Bulking Up Your Shoulders! A lot of people think they’re getting nowhere with their current shoulder workouts. Even worse, some people often feel like working their shoulders is boring. Some even see it as a waste of time. After all, don’t lots of exercises already work the delts as a secondary muscle?
Bulking up your shoulders is important for overall shape and growth. I know not every person is the same. Not every workout will be as effective when used by different bodybuilders. But I do suggest trying different things. This is how you find what works best for YOU.
Basics of Bulking Up Your Shoulders
When it comes to shoulders, you have three different angles to choose from. Working all three is how you achieve the broad-shouldered look. These three angles are the front, rear, and side. That’s easy enough. The question now becomes what side you hit the hardest to achieve maximum growth.
Bulking Your Shoulders With Military Presses
For me personally working the front of the shoulders is the quickest way to fast growth. If you want large shoulders you should do lots of military presses. It’s a tough workout aimed at the front of your shoulders. It mainly works as a compound movement. Plus it’s valuable for adding size.
It’s hard to find an alternative to the military press. Doing 4-5 sets for 12 reps does the trick for me. Although, some people might respond better to lower reps and heavier weight. Once your front delts have exploded with growth, you’ll want to work the remaining areas. This develops a well-rounded look.
For the other remaining areas of my shoulder, I finished 2 sets of lateral raises with 10 reps. For my rear delts, I finished lateral raises lying down. There’s other choices for these exercises. They are the Arnold press, bent-over lateral raises, behind the neck press, upright rows, and lateral raises.
Why Bulking Your Shoulders Is Important
Shoulders play a big role when you’re in the process of building the perfect body. You want those shoulders looking awesome. Especially when you hit a double-back bicep pose or walk around the beach. It also helps when your side delts are in balance with your biceps. This helps your arms look larger and more defined. When you’re posing, it is important that your body is exactly the way you want. In a double-back bicep pose, you should expect to see a nice flow go through your body.
In order to build excellent shoulders that will look great on stage you’ll need to do a variety of exercises. So I’ve listed some of the best exercises below for achieving big, well-defined shoulders.
Exercises For Bulking Your Shoulders
Military Press
Use a barbell or dumbbells with your knuckles facing the ceiling. Now put the barbell or dumbbells to your shoulders. Raise the bar above your head. Almost fully extend your arms. Then lower it back down.
Lateral Raises
Use two dumbbells with your knuckles facing the ground. Raise your arms around shoulder height. Keep them as straight as you can. You can try going a tad higher as an alternative.
Lying Lateral Raises
Use two dumbbells. Lay on your stomach on a bench with your arms hanging down. Raise your arms until the dumbbells are as parallel to your shoulders as possible.
Arnold Press
Hold two dumbbells with your knuckles facing up like in the military press. But, have your palms face you. Push up to the ceiling. Add a twist to your arms so your palms are now facing away.
Behind The Neck Press
Here’s a great exercise for bulking up your shoulders. Grab the barbell. Hold it over your head then lower it so it touches the back of your neck. Press it like you would a military press. Lower back down behind your neck. Try a combination of military and behind the neck presses for amazing growth. Keep one thing in mind though. Some people think it causes injury to your rotator cuff by switching every rep.
Bent-Over Lateral Raises
Bend over parallel to the floor like you are rowing. Raise two dumbbells in the same way as Lying Lateral Raises.
Upright Rows
Use your barbell and hold it at your waist. Then raise it to as close to shoulder height as you can. Elbows should go above your shoulders in this exercise.
Bent-Over Rows (Elbows tucked in)
Bend your body parallel to the floor and pull the weight to your chest; remember to tuck your elbows in.
These are the best exercises for bulking up your shoulders. Use them today and get ready to grow!
By Jeremy Olson