Build Large, Muscular Shoulders with One Simple Exercise

There's nothing more impressive than a set a large, well-developed shoulders on a lean muscular physique. Bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts often spend hours in the gym every week trying to build mounds of striated muscle tissue on their upper bodies.

Too often people focus on isolation exercises alone to develop the deltoids and trapezius muscles. The fact is, to build awe-inspiring bowling ball shoulders all that is needed is one excruciatingly effective exercise: the shoulder press.

Shoulder presses can be performed a variety of ways. While the mechanism of action is relatively similar on all shoulder press movements, the most effective shoulder press to build large shoulders involves pressing a straight barbell over head.

Seated Barbell Shoulder Press

The type of free weight shoulder press that is most commonly seen being performed in commercial gyms is the seated barbell shoulder press. This shoulder building exercise typically allows the lifter to use a bench to support the back while pressing a barbell overhead while minimizing leg drive. The seated barbell shoulder press heavily targets the muscles of the front deltoids, rear deltoids and triceps.

In order to place greater tension on the muscles of the shoulders for mind-blowing shoulder development, the range of motion should be limited to moving the bar from mid throat level to just over head. 

The will minimize stress on the triceps and keep continuous tension of the shoulder muscles.

To place greater emphasis on the triceps muscles, a shorter range of motion from eye level to full lockout can be employed. This will take stress of the deltoids muscles and shift it to the triceps. 

Of course to build massive shoulders, the best course of action is to limit the range of motion to the bottom portion of the movement.

For best muscle building results, three to four sets of eight to twelve repetitions with a moderate weight should be performed.

Standing Military Press

The standing military press is a strict form of shoulder press in the standing position. The purest form of military press is performed standing with the feet together, knees nearly locked, with a tight core maintaining a perfectly vertical posture.

The barbell is pressed overhead with a full range of motion, with the barbell moving from the top of the chest to full lockout over head.

This movement places tremendous stress on the core, shoulders and triceps. Weights must remain relatively light in order prevent form breakdown and to move the barbell through a full range of motion.

To get the most muscle building benefits out of this movement, three sets of eight to twelve repetitions with a light to moderate weight should be performed.

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press

The standing barbell shoulder press is similar to the seated barbell shoulder press, only in the standing position. The primary difference is that the back is not supported and more leg drive can be used to help propel the barbell over head. 

This version of the barbell shoulder press is likely the most effective at building the muscles of the shoulders and upper back.

Because more weight can be handled and other larger muscle groups can be called in to assist at moving the heavier loads, greater muscle stimulus can occur, resulting in the growth of muscle tissue.

To build large, strong shoulders using the standing barbell shoulder press, three sets of six to ten repetitions with a moderate to heavy weight should be performed.

Push Press

The push press is a form of barbell shoulder presses that harnesses the power of the legs, hips, upper back, shoulders and triceps to powerfully accelerate the barbell overhead. Heavier loads can be used with this movement and massive amounts of muscle mass can be added to the upper body when it is performed regularly.

Leg drive is the name of the game when performing push presses. By using the stronger muscles of the legs and hips, the entire musculature of the upper body is activated and heavy weights can be propelled over head.

To get the most out of push presses and build huge, powerful shoulders, two to three working sets of five to eight repetitions should be performed with a heavy weight.

While it is true that a variety of shoulder exercises should be performed to fully develop the deltoids and trapezius muscles, the simplest and most effective way to develop large, muscular shoulders is to go back to basics and perform good old-fashioned shoulder presses.

Also Read:
The Top Three Exercises for Building Huge Traps That You May Be Neglecting
Extreme Shoulder Workout for Size
Six Tips to Make Your Arms Look Bigger Instantly

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