Overview
John Meadows and James demonstrate a shoulder workout, detailing four key tips for building well-developed shoulders, emphasizing exercise technique, muscle targeting, and workout structure.
Rear Delt Focus and Technique
- Prioritize rear delt training at the start of every shoulder workout for balanced development.
- Reverse flyes, when performed correctly, effectively target rear delts despite contrary opinions.
- Maintain relaxed arms and minimize trap engagement to maximize rear delt activation.
- Use high repetitions and partial reps after fatigue to prolong muscle engagement in rear delt flyes.
Side Delt Overload with Partials
- Employ heavy partial-range lateral raises with dumbbells to overload the side delts where they are strongest.
- Perform sets of 15–25 reps using heavier weights but short range of motion to maximize side delt recruitment.
- Accept minimal trap involvement as side delts will still be the primary muscle worked.
Trap-Free Cable Side Laterals
- Use lying cable side laterals with head supported to isolate side delts and limit trap activation.
- Raise arms only to shoulder height and keep form fixed for better isolation.
- Aim for medium repetitions (10–15 reps per set) to fully engage side delts.
Front Delt Presses on Smith Machine
- Train front delts with a high-incline Smith machine press, keeping the bar path near the face for safety and effectiveness.
- Do not lower the bar all the way down to avoid shoulder joint stress.
- Smith machine provides a safer, more controlled movement for isolating front delts compared to free weights.
Workout Structure Summary
- Sequence: Rear delts (first), side delts (second and third), front delts (last).
- Each exercise targets a specific shoulder area and follows principles of muscle isolation and progressive overload.
- Rear delts are commonly neglected; training them first ensures complete shoulder development.
- Front delts should not be ignored but are best trained at the end for injury prevention.
Decisions
- Train rear delts first in every shoulder workout.
- Use partials for side delts to overload the strongest range.
- Employ trap-free exercises for side delts using cables with supported head position.
- Train front delts last with Smith machine presses for safety.