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In reality, shoulders are such a small muscle group
that it's easy to over train them. Shoulders muscle respond well to
heavy weights - as well as light weights and high reps - but not too
heavy and not too often. The shoulder joint is vulnerable and doing
behind the neck barbell presses with too much weight and a grip too wide
can lead to injury. These non-pressing movements are guaranteed to make
your delts and traps muscle pump and grow.
REAR-DELT LATERAL CABLE RAISE
Probably the best known way to work rear delts
is with bent-over dumbbell laterals. Another way to really smoke 'em is
with cables. Place a flat bench about 3 feet away from a low pulley.
With one hand, grab a stirrup handle and lie down on your side facing
the low-cable pulley. Bring the arm up and back in line with the body.
Squeeze the rear delt muscle at the top peak-contracted position. Slowly
lower the cable back down and repeat. Go for reps 12-20 for each side.
BEHIND-BODY CABLE SIDE LATERAL
In Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Encyclopedia
of Bodybuilding, Arnold is pictured doing this exercise. Talk about
showing his incredibly separated delts muscle. What inspiration! And if
you do them correctly, you're bound to be inspired by the results that
will soon be apparent.
Place a small bench about 3 feet away from and
directly in front of a low pulley. With the cable handle in your left
hand, sit on the end of the bench with your right side next to the
apparatus. With the cable behind your body, raise your left arm out to
your side and up to shoulder level. Hold in the peak contracted position
for a count, then slowly lower and repeat. Go for 12-20 reps for each
side.
STANDING CALF MACHINE SHRUG
And you thought the standing calf machine was
just for calves. It's a great way to work your traps muscle, and you
don't even have to hold on to anything.
With feet flat on the floor or on the block,
position yourself under the standing calf machine, just like you would
if you were going to do standing calf raises. With the pads resting on
your shoulders, legs straight and upper torso erect, lower your
shoulders, then shrug them up as high as possible. Hold the shoulders up
and keep the traps muscle in the fully contracted position for 1-2
seconds, then slowly lower the shoulders and repeat. Do as many reps as
possible.
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