wildest dreams if you only believe that you can!
Believe in the course that you are following. Believe that it can and will work! Believe in the exercise movements themselves and continually tell yourself that these very same movements have worked for others and they should also work for you. Believe me, mental attitude can either help you or hinder you in your training quests.
As far as the exercise motions themselves, we must first and foremost take into consideration just what kind of effect we are trying to develop and how our theory must be correlated properly with the right exercise movements and the correct number of sets and repetitions for just the right kind of muscular effect. In this case we are trying to fully develop our deltoids so that they are not only wide, but thick. This means we will have to concentrate upon each of the three deltoid heads as one separate muscle. We also would like to develop our chest along the lines of Park and Pearl, if possible. This means we must concentrate not only on developing a high, wide chest, but a full, deep chest as well. This will entail much pectoral work and also much rib cage work.
Now in order to insure ourselves of sufficient work we must choose a system of repetitions that will adequately work the muscles with sufficient poundages so that the effect will be one of not only size but power as well. We must also take into consideration the fact that while on any specialization routine we cannot neglect the rest of our body or we most certainly will not enjoy the fruits of our labors. Sufficient work for the rest of the body is most important and necessary while on any specialization routine.
The following routine is comprised of exercise movements which will help to fully develop your deltoids and expand your rib box. By using all of these movements you will also add height and depth to your pectoral muscles and your entire body should benefit from the entire affair. I urge you to follow this routine just as I have set it up for you. Neither take from it nor add to it. Be sure to always use the heaviest poundages you can during all of these movements and rest for about two minutes between each set.
Chest and Shoulder Specialization Routine
Monday and Thursday: Sufficient work for the rest of the body.
(A) Full Squat: 5 sets of 5-7 reps using all the weight you can handle.
(B) Bentover Rowing: 3 x 8-10 using all the weight you can possibly handle.
(C) Barbell Curl: 3 x 8-10 using all the weight you can possibly handle.
(D) Lying Triceps Curl: 3 x 8-10 using all the weight you can possibly handle.
(E) Situps or Leg Raises: 3 sets of as many reps as possible.
Tuesday and Friday: Direct chest and shoulder work.
(A) Bench Press: 3 x 5-7 using all the weight possible.
(B) Decline Flye: 3 x 5-7 using all the weight possible.
(C) Press Behind Neck: 3 x 5-7 using all the weight possible.
(D) One Arm DB Press, standing: 3 x 5-7 using all the weight possible.
(E) Heavy Bent Arm Barbell Pullover: 3 x 5-7 using all the weight possible.
(F) Stiff Legged Deadlift: 1 x 20 taking five deep breaths between each repetition (standing position), using all the weight possible.
(G) Light Pullovers: Lie on a decline bench and use 10-lb. dumbbells. Perform 3 x 10-15 using a deep stretch and really deep breathing.
These two workout schedules will work your entire body adequately. They will also put quite a bit of work on your chest and shoulders. All three sections of the deltoids are attacked adequately by using the bentover rowing (posterior delt), the press behind neck (loateral delt), and the one arm press and bench press (anterior delt).
The chest muscles are also attacked by using the bench press, the decline flying motion, the heavy bent arm pullovers, and the rib box is worked quite hard by both the heavy bent arm pullovers, the breathing stiff legged deadlifts, and the light dumbbell pullovers at the end of the routine.
I am sure, if you follow the dietary principles which I have tried to tell you about in this article, and if you possess the proper mental attitude, this routine will work wonders for your physique.
But most important of all:
It will fully and properly develop your chest and deltoids.
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