Boulder Shoulders

Building a pair of cannon ball shoulders is actually considerably easier than many other muscle groups. While shoulder width is largely determined by both genetics and upper back development, the actual shoulder muscles can be easily build to look like bronze pumpkins through intelligent (rather than intense) training. It is also important to train traps since they add a whole new dimension to the shoulders as well as prevent "pencil neck" syndrome. A solid shoulder/trap routine should be quick but effective.

Although seated or standing presses (either barbell or dumbbell) are the primary mass builder, shoulder are trained best when warmed up with isolation movements beforehand. Therefore the first two exercises are dumbbell lateral and front raises (bent-over lateral raises can also be included if they are not performed in an upper back workout). Performing raises first will train each individual head of the shoulder (minus the rear head if trained with back) as well as warm up the rotator cuff for heavy presses to follow. After the shoulders are warmed up the next exercise is some variation of free weight vertical press to build overall size and strength. Finally the traps must be tended to - either shrugs or upright rows will accomplish this task.

Suggested Shoulder/Trap Workout:

• Lateral Raises 2 x 10-15
• Front Raises 2 x 10-15
• Bent-over Lateral Raises 2 x 10-15 (if not performed with upper back)
• Shoulder Presses (Barbell or Dumbbell) 2-3 x 6-10
• Shrugs or Upright Rows 2-3 x 8-12