How To Get Bigger Shoulders - Tips and Shoulder Workout for Mass

One of the most important things for a great V-taper is big shoulders and the main mistake that lifters make is doing the same workout over and over and many of them are neglecting one or two shoulders heads.

You need to focus on all three heads, front, medial and rear shoulders because if one head of the muscle is lagging you won't build proportional good-looking shoulders.

The best way to force your shoulders to grow is to mix your workouts from time to time. Don't let your muscles to adapt to the same exercises and weights over and over. Make some changes from time to time, shock your muscles. 

How to get bigger shoulders:

1. A lot of heavy shoulder presses using a barbell or dumbbells (80 - 85% of 1 RM) in the first place. Don't forget to lift with a good form.

2. Do more side laterals - it is a great exercise for building up your shoulder muscles. 

3. Perform upright rows with a wide grip which allows you to work the muscles on the outer edges of your shoulders which will help you build wider shoulders.

4. Hit rear shoulders with bent-over lateral raises which is very similar to side lateral raises, but you perform them while bent over.

5. Perform more wide-grip pull ups on your back day which will also work your shoulders along with biceps and back muscles. 

6. Focus on the medium number of reps (8-12) instead of a higher reps number.

One very common mistake that lifters make when training their shoulders is that they are using too much weight and perform the exercise with very poor form. Try to improve your form, use a full range of motion. 



When performing lateral raises don't just swing dumbells at your side, slower the eccentric phase and try to focus on hitting your muscle with lighter weights. Leave your ego at home, you are in the gym to build muscle, not ego.



 Check out this great tutorial:

Mass-Building Shoulder Workout:

1. Standing Military Press - 3 sets x 6-8 reps

2. Side Lateral Raise - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

3. Upright Barbell Row - 3 sets of 8-10 reps

4. Bent Over Lateral Raise - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Try These Two Shoulder Workouts for Mass - Build Big Shoulders Fast

If you want to build big shoulders fast then you came to the right place. I will show you two mass-building shoulder workouts that will help you to get those 3D boulder shoulders that you always wanted.

This time, I have chosen two workouts for building big shoulders which you should alternate every other week. 

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How to Build Wider Lats

One of the most important things for a great V-taper is big shoulders and the main mistake that lifters make is doing the same workout over and over and many of them are neglecting one or two shoulders heads. You need to focus on all three heads, front, medial and rear shoulders because if one is lagging you won't have proportional good-looking shoulders that pop from all angles. 

The least neglected shoulders head is probably the front deltoid because there is no lifter that skips chest day and all chest exercises also hit the front head of shoulders. Training only this head can lead to very bad posture and dangerous injuries. By training your back you can decrease the risk of bad posture because it also works your rear delts.

Even that you perform chest and backs workouts there is still one shoulders head that is missing and it would be neglected - the medial head. So, you are still going to need some exercises to hit all three heads and build strong and massive shoulders.

Follow these tips to build big shoulders fast:

1. A lot of heavy barbell and dumbbell pressing (80 - 85% of 1 RM) in the first place.

2. Do more side laterals - it is a great exercise for building up your shoulder muscles. 

3. Perform upright rows with a wide grip which allows you to work the muscles on the outer edges of your shoulders which will help you build wider shoulders.

4. Hit rear shoulders with bent-over lateral raises which is very similar to side lateral raises, but you perform them while bent over.

5. Perform more wide-grip pull ups on your back day which will also work your shoulders along with biceps and back muscles. 

6. Focus on the medium number of reps (8-12) instead of a higher reps number.

Workout A (First Week)

• Barbell Military Press - 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Side Lateral Raises - 4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Front Dumbbell Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Upright Cable Row - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Reverse Machine Flyes - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Workout B (Second Week)

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Wide-Grip Upright Row - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent-Over Lateral Raises - 4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Side Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• One-Arm Side Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Face Pulls on a Machine - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Face Pulls

Mass-Building Shoulder Workout - Exercises for Bigger Shoulders

When it comes to building muscular and good-looking physique then one of the most important things is to build big and broad shoulders. Main elements of V-taper are boulder shoulders, wide lats, and a small waist. That means that you can build a well-balanced figure without developing your shoulders.

Workout for Muscle Growth - Build Muscle Mass Fast

How to build a big set of shoulders? Choose the right workout and also consume enough healthy calories to make them grow. Also, try to avoid the mistake that many lifters make and don't only focus on the middle head of deltoid. The shoulder is three-headed muscle and it consists of anterior, middle, and rear heads of the muscle. Every head is important, don't neglect any of them.

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FORCE YOUR SHOULDERS TO GROW:

It is very important to follow the progressive overload, so don't just lift the same weight on every shoulders day, you need to force your shoulder muscles to grow so add more weight, or add more reps. But don't go over 12 reps, that won't help you in building muscle mass. Stay between 8 - 12 reps, which is the best rep range for muscle hypertrophy.

Another way to force your shoulders to grow is to mix your workouts every time. Don't let your muscles to adapt to the same exercises and weights over and over. Make some changes from time to time, shock your muscles. Make your shoulders don't know what is coming.

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast

BEST EXERCISES TO BUILD BIGGER SHOULDERS:

1. Barbell Military Press

Seated Military Press

You can perform barbell military presses by standing or seating on a bench. This is the best exercise for building big shoulders. It targets all three heads of shoulders.

How to perform it: Grab a barbell and push it upwards then slowly bring the barbell down while inhaling. Keep your back straight through the process.

2. Side Lateral Raise

Standing Side Lateral Raise

One of the best exercises for widening your shoulders. Try not to use momentum and swing the weights, focus on a good form while performing lateral raises.

How to perform it: Hold dumbbells in each hand at the side of your body and lift them up while slightly arching your back. Return dumbbells to the starting position and that is the first rep. 

3. Arnold Dumbbell Press

The king of the bodybuilding Arnold Schwarzenegger himself invented and popularized this exercise. You can guess how good is it by looking at his shoulders

How to perform it: Similar to classic dumbbell press but with one difference. You are starting the exercise with dumbbells in each hand and your palms facing your head and then lift dumbbells up while rotating palms of your hands until they are facing forward. Repeat the process for as many reps you want.

4. EZ Barbell Upright Row

One of the exercises that work more than one muscle joint. Great for targeting the middle delts. Upright rows are mostly performed with EZ barbell, but you can perform them with straight barbell or dumbbells too. 

How to perform it: Hold a barbell with an overhand grip that is slightly less than shoulder width and hold your back straight. Exhale and use the sides of your shoulders to lift the bar up, raising your elbows up and to the side. Pause for a second and return the barbell to a starting position. 

5. Rear Lateral Raises

Let's not forget about rear shoulders which are very important for a well-developed physique. Rear Lateral Raises are probably the best exercise for rear shoulders development. 

How to perform it: Similar to side lateral raises but this time starting in a bent over position.

Try not to neglect any of the three shoulder heads, especially the rear shoulders which are very important for muscle balance. Neglecting rear delts can get you muscles imbalance and shoulders instability. 

Workout for Muscle Growth - Build Muscle Mass Fast

Many beginning lifters should know that in order to build muscle mass they need to follow the right workout routine and diet plan. Building muscle mass can be very hard for many beginners but there are some basic rules that should be learned when starting bulking up:

How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast - Tips for Beginners and Skinny People

There are some facts that beginners need to know about training to build muscle:

- Don't copy a workout routine from professional bodybuilders, you are not going to become like them, at least not for a couple of years and not without using steroids. You'll need a muscle-building workout routine that is designed for beginners and natural bodybuilders.

-  Use compound movements like bench presses, squats, rows and shoulder presses to activate more than one muscle group at the same time. That is more effective for muscle growth than using isolating exercises. Don't be afraid of hard workouts, just perform them with a proper form and you'll be good.

-  Don't waste your time in the gym by walking around and talking around with everyone. Don't even listen to anybody's tips, you need to get the proper education for muscle building (good fitness websites, books from fitness legends like Joe Weider..), and only ask professional fitness instructors. Some gym rats can only learn you to do something wrong.

- You don't have to lift much less weight than you can lift 12 times. You can do it to warm up your muscles, but after you start doing real workout set up your weights for 8 - 12 reps to activate muscle growth. Do not even try to lift very heavy with a bad form, that can just get you an injury. Use your 70%-85% 1RM (One Rep Max) and lift weights not less than for 8 reps and not more than 12 reps. 

Several studies are shown that the peak of the muscle growth occurs when training with a weight that is 75% of your 1RM.

100% of 1RM = 1 rep

95% of 1RM = 2 reps

93% of 1RM = 3 reps

90% of 1RM = 4 reps

87% of 1RM = 5 reps

85% of 1RM = 6 reps

83% of 1RM = 7 reps

80% of 1RM = 8 reps

77% of 1RM = 9 reps

75% of 1RM = 10 reps

67% of 1RM = 12 reps

65% of 1RM = 15 reps

From this list, you can see that the best rep number for building muscle is 10 reps lifting with 75% of one rep maximum. 

One of the most important things is that you shouldn't adapt your muscles to the same workout. Try this workout for muscle growth for 8 weeks then confuse your muscles and try some other workouts for some time. That is one of the best old-school bodybuilding tips for building muscle mass. Surprise your muscles, don't let them adapt or they won't continue to grow.

Old-School Bodybuilding Tips by Joe Weider

3 DAY Full Body Workout Routine for Muscle Growth:

Monday - Training Day 1

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - Training Day 2

Thursday - Rest

Friday - Training Day 3

Weekend - Rest and prepare for the next week

TRAINING DAY 1:

EXERCISE	REPS	SETS
Barbell Squat	8-10	4
Bench Press	8-10	4
Pull Ups	8-10	4
Military Press	8-10	4
Barbell Curl	10-12	4
Sit Ups	12	4

TRAINING DAY 2:

EXERCISE	REPS	SETS
Deadlift	6	4
Bent-Over Row	8-10	4
Incline Dumbbell Press	8-12	4
Side Lateral Raise	10-12	4
Dumbbell Triceps Extension	10-12	4
Hammer Curl	10-12	4

TRAINING DAY 3:

EXERCISE	REPS	SETS
Dumbbell Lunges	12	3
Triceps Dips	10-12	4
Chin Ups	10-12	4
Seated Shoulder Press	10-12	4
Seated Calf Raise	10-12	4
Plate Twist	12	2