If you've ever injured a shoulder, you quickly learn how important they are to your day-to-day activities. They are not a muscle group to be overlooked. Enter Larry Edwards, a MusclePharm-sponsored athlete. In this video, he takes you through a whirlwind session that works all three heads of the deltoids. Be forewarned: This is a fast-paced workout filled with lots of reps and high intensity.
Speaking of intensity, Edwards is a big fan of doing dropsets for shoulders. Dropsets are a technique where you take an exercise to failure, reduce your weight, and keep going without rest. By the end of a dropset, your shoulders will be screaming for mercy.
Do Edwards' workout regularly, and you'll have shoulders that are broad, flexible, and less prone to injury than they would otherwise be. What's more, your deltoids will look damn good under your shirt or at the beach. And it's not going to take you hours to achieve these results.
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Technique Keys
Seated Barbell Military Press: This calls for 6 sets, but together they feel like one long set because you shouldn't rest more than 30 seconds between them—just enough time for a few gulps of air. Don't go too heavy on this movement. A lighter weight allows you to get a good pump fast.
Lateral Raise: If you want to do these curls exactly as Edwards does them, watch his video closely to learn his technique.
"Focus at the top of the movement on the contraction," he explains. "Imagine you're pouring out champagne bottles with both hands."
Start with a moderate weight, then drop 5 pounds with each succeeding set. Rest between sets should not exceed 90 seconds.
Dumbbell Front Raise: Alternate these front raises and keep the volume and intensity as high as possible. You can do these with a neutral grip like Larry does, or you can supinate. The goal is to keep your arm as straight as possible to get the weight far away from your body. Keep your rests short and your intensity high.
Machine Shoulder Press: Larry moves to the machine for this one to maintain form as his muscles fatigue. Just because you're using a machine, doesn't mean you should let your focus slip.
Bent-Over Low-Pulley Lateral Raise: Keep the weight light so you can go through a full range of motion. Larry visualizes pulling the weight away from his body and toward his ear to focus on the muscle contraction in his rear delts.
Rear-Delt Row: You'll be rowing with both arms simultaneously with this exercise. Visualize pulling back to your ears as a way of keeping your elbows high. The lower your elbows, the more you engage your lats instead of your delts. Squeeze out a peak contraction at the end of each negative.
Face Pull: Set the pulley below your chest, so as you pull you engage your delts and not your lats. If possible, use a longer rope so you can put your wrists and hands behind your head, which facilitates a greater muscle contraction. If possible, hold that contraction for a couple of seconds for greater emphasis. The lighter and slower the better on this movement. Always use proper form.
Do this workout once or twice a week, especially if your shoulders are lagging. Remember to keep the weights on the light side and move through the workout fast. Don't slack!