A Great Shoulder Workout to Create the "Wide Shoulder" Look

To create the appearance of wide shoulders you must pick exercises in your

shoulder workout that hit the right muscles. Your shoulder is made up of three

muscles…the front deltoid, the side deltoid, and the rear deltoid. It is

important to focus your shoulder workout mainly around the side deltoid if you

want to create width.

What Exercises in Your Shoulder Workout Emphasize the Side

Deltoid.

Include plenty of lateral raise variations in your shoulder workout, if you

want to really isolate the side deltoids. Many people prefer to start their

shoulder workout with shoulder presses, but I prefer to start my shoulder

workout with lateral raises. When you start your shoulder workout with lateral

raises you pre-fatigue your side deltoid muscles. When you hit the shoulder

presses, you will completely blast the side deltoid muscles. When you perform

any pressing movements attempt to keep your elbows to the side of your body.

Don’t allow your elbows to drift forward, as this will put the emphasis on the

front deltoid muscles.

What Exercises You Should Avoid in Your Shoulder

Workout.

The bigger your traps are, the narrower your shoulders will appear. I would

recommend dropping all shrugging and upright rows from your shoulder workout.

The wide and square shoulder look is achieved by emphasis on the deltoid muscles

during your shoulder workout. I actually believe that big traps create an

unattractive look to the physique and give you a rounded shoulder look.

How Many Sets and Reps to Perform in Your Shoulder

Workout.

Your shoulder workout will vary depending on your shoulder development. If

you have small shoulders, then I would recommend a high volume approach to your

shoulder workout. Muscle mass is increased by performing a high volume of work on a specific muscle group. If somebody has smaller shoulders, they should aim

to get a pump in their shoulders during their shoulder workout. This is achieved

by performing a higher number of reps and less rest in between sets. I would aim

for 15-20 total sets for shoulders and stick to reps in the 8-12 range. For

those with bigger shoulders I would perform about 1/2 of the volume of lifts

during the shoulder workout. Aim for 8-10 total sets in your shoulder workout

and 5-10 reps per set.

Cardio for Your Shoulder Workout?

Cardio is actually one of the most important part of a great shoulder

workout. If you want that lean and angular look, then cardio will do that for

you. The lifts in your shoulder workout will build width in the shoulders, but

cardio will give you a smaller waist. Low body fat will emphasize the side delts

even further. Cardio will actually put finishing touches on every body part. It

is an important part of your shoulder workout and should be performed year

round.

A Great Shoulder Workout to Create the "Wide Shoulder" Look by Rusty Moore