Thread: Please help with building awesome shoulders

Originally Posted by L Armstrong

Hiya, I am a small framed female of 32 yrs. Thanks, Lisa

Are you sure your name isn't Cheryl??
Sorry...be serious.....

Ok, how many reps per set are you doing?
Getting plenty of protein?

read the stickies!

Here is an article I wrote for Iron Man magazine last year. Perhaps you will find it helpful...

JOE W-I-D-E-R
Delts: Get Wide On The Sides

In part one of JOE WIDER I discussed with you the ins and outs (or is it “rights to lefts?”) of broadening your physique through the expansion of your “wing span,” aka, lat width. In part two I am going to talk about the second major muscle group that is responsible for making some bodybuilders a nuisance at movie theaters and on airplanes world-WIDE...the deltoids.

Few things look as impressive on a bodybuilder than a set of wide, thick, round shoulders. There are tons of guys with big chests and arms, but nothing screams BODYBUILDER like having a pair of “cannonballs” hanging off of your clavicles, literally challenging the stitching of every shirt you own! Whether being viewed from the front or rear, on the stage or in the street, it is the shoulders that “set off” the physique.

As you may already know, the deltoids are a three headed muscle with anterior (front), posterior (rear), and medial (side) portions. While it is extremely important to develop all three delt heads, it is the medial section that is mostly responsible for width. I don’t believe that I have ever seen anyone actually overdevelop the medial delt head, as I have never heard anyone criticized for being “too wide.” Some of the most exceptional physiques of our time are ones that show incredible side delt development. Think about men like Kevin Levrone, Paul Dillett, Gary Strydom, and Chris Cormier. As soon as these guys walk out on stage and turn to the front, the dramatic proportions of their physiques are immediately evident, and much of this has to do with the width of their shoulders. Just as I mentioned last month about wide lats, a pair of bowling ball delts will create the illusion of a smaller waist and more “sweeping” quads. If there is a downside to such “delt dimensions,” it would be the need for taliored shirts and having to walk sideways through some doors...but you can handle that...right?

So, what is the secret to building the medial deltoid to “comic-like” proportions? Well, the “secret,” if you want to call it that, lies in the correction of a few training mistakes and utilizing a “targeted” selection of exercises, done in a specific manner, that will selectively activate the side delt fibers. Before we move on to the actual shoulder widening routines, lets take a closer look at the most common mistakes being made in the gym by trainees seeking to “broaden their horizons.”

- WRONG EXERCISES: When I sit back and watch most guys go through their shoulder routines, one thing I almost always notice is the inclusion of more than one overhead pressing exercise, AND, a front raise movement on top of that! Talk about inefficient shoulder training! While at least one pressing movement should be included in each delt workout, there is certainly no need for a second. Further, when the main goal is increasing the width of the delts, front raises become rather obsolete. When looking to get wider, your concern is primarily with the medial head of the deltoid and nothing targets this better than side lateral movements and wide grip upright rows. This is not to say that you should ignore the anterior and posterior heads, but when seeking to prioritize one muscle, or section of a muscle, you need to “choose your weapons wisely!”

-POOR FORM: Most of the time that I see really well developed deltoids in the gym I almost invariably notice that the trainee that owns them uses lighter weights and executes each movement with precision and through a full range of motion. Shoulder training does not require ego, but excellence. Let me go through each basic movement individually and describe the mistakes that are commonly made, and how to troubleshoot them...(1) Overhead Presses-When it come to any overhead pressing exercise, the most frequent mistake that I see involves an incomplete range of motion. In an effort to exercise their ego rather than their delts, many trainees will perform half reps on this exercise, bringing the dumbells or barbell only about halfway down before pressing it back to the top. Unfortunately, it is in the bottom half of the movement that most of the deltoid activation takes place. By only pushing through the top half, the triceps are getting the brunt of the workout. The solution here is to lighten the weight and make sure each rep is performed through an optimal range of motion, which in the case of presses, is from just above shoulder level to just below lockout. (2) Side Laterals-This is one of the most poorly performed exercises in all of bodybuilding. I see several mistakes made during this movement, with some people actually making them all at once. First is the use of weights so heavy that a swinging motion is employed in order to get the dumbells moving. While it is ok to cheat a bit at the end of a set, once perfect form becomes an impossibility, doing it from the outset is simply cheating yourself and your shoulders from a proper workout. Side laterals is not a power movement. Choose weights that allow you to “muscle” the weight up without swinging, heaving, or body english. If you lighten up and are still having trouble, do the exercise while seated. The next mistake that is often made is not keeping the palms down toward the floor throughout the movement. Turning the hand down just slightly at the top is perfectly fine, but turning it up, so that the thumb is higher than the pinky, will take stress off of the side delt and transfer it to the anterior delt. Some people do this because of lack of focus, while others are again going too heavy and therefore forcing the more powerful front delt to take over and get the dumbells to shoulder height. Concentrate and go lighter! One final error made while performing this exercise is actually raising the dumbell TOO HIGH at the top of the movement. By doing this you will increase the involvement of the trapezius, and more importantly, can impinge the highly delicate shoulder joint. Raise the dumbells to shoulder height...no higher. (3) Upright Rows-This can be a wonderful delt widener when performed correctly but unfortunately, it rarely is. The main error that is made with this exercise is failure to raise the elbows up higher than the hands at the top. Many people end up turning this movement into what appears as an awkwardly performed reverse curl. Another mistake I often witness is raising the bar far too high at the peak of the rep. Now, this is ok if you are targeting the trapezius, but we are looking to isolate the delts in this case. To solve these problems make sure that you focus on raising the elbows first (sometimes it helps to think of two strings attached to your elbows and imagine that someone is pulling on the strings from above allowing your elbows to rise first, while your hands simply follow underneath), and to relax the traps while bringing the bar no higher than shoulder height.

-LACK OF ANGLES AND VARIATIONS: When it comes to broadening the shoulders it is important to remember that you have a few basic movements to work with, but tons of variation within each movement. Too many people get stuck in a rut when training delts. This occurs either out of laziness or ignorance, but I assure you it can keep you from ever outgrowing that same shirt that has fit you since high school! Muscles are very adaptive and complex “creatures.” If you do not at least occasionally seek to utilize different angles and exercise variations to force unique fiber recruitment patterns, you will not reach your “widest potential.” Using the same foundation exercises above, here is a list of ways to vary each movement...(1) Overhead Presses-dumbell presses, single arm dumbell presses, Arnold dumbell presses, presses behind neck, military presses, smith presses, machine presses (various types). (2) Side Laterals-standing side laterals, seated side laterals, cable side laterals (starting with hand in front or behind back), incline side lateral (leaning in to an incline bench), machine side lateral (various types), bench lateral (leaning sideways into an incline bench). (3) Upright Rows-barbell upright rows, cable upright rows (with bar or rope), dumbell upright rows.

So now that we’ve covered the do’s and don’ts, the why’s and why not’s, let’s get into a few routines you can use to get so wide that your queen size mattress is forced to abdicate your bedroom to a king! Depending on how long you have been training, it may be best for you to stick with one routine for several weeks before moving onto the next. If you are more advanced or someone that thrives on change and variety, feel free to switch between two of the routines week to week, or even all three. Over time you may even want to mix and match in order to make your own unique boulder shoulder program.

WORKOUT # 1

1. Seated side lateral: 3 x 8-10 reps
2. Shoulder width grip cable upright row: 3 x 10-12 reps
3. Smith press behind the neck: 2 x 6-8 reps

WORKOUT # 2

1.Shoulder width grip barbell upright row: 3 x 8-10 reps
2. Twisting seated dumbell press: 3 x 6-8 reps
3. Single arm cable side lateral: 2 x 10-12 reps

WORKOUT # 3

1. Standing single arm dumbell press: 3 x 6-8 reps
2. Incline bench side lateral: 3 x 8-10 reps
3. Dumbell upright row: 2 x 10-12 reps

Note: During a delt-widening specialization program I suggest training the posterior head on back day.

A few of the exercises above may be unfamiliar to you so let me briefly go over the form involved with each one.

•Twisting seated dumbell press: Start with your palms turned in toward your head and your elbows pulled back so they are even with you ears (very important for medial delt activation). As you press overhead, twist your palms so that they face foward at the top. Do the eccentric portion in the reverse manner.
•Standing single arm dumbell press: Stand with your knees slightly bent and keep your core (abs and low back) nice and tight in order to stabilize your body. Brace the non working hand on a sturdy object. Press the dumbell with your elbow pulled back, in line with your ear.
•Incline bench side lateral: Lean forward onto an incline bench set at about 70 degrees. Then perform side laterals without your torso leaving the pad.
•Dumbell Upright Row: Start with the dumbells touching at the bottom. As you raise them up, separate them and pull your elbows out wide.

With the information above you should no longer have to “shoulder the burden” of being narrow ever again. Like with anything worth having in life, building a pair of “melon-sized” delts will not be easy. It will take gut busting, intense and consistent work to become truly W-I-D-E. But in the end, when the tailor’s tape is too short to measure you shoulder to shoulder and buying “off the rack” is no longer an option, you KNOW you’ll be smiling almost as wide as your shoulders now are, and it will all have been more than worth it!

if i can step in here for a sec
when you do one standing single arm dB press do you say start with the left and do (x) amount of reps and then switch or do you hold both weights abover your head the entire time and then alternate up to sets of (x) each?

what works best for me is heavy standing military press. 3 sets of 3-6reps. go really slow on the way down, as slow as you can for size.

Originally Posted by rmcfar

if i can step in here for a sec
when you do one standing single arm dB press do you say start with the left and do (x) amount of reps and then switch or do you hold both weights abover your head the entire time and then alternate up to sets of (x) each?

Complete all reps with one arm before moving to the other (set to set).

Originally Posted by LexusGS

what works best for me is heavy standing military press. 3 sets of 3-6reps. go really slow on the way down, as slow as you can for size.

welcome back 2jz

Originally Posted by LexusGS

what works best for me is heavy standing military press. 3 sets of 3-6reps. go really slow on the way down, as slow as you can for size.

thats all i doo too

Originally Posted by gopro

Here is an article I wrote for Iron Man magazine last year. Perhaps you will find it helpful...

JOE W-I-D-E-R
Delts: Get Wide On The Sides

In part one of JOE WIDER I discussed with you the ins and outs (or is it “rights to lefts?”) of broadening your physique through the expansion of your “wing span,” aka, lat width. In part two I am going to talk about the second major muscle group that is responsible for making some bodybuilders a nuisance at movie theaters and on airplanes world-WIDE...the deltoids.

Few things look as impressive on a bodybuilder than a set of wide, thick, round shoulders. There are tons of guys with big chests and arms, but nothing screams BODYBUILDER like having a pair of “cannonballs” hanging off of your clavicles, literally challenging the stitching of every shirt you own! Whether being viewed from the front or rear, on the stage or in the street, it is the shoulders that “set off” the physique.

As you may already know, the deltoids are a three headed muscle with anterior (front), posterior (rear), and medial (side) portions. While it is extremely important to develop all three delt heads, it is the medial section that is mostly responsible for width. I don’t believe that I have ever seen anyone actually overdevelop the medial delt head, as I have never heard anyone criticized for being “too wide.” Some of the most exceptional physiques of our time are ones that show incredible side delt development. Think about men like Kevin Levrone, Paul Dillett, Gary Strydom, and Chris Cormier. As soon as these guys walk out on stage and turn to the front, the dramatic proportions of their physiques are immediately evident, and much of this has to do with the width of their shoulders. Just as I mentioned last month about wide lats, a pair of bowling ball delts will create the illusion of a smaller waist and more “sweeping” quads. If there is a downside to such “delt dimensions,” it would be the need for taliored shirts and having to walk sideways through some doors...but you can handle that...right?

So, what is the secret to building the medial deltoid to “comic-like” proportions? Well, the “secret,” if you want to call it that, lies in the correction of a few training mistakes and utilizing a “targeted” selection of exercises, done in a specific manner, that will selectively activate the side delt fibers. Before we move on to the actual shoulder widening routines, lets take a closer look at the most common mistakes being made in the gym by trainees seeking to “broaden their horizons.”

- WRONG EXERCISES: When I sit back and watch most guys go through their shoulder routines, one thing I almost always notice is the inclusion of more than one overhead pressing exercise, AND, a front raise movement on top of that! Talk about inefficient shoulder training! While at least one pressing movement should be included in each delt workout, there is certainly no need for a second. Further, when the main goal is increasing the width of the delts, front raises become rather obsolete. When looking to get wider, your concern is primarily with the medial head of the deltoid and nothing targets this better than side lateral movements and wide grip upright rows. This is not to say that you should ignore the anterior and posterior heads, but when seeking to prioritize one muscle, or section of a muscle, you need to “choose your weapons wisely!”

-POOR FORM: Most of the time that I see really well developed deltoids in the gym I almost invariably notice that the trainee that owns them uses lighter weights and executes each movement with precision and through a full range of motion. Shoulder training does not require ego, but excellence. Let me go through each basic movement individually and describe the mistakes that are commonly made, and how to troubleshoot them...(1) Overhead Presses-When it come to any overhead pressing exercise, the most frequent mistake that I see involves an incomplete range of motion. In an effort to exercise their ego rather than their delts, many trainees will perform half reps on this exercise, bringing the dumbells or barbell only about halfway down before pressing it back to the top. Unfortunately, it is in the bottom half of the movement that most of the deltoid activation takes place. By only pushing through the top half, the triceps are getting the brunt of the workout. The solution here is to lighten the weight and make sure each rep is performed through an optimal range of motion, which in the case of presses, is from just above shoulder level to just below lockout. (2) Side Laterals-This is one of the most poorly performed exercises in all of bodybuilding. I see several mistakes made during this movement, with some people actually making them all at once. First is the use of weights so heavy that a swinging motion is employed in order to get the dumbells moving. While it is ok to cheat a bit at the end of a set, once perfect form becomes an impossibility, doing it from the outset is simply cheating yourself and your shoulders from a proper workout. Side laterals is not a power movement. Choose weights that allow you to “muscle” the weight up without swinging, heaving, or body english. If you lighten up and are still having trouble, do the exercise while seated. The next mistake that is often made is not keeping the palms down toward the floor throughout the movement. Turning the hand down just slightly at the top is perfectly fine, but turning it up, so that the thumb is higher than the pinky, will take stress off of the side delt and transfer it to the anterior delt. Some people do this because of lack of focus, while others are again going too heavy and therefore forcing the more powerful front delt to take over and get the dumbells to shoulder height. Concentrate and go lighter! One final error made while performing this exercise is actually raising the dumbell TOO HIGH at the top of the movement. By doing this you will increase the involvement of the trapezius, and more importantly, can impinge the highly delicate shoulder joint. Raise the dumbells to shoulder height...no higher. (3) Upright Rows-This can be a wonderful delt widener when performed correctly but unfortunately, it rarely is. The main error that is made with this exercise is failure to raise the elbows up higher than the hands at the top. Many people end up turning this movement into what appears as an awkwardly performed reverse curl. Another mistake I often witness is raising the bar far too high at the peak of the rep. Now, this is ok if you are targeting the trapezius, but we are looking to isolate the delts in this case. To solve these problems make sure that you focus on raising the elbows first (sometimes it helps to think of two strings attached to your elbows and imagine that someone is pulling on the strings from above allowing your elbows to rise first, while your hands simply follow underneath), and to relax the traps while bringing the bar no higher than shoulder height.

-LACK OF ANGLES AND VARIATIONS: When it comes to broadening the shoulders it is important to remember that you have a few basic movements to work with, but tons of variation within each movement. Too many people get stuck in a rut when training delts. This occurs either out of laziness or ignorance, but I assure you it can keep you from ever outgrowing that same shirt that has fit you since high school! Muscles are very adaptive and complex “creatures.” If you do not at least occasionally seek to utilize different angles and exercise variations to force unique fiber recruitment patterns, you will not reach your “widest potential.” Using the same foundation exercises above, here is a list of ways to vary each movement...(1) Overhead Presses-dumbell presses, single arm dumbell presses, Arnold dumbell presses, presses behind neck, military presses, smith presses, machine presses (various types). (2) Side Laterals-standing side laterals, seated side laterals, cable side laterals (starting with hand in front or behind back), incline side lateral (leaning in to an incline bench), machine side lateral (various types), bench lateral (leaning sideways into an incline bench). (3) Upright Rows-barbell upright rows, cable upright rows (with bar or rope), dumbell upright rows.

So now that we’ve covered the do’s and don’ts, the why’s and why not’s, let’s get into a few routines you can use to get so wide that your queen size mattress is forced to abdicate your bedroom to a king! Depending on how long you have been training, it may be best for you to stick with one routine for several weeks before moving onto the next. If you are more advanced or someone that thrives on change and variety, feel free to switch between two of the routines week to week, or even all three. Over time you may even want to mix and match in order to make your own unique boulder shoulder program.

WORKOUT # 1

1. Seated side lateral: 3 x 8-10 reps
2. Shoulder width grip cable upright row: 3 x 10-12 reps
3. Smith press behind the neck: 2 x 6-8 reps

WORKOUT # 2

1.Shoulder width grip barbell upright row: 3 x 8-10 reps
2. Twisting seated dumbell press: 3 x 6-8 reps
3. Single arm cable side lateral: 2 x 10-12 reps

WORKOUT # 3

1. Standing single arm dumbell press: 3 x 6-8 reps
2. Incline bench side lateral: 3 x 8-10 reps
3. Dumbell upright row: 2 x 10-12 reps

Note: During a delt-widening specialization program I suggest training the posterior head on back day.

A few of the exercises above may be unfamiliar to you so let me briefly go over the form involved with each one.

•Twisting seated dumbell press: Start with your palms turned in toward your head and your elbows pulled back so they are even with you ears (very important for medial delt activation). As you press overhead, twist your palms so that they face foward at the top. Do the eccentric portion in the reverse manner.
•Standing single arm dumbell press: Stand with your knees slightly bent and keep your core (abs and low back) nice and tight in order to stabilize your body. Brace the non working hand on a sturdy object. Press the dumbell with your elbow pulled back, in line with your ear.
•Incline bench side lateral: Lean forward onto an incline bench set at about 70 degrees. Then perform side laterals without your torso leaving the pad.
•Dumbell Upright Row: Start with the dumbells touching at the bottom. As you raise them up, separate them and pull your elbows out wide.

With the information above you should no longer have to “shoulder the burden” of being narrow ever again. Like with anything worth having in life, building a pair of “melon-sized” delts will not be easy. It will take gut busting, intense and consistent work to become truly W-I-D-E. But in the end, when the tailor’s tape is too short to measure you shoulder to shoulder and buying “off the rack” is no longer an option, you KNOW you’ll be smiling almost as wide as your shoulders now are, and it will all have been more than worth it!

WOW Just what i needed thanks a lot:

So do i not need to do any exercises for front or rear delts?

Originally Posted by jcote

Are you sure your name isn't Cheryl??
Sorry...be serious.....

Ok, how many reps per set are you doing?
Getting plenty of protein?

WTF is Cheryl

I am just starting up again, so during my first session i did up to 15 reps per set.

I aim to do about 6 to 10 per set once i have awoken my soft baggy muscles

I need to work on my protein intake, but having a shake helps big time.....i can only eat so much tuna

Originally Posted by L Armstrong

WTF is Cheryl

Cheryl Crow, Lance Armstrong......forget it, bad joke.

Or is it Sheryl ?

.

Originally Posted by jcote

Cheryl Crow, Lance Armstrong......forget it, bad joke.

Or is it Sheryl ?

.

It is Sheryl Crow, lol.

U funny man you

How often do you try using different parameters in terms of volume, intensity, and frequency?

Originally Posted by L Armstrong

WOW Just what i needed thanks a lot:

So do i not need to do any exercises for front or rear delts?

There already IS front delt work in there through presses. As for rear delts, I would work them on back day. Just 2-3 sets will do the trick. The above article is meant mostly for curing narrow shoulders and capping the lateral head.

I am glad you enjoyed the article!

Originally Posted by CowPimp

How often do you try using different parameters in terms of volume, intensity, and frequency?

I am just starting out again, so i will stick with that for a good few weeks while my tendons strengthen up. Then i will move on to some heavy work for building mass.

I would then change my routine when it stops working.

Every now and again i mighter have a lighter day along with some alternative exercises.

How do you vary your routine?

Originally Posted by L Armstrong

I am just starting out again, so i will stick with that for a good few weeks while my tendons strengthen up. Then i will move on to some heavy work for building mass.

I would then change my routine when it stops working.

Every now and again i mighter have a lighter day along with some alternative exercises.

How do you vary your routine?

Well, but here is my current program:

Workout A:
A1 - Front Squats
A2 - Pullups (Adduction)

Good Mornings
Dips
Bent Rows

DOH Static Holds
Incline Reverse DB Flyes

Workout B:
A1 - Trap Bar Deadlifts
A2 - Overhead Press Lockouts

BB Split Squats
Chinups
Bench Press

Soft Bar Pullups (Extension)
Lying DB External Rotations


I workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday alternating between workouts A and B.

Monday is a light day where the first two exercises are done for 3 sets of 3 reps using ~80% of my 1RM with 120 second rest intervals. The next three compound accessory exercises are done for 3 sets of 12 repetitions using ~65% of my 1RM with a 45 second rest interval.

Wednesday is a heavy day where the first two exercises are done for 3 sets of 3 reps using ~90% of my 1RM. The next three compound accessory movements are done for 4 sets of 6 repetitions using 80% of my 1RM with a 90 second rest interval.

Friday is a medium day where the first two exercises are done for 3 sets of 3 reps using ~85% of my 1RM. The next three compound accessory movements are done for 3 sets of 10 repetitions using ~70% of my 1RM with a 60 second rest interval.

The last couple of accessory exercises is done with a 45 second rest interval and the loading parameters vary a bit but I keep it pretty light.

Originally Posted by gopro

Here is an article I wrote for Iron Man magazine last year. Perhaps you will find it helpful...

JOE W-I-D-E-R
Delts: Get Wide On The Sides

In part one of JOE WIDER I discussed with you the ins and outs (or is it “rights to lefts?”) of broadening your physique through the expansion of your “wing span,” aka, lat width. In part two I am going to talk about the second major muscle group that is responsible for making some bodybuilders a nuisance at movie theaters and on airplanes world-WIDE...the deltoids.

Could you post the lat article please go pro cos the shoulder one was mint thanks

I personally have seen great results by putting the dumbell side laterals in front of my shoulder routine. By doing this, I have seen my shoulders stand out better than ever. I usually include 5 sets in a pyramid scheme. It flat out works for me. Yes, i will do a pressing movement, but I now put that at the end of the workout. Each month, i will alternate side laterals in front/second month I will place a pressing movement first and side laterals second.

Originally Posted by kr1s1

Could you post the lat article please go pro cos the shoulder one was mint thanks

Here you go my friend...

JOE W-I-D-E-R
Part I

If you are not in the mood to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe perhaps its best that you stop reading this article now! If you are perfectly content with the fact that your girlfriend can still borrow one of your shirts, than just put this mag down now and slowly back away. However, if you’ve always dreamed of seeing XXL in the label of all your shirts or can’t stand the fact that you never get stuck in a doorway, than read on my friend, cause just ahead lies the cure to your “narrow” condition!

The two bodyparts that are truly responsible for the “width” of the physique are the lats and delts. When these bodyparts are fully developed the physique takes on a look that screams BODYBUILDER... both in and out of clothing. You simply cannot hide WIDTH! A pair of broad shoulders and tapered lats lend an aesthetic appeal to the physique like no other bodyparts and have you stand out in a crowd no matter which direction you are facing. In addition, width up top creates the illusion of a smaller, tighter waist, and thicker, more sweeping quads. This “look” is what made bodybuilders such as Flex Wheeler, Lee Haney, Francis Benfatto, and Paul Dillett look all the more “dramatic” up on stage, and broadening your knowledge on the subject of width can do the same for you!

Ok, enough chit chat. Its time to start adding some Xs to the L on those teeshirts...

Be The Wing Man

One of the most impressive aspects of the bodybuilder’s physique is the infamous “V” taper. You know, the type of shape that makes it look possible to jump of a cliff, spread you lats, and do a little hang gliding. Think about the physiques of our past three Mr. Olympias...Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, and Ronnie Coleman. They all shared one thing in common...backs so wide that each lat had its own zip code! Problem is, truly wide lats are a rare commodity indeed and although I see dozens of trainees toiling away in the gym doing set after set on the lat pulldown machine, sometimes with the whole weight stack, so few are challenging the width of a single doorway. So where does the problem lie? Well, as I see it, there are several...

- WRONG EXERCISES: Although the lat pulldown is a wonderful back movement that certainly has its place, it can not replace the true back builders like chins, pullups, bent rows, seated pully rows, T-bar rows, dumbell rows, and deadlifts. Those that do not make these exercises the FOUNDATION of their back routine are not only narrow minded, but will always be narrow period!

-POOR FORM: This is perhaps the most prevalent problem in faulty back training and the number one reason, in my opinion, that spectacular back development is so rare. Usually one or all of the following mistakes are made by most when training back...1) Too much weight is used. While this may stroke the ego, it causes all kinds of jerking, swinging, and over stimulation of the biceps and brachialis. Unfortunately little to no lat recruitment occurs and thus, zero growth to the target muscle, 2) Failure to “set the body” correctly during the movement. In order to fully stimulate the muscles of the back responsible for width you must keep your chest out, shoulders back, and a slight arch in your lower back...and you must keep this position throughout the movement. When you begin to pull the weight, immediately begin tightening your lats. When you hit full contraction, bring the shoulder blades together and squeeze forcefully, 3) Not using a thumbless grip. By bringing your thumb to the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers you will effectively take some of the forearm flexors and biceps out of each lat exercise. Reinforce your grip with lifting straps if you must.

-LACK OF ANGLES AND GRIP VARIATIONS: The back is a very complex group of muscles and for full development you must assault it from unique positions and angles as well as utilize the effects that different grips provide. Too many people stick to the same exercises, with the same hand spacing, same body positioning, and often use “overlapping” exercises that are simply hitting the muscles the exact same way over and over. I believe that each back workout should use variations on three angles of pull as well as three distinct grip options. You should include one exercise in which you pull vertically (pulldowns, pullups), one in which you pull horizontally (seated pully rows, seated machine rows, Hammer rows), and one in which you pull from the floor in a “bent” position (bent barbell rows, T-bar rows, dumbell rows, spider rows). In addition, perform one exercise with an underhand grip, one with an overhand grip, and one with a parallel grip. Each of these grips will affect the back musculature differently and cause a change in recruitment patterns. And remember, you can create further variation by changing the width of any of these grips from workout to workout or even set to set. The back is truly a “thinking man’s” bodypart!

-NOT USING PULLOVERS AND STIFF ARM PULLDOWNS: Before I regularly included these exercises in my back routine I had decent width in my lats. However, once I started hitting these movements hard and with decent weight, my lat width took off! Both of these exercises isolate the lats and teres muscles right where they tie into the armpit, and they do so without any bicep or forearm activation. This is very advantageous as they can be used to “pre-exhaust” the lats before rowing and pulldown exercises are performed, or, they can be used at the end of a back workout to get just a bit more out of those lats when the biceps are beginning to tire.

So now that you see that there’s more to back widening than 10 sets on the pulldown machine, and your girlfriend is behind you stealing yet another of your favorite sweatshirts (hey, if it didn’t fit her she wouldn’t take it), I’m guessing that you’re chomping at the bit to put what you have learned to good use. The following is a list of three distinct routines using the principles discussed above. Beginners and intermediates may wish to use each routine for 4-8 weeks before moving onto the next one, while more advanced lifters may enjoy switching back and forth among the three week to week.


WORKOUT # 1

1. Underhand grip pulldowns: 2-3 x 10-12 reps
2. Overhand grip barbell bent rows: 2-3 x 8-10 reps
3. V-grip seated pully rows: 2-3 x 6-8 reps
4. Cross bench dumbell pullovers: 2-3 x12-15 reps
5. Full deadlifts: 3 x 8, 6, 4 reps

WORKOUT # 2

1. Stiff arm pulldowns: 2-3 x 12-15 reps
2. Overhand grip pullups: 2-3 x 10-12 reps
3. Underhand grip seated pully rows: 2-3 x 8-10 reps
4. One arm dumbell rows: 2-3 x 6-8 reps
5. Rack deadlifts: 3 x 10, 8, 6 reps

WORKOUT # 3

1. Underhand grip T-bar rows: 2-3 x 6-8 reps
2. Wide overhand grip seated pully rows: 2-3 x 8-10 reps
3. V-grip pulldowns: 2-3 x 10-12 reps
4. Superset-Stiff arm pulldowns/Dumbell Pullovers: 1-2 x 8-10 reps each
5. Weighted hyperextensions: 3 x 12-15

*Sets do not include warmups
*Feel free to change exercise order
*Slightly less or more overall sets may be needed depending on experience
*Use varied rep ranges as listed in order to tax all muscle fiber types

Next month we will discuss the next muscle group in your physique widening adventure, the deltoids. Just remember one thing! Don’t send me the bill if you suddenly start needing to book TWO seats for yourself every time you fly on a plane...

Awesome!