Help with progress on shoulders...Mr X?

[TheBandit]

I made some great gains with this shoulder routine...and now the gains haven't stopped altogether...just slowed down a ton. Heres the routine:

Side Lateral Raises 3 sets
Front Lateral Raises 3 sets
a machine in my gym for rear delt 3 sets
Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 sets
Wide grip upright row 3 sets

any opinions on how I could change things around to keep my strength and size gains going?

 

[Robboe]

For some reason i doubt you'll like my advice.

Drop front raises.
Drop machine work.

Either keep sets the same and drop uprights [replace them with shrugs for trap work if you must] or keep uprights and knock all sets down to 2 sets each [so 6 in total.]

Take all sets to failure - on presses get spotter to take you beyond failure.

Make sure diet is ace.

Rest.

 

[bigmag]

I think you need to change your routine up.....variety is a great thing. I don't agree with what Robboe said about dropping machine work, the machine I use at my gym for rear delts works really good. Try doing three exercises a day doing four working sets on each. Here's an example:
Shoulder day 1: military press with barbell, side lateral
raises, smith machine military
Shoulder day 2: dumb-bell military press, machine
military press, and up-right rows

you don't have to use this exact routine but you should switch it up every time you work shoulders. You should do about 12 sets total, but do NOT go over 15 sets, you'll be overtrainging if you do. Try it out. If you need any other advice pm me.

 

[Phemomena]

dang x is popular... don't know how much he posts over here though...


i'll tell ya one thing that burns the hell out of my shoulders.. single arm laterals... grab onto a pole or something with the non working arm and lean back a bit... with a (slightly lighter than normal) db in the other hand do lateral raises (slight bend in elbow, otherwise arm is straight..)
do a few sets with each arm... no cheating, lean back so you can't use anything but your delts...

have fun!

 

[Belial]

Shrugs.

i know many people think of them as strictly a trap exercise, but barbell shrugs are great if you actually focus on HOLDING the bar (as opposed to just letting it hang there). It actually involves a lot of muscles, and it might be worth including those in your shoulder routine to see if that helps.

Everyone else (especially Robboe, my boy) had some good suggestions.

 

[TheBandit]

Thanks for your advice guys, I think I'm gonna take bigmag's advice of changing up every time, sounds good.

Also, with traps, the only thing I currently do to hit them is dumbell shrugs...so what else could I add? BB shrugs? close grip upright rows?

 

[Robboe]

~sigh~

The more you switch it up the harder it is to gauge progression.

Choose a routine that works and stick to it week in, week out till the gains dry up.

It takes about 4 weeks before the best gains of a routine come anyway so you are hindering optimum growth by switching up.

DB shrugs are all you need for traps. [especially if you are deadlifting]

12 sets for shoulders is too much, especially with all the beatings they get from chest and back work.

 

[Belial]

I would advise not changing your routine every time you go, either.

 

[TheBandit]

ok, I'm not going to change every time I train shoulders, however I have been on this routine for a while so I'm going to change it once. Since I guessing every1 agrees that I had too many sets, hows this?

Side Laterals 3 sets
Front Laterals 3 sets
DB shoulder predd 3 sets

Thanks for all the advice...and keep it comin

 

[Robboe]

Drop front raises.

 

[TheBandit]

If I drop front raises, will the front delts get enough work through just chest day and parts of back day?

Also, if I dropped front raises, should I put my rear delt exercise back in?

 

[Cackerot69]

Drop the front raises and add rear raises...and do the press before the laterals. And no, you shouldn't change your routine often.

 

[Benzi]

Drop routine cause routine=plateau
front raises only add cuts, if anything do towards the end
no machines for shoulders bc of the limited range of mtion
do no more than 9 sets total for shoulders,
mine is:
3 sets military 4-6 reps
3 sets side laterals (seated/standing) 4-6 reps
3 sets bent over delt raises (freeweight/cable)
Of course the prog switched slightly form week to week inorder to keep growing

 

[Cackerot69]

"Routine" does not = plateau, it means maximum muscle growth.

And how exactly does doing front raises make you cut?

 

[Benzi]

Cackerot69-- Once one gets in to a routine the muscles adapt and it is much easier to reach a plateau. This is well know. By routine i don't mean periodzation, i mean the same progarem week and and week out.

As for front raises given cuts, for me it's has brought out the overlapping anterior delt to the bicep. It also helped shape round inner anterior delts (ones that strech acros the pectoris minor. Although on occation i do do them, i only go light, heavy reps because i find that 1 - it takes forever to make gains in my anterior delts and 2- it causes my injurieis.

That is all, don't get into a routine!!!

 

[Cackerot69]

Yeah, muscles adapt by growing! The nervous system adapts to the movement as well, and only AFTER the nervous system adapts can you stimulate max muscle growth. So, by changing your routine often you are taking a step back in trying to gain muscle.

That is all, get into a routine!!!