Discover 7 secrets to sculpt boulder shoulders that ‘pop’ and turn heads!

Big shoulders…

Nothing signals strength and determination in a man’s character like a pair of strong, well-defined delts.

This is particularly important when compared to the size of the waist, known as the ‘shoulder-waist ratio’.

Now, there’s all sorts of magic numbers that supposedly yield the ‘most attractive male proportions’ but our main objective is simple: make our shoulders bigger and wider, and our waist smaller.

The larger your shoulders compared to your waist, the more powerful and attractive your physique appears.

Okay, okay, we know it’s not all about looks…

But if you currently have the shoulder width of a common household broom, fear not.

Today, we reveal 7 secrets to forge boulder shoulders so you can tackle life like Tarzan!

#1 - Use a COMBINATION of different exercises

The shoulders are divided into 3 main heads, including the anterior (front), lateral (side) and posterior (rear) delts, each responsible for different movements.

For well-balanced shoulder training, it is essential to include a variety of free weight compound and isolation exercises, some bodyweight moves, as well as some machine/cable work.

Free weight compounds:

• Overhead Barbell Press

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

• Arnold Press

Free weight isolations:

• Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Rear Delt Dumbbell Flyes

Bodyweight exercises:

• Pike Push Ups

• Elevated Pike Push Ups

• Wall Handstand Push Ups (HSPUs)

Machine/cable exercises:

• Single-Arm Cable Raises

• Rear Delt Cable Flyes

• Reverse Pec Deck Flyes

• Lateral Raise Machine

• Overhead Machine Press

To construct a spontaneous but effective little shoulder workout, choose 1 exercise from each category above (making sure to target all 3 heads of the shoulder) and perform 2-3 sets of each with appropriate rest in between.

Here’s a quick example below:

1. Overhead Barbell Press – 3x6-8

2. Pike Push Ups – 3xAMRAP

3. Rear Delt Cable Flyes – 3x10-15

4. Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 3x10-15

Enjoy!

#2 - Build a bigger, wider back

Yes, you read that correctly!

If you want broader shoulders, then you NEED to build your back up.

This is because your shoulders sit directly on top of your lats, functioning to create what is known as the ‘V-taper’.

The wider your lats get, the more the aesthetic illusion of the V taper is enhanced.

With well-developed legs and calves as well as a relatively small waist, the classic V taper starts to resemble more of an ‘X frame’.

Some of our favourite back exercises are:

• Chin ups & Pull ups

• Lat Pulldowns

• Inverted Rows/Australian Pull Ups

• Pendlay Rows

• Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows

• Chest Supported Machine Rows

• T-Bar Rows

Aim to get stronger week to week on each of these exercises, increasing volume (number of sets) slowly over time and it’s almost guaranteed your shoulders (and back) will be POPPING!

#3 - Don’t forget about the rear delts

Oh, so neglected.

But oh, so essential…

The rear delts are located on the back of the shoulder.

Alongside other muscles in the upper back (the traps and rhomboids), the rear delts function to stabilise and pull your shoulders back to prevent them from hunching forward, a position that can be prone to injury.

While the posterior delts already get some work from big compound pulling exercises (e.g. pull ups, rows, deadlifts), targeted movements are superior for overall stability and growth.

Rear delt exercises:

• Reverse Pec Deck Flyes

• Rear Delt Cable Flyes

• Rear Delt Dumbbell Flyes

• Face Pulls

   

ATTENTION - Take sets of rear delts nice and slow with an emphasis on feeling the mind-muscle connection rather than just throwing the weight around.

To ensure this, make sure you:

• Maintain a slight bend in your arms at all times

• Lead with your elbows

• Control the weight throughout the movement (eliminate any swinging)

• Actively focus on feeling the muscle contract

• Choose an appropriate weight that isn’t too heavy

#4 - Use a COMBINATION of heavy, medium & light weights

For shoulders, we want to manipulate the intensity (% of 1 rep max) of different exercises in order to yield best results.

Generally, for the best overall balance of muscle growth and safety, we recommend consistently performing your shoulder movements in the:

• 6-8 rep range: (80-85% of 1 rep max)

• 8-12 rep range: (65-80% of 1 rep max)

• 15+ rep range: (<60% of 1 rep max)

Big compounds such as OHP (overhead barbell press) and seated dumbbell shoulder press are brutally effective when performed in the 6-8 and 8-12 rep ranges.

Isolation exercises targeting the smaller side and rear delts (e.g. lateral raises and rear delt flyes) are better suited to the 8-12 and 15+ rep ranges.

You can use bodyweight movements as secondary accessory exercises by starting with simple pike push ups and slowly progressing onto harder variations such as elevated pike push ups and wall-assisted handstand push ups.

#5 - Isolate the side delts more frequently

Along with the back and rear delt muscles, the side delts play a major role in creating that defined ‘3D effect’ us men dream of.

Side delt exercises:

• Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raises (leaning)

• Single-Arm Plate Lateral Raises (leaning)

Most of you are probably already performing lateral raises 1-2 times per week for around 2-4 sets per session.

While this amount of volume will stimulate growth, adding in an extra day or two of 2-4 sets per workout can dramatically increase the size and strength of the side delts.

This is because they are a small muscle group, meaning they are difficult to expose to damage.

Similar to the biceps, they also recover quite quickly, making them a perfect fit for high frequency training (3-6 times/week).

If you’re struggling with side delt development, don’t be afraid even to throw 1-2 sets of lateral raises at the end of a leg day.

Training the side delts 3-5 times per week with 3-5 sets per workout is a nice sweet spot that is sure to have those shoulders looking juicy in no time.

ATTENTION - Again, take sets of side delts nice and slow with an emphasis on feeling the mind-muscle connection rather than just throwing the weight around.

 To ensure this, make sure you:

• Maintain a slight bend in your arms at all times

• Do NOT use momentum to ‘swing’ the weight up

• Control the weight throughout the entire movement (especially the descent)

• Stand upright with a slight bend at the waist

• Actively focus on feeling the muscle contract

• Choose an appropriate weight that isn’t too heavy

• Depress the scapula (push your shoulders down to remove the engagement of the traps)

#6 - Get leaner (lose fat)

If you want shoulders that ‘POP’ more, then losing some body fat will help shape those delts with some much-needed definition.

With a lower body fat percentage, the appearance of the muscles themselves becomes more pronounced (hello shoulder striations).

This, coupled with a reduction in waist size, further enhances the illusion of the V taper by making the shoulders appear broader.

Keep in mind, if your delts aren’t big and strong to begin with, there won’t be much to see once you’ve cut the fat down.

So, basically, you want to get VERY strong on lots of overhead compound pressing movements before you start trying to diet your way to big delts.

#7 - Use drop sets, supersets and giant sets for bigger pumps & more gains

Drop sets are an advanced training technique where you complete a set, drop the weight by 20-50%, and then execute another set of that same exercise.

For example, if you do a set of dumbbell lateral raises with 10 kg (22 lb) per hand for say 12 reps, you would immediately drop the weight to between 5-8 kg (11-17.5 lb) per hand and then proceed to perform another set with the lighter dumbbells.

The weight can be dropped as many times as you like but we generally recommend keeping it to 1 to 3 drops per set.

This style of training recruits an additional number of muscle motor units (in comparison to a conventional set), allowing you to further stimulate growth by pushing through failure, a concept known as metabolic fatigue.

Try this out and I promise your delts will be begging for mercy!

Supersets, on the other hand, are another advanced training technique which involve performing two exercises back-back with little to no rest in between each.

Some of our favourite supersets for shoulders are:

• Rear Delt Cable Flyes + Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Arnold Press + Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises

• Landmine Press + Pike Push Ups

• Face Pulls + Rear Delt Dumbbell Flyes

Giant sets are very similar to supersets, only that they incorporate three or more exercises performed back-back instead of just two.

A giant set that is sure to have those shoulders looking gargantuan is:

1. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

2. Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises

3. Pike Push Ups

Since these hypertrophy techniques cause high levels of fatigue, it’s recommended to not overuse them (a few drop sets every second session is a nice balance).