Lugging Shoulders

[cumajstr]

Hi guys. I started train 2 way DC and i love it. But, my chest is dominant and i would like to improve shoulders. What's are your tips on improving shoulders..?
Should i start with shoulders and after that chest and so on, or what do you guys do?

Thank for every advice.

[Carlito Gambino]

Not a DC trainee (I should really make that statement my sig to prevent confusion), but IMO you should focus on getting some big (push) pressing numbers. Once you can push press this sort of weight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXszjlqxhI

You aren't gonna have any lacking shoulders.

[bigcat801]

Not a DC trainee (I should really make that statement my sig to prevent confusion), but IMO you should focus on getting some big (push) pressing numbers. Once you can push press this sort of weight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXszjlqxhI

You aren't gonna have any lacking shoulders.

bump

[dcwannabee]

Carlito Gambino Not a DC trainee (I should really make that statement my sig to prevent confusion), but IMO you should focus on getting some big (push) pressing numbers. Once you can push press this sort of weight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXszjlqxhI

You aren't gonna have any lacking shoulders.

Most people will never be able to push press 440lbs. But I do get what You are saying.
Damn impressive lift BTW

[eggwhites]

What exercises have you been doing for delts? What rep range? Are you controlling the negative?

[Lock it Up]

How long have you been training, what are your stats?

But I have to echo the above statement of, worry about pushing bigger numbers. If you can restpause 225 on seated military for ten right now, think of how much bigger your delts will be when you can rest pause 315 for 10.

It aslo has a lot to do with genetics though when it comes to any ;lagging part. For instance, I heave a shit ton of weight (compared to a lot of guys) curling, but my arms are my weakest part. Sometimes, you really need to think outside the box, and that requires knowing your body and exactly what you have tried before...hence why I ask your training history.

[Perse]

Stretch your pecs just before you do incline bench press, it at least makes my chest a bit weaker and more of the weight will be on my shoulders. I have no science to suppor this, it´s just experience from a couple of years.

[Michael Travis]

Stretch your pecs just before you do incline bench press, it at least makes my chest a bit weaker and more of the weight will be on my shoulders. I have no science to suppor this, it´s just experience from a couple of years.

Incline bench press is meant for chest. Trying to transfer the work to shoulders isn't the answer. Keep the stimulus on the muscle to which the movement is designed. There are other, more efficient ways to bring up lagging shoulders

[Burner7v7]

I have a question on this topic. Every aspect of the DC program leaves me feeling like I was beat to death by a barbell by the time I leave the gym. EXCEPT my shoulders. Everything else feels sore, pumped and worked but my shoulders never seem to get that sore pumped feeling.
My numbers are increasing on all three of my presses and I know my form isnt an issue. Any ideas on the cause of this? should I add a widowmaker on shoulders? or just accept the one muscle group that doesnt feel like it got murdered with a happy smile?

[Senatus]

I have a question on this topic. Every aspect of the DC program leaves me feeling like I was beat to death by a barbell by the time I leave the gym. EXCEPT my shoulders. Everything else feels sore, pumped and worked but my shoulders never seem to get that sore pumped feeling.
My numbers are increasing on all three of my presses and I know my form isnt an issue. Any ideas on the cause of this? should I add a widowmaker on shoulders? or just accept the one muscle group that doesnt feel like it got murdered with a happy smile?

With all respect, Burner, anytime I hear someone mention "I don't feel" something or other, I can't help but to think of my best friend.

I started training a bit before him, in very early '93. He followed perhaps 9 months later, even though he tinkered with some shit at home.

I remember him whining about how he didn't "feel" the Nautilus Super Pullover and this or that apparatus. I told him, "That's because there's nothing to 'feel'; you haven't a lick of muscle back there yet!"

At the same time, I have also known some bodybuilders who shoulder pressed their way to massive weights and, while they were all big, strong men, they were still dissatisfied with their shoulder development. Like Shelby Starnes, it wasn't until they adopted some of Mountain Dog's ideas that their delts really started to "pop." And Starnes isn't alone. Plenty of advanced DCers, including Cedric McMillan, have acknowledged the need for sufficiently developed dudes TO employ laterals and otherwise fu-fu exercises that most 2-wayers should eschew in exchange for ever-greater seated/military/BNP poundages.

With all due respect to everyone involved, all I can add is this: I was friends with Mike Mentzer -- and no, not at his peak, but much later on, after he'd lost his way and found the ground again.

Mike loved the behind-neck press but, like Dante, he admonished me to never take it below the top of the ear. He also said the strongest he ever got was to a point when he could do a set with 225 for 10, rest a few minutes, then struggle out a single with 300. That's with a 90 degree backrest and reps that JOJ and Branch Warren would look at and say, "Err, dayum, man, why so slow?"

I grant 225x10 on a strict free weight BNP is no mind-blowing weight, but remember, there is no Smith involved. And Mike's shoulders were healthy enough to lower the weight to his traps, not just to ear-level, then press back up.

In my estimation, that's a pretty strong motherfucker. And he was plenty happy when he could BNP 300 lbs.

I realize my point probably seems conflicted, apart perhaps for the fact that massive pressing strength only goes so far for some advanced men (key note: advanced). All else I can say is, Burner, you shouldn't necessarily feel as you (or any given bodypart) has been beat to death after training.

My vague suspicion is that your delts, posterior particularly, are composed of a greater number of slower-twitch fibers than the rest of your pressing musculature. There are tons of ways to address that. Static rack presses, where you literally push the bar against the rack, for RP sets of 15-20 are a good start. Reverse machine shoulder presses are another. And as I said, some people are all worried about whether or not they're doing DC; Dante would be the first to say, hey, if hybridizing is what gets you going, do that -- just don't call it DC!

To that end, look into some of Mountain Dog's ideas for shoulder training, particularly his rear-delt "swings."

You've many options before you. You just need to do some research and, perhaps, a hair of soul-searching.

Regardless, you've the best of my luck, broham.

-S

[høggern]

With threads like these it should be posted stats, pictures and maybe even a video of you doing the exercises. Most of the time its not the exercise thats the problem, but how you do it. Its usually one way to do i correct, and a million to do it wrong.
Skeletal structure also has alot to say with how your delts will end up looking, regardless of the amount of mass you have.
As for exercise selection, esp with dc training, you could start off with doing your chest and triceps exercises on a high incline. And do your sholder presses seated with no back support and leaning forward into the press rather than leaning back into a bench.
Deadlifts, squats and frontsquats will also help alot