Take a look at this picture. Arnie’s shoulder muscles are so thick and well rounded. You might also notice how thick his pecs are - we dealt with that in this post. Today we are looking at how to get huge shoulders like Arnie.

Massive shoulders require perfect technique

More than any other muscle the shoulders demand that you use perfect technique. The shoulder joint is a very sensitive joint and it doesn’t deal well with incorrect pressure. I know so many people whose bodybuilding career was stopped short because of a shoulder injury.

To learn the perfect technique you should read as much information as possible. Since we are talking about Arnie it would be a good idea to mention his book the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding because it is the best way to learn how he trained.

You should also ask the trainers and experts at your gym about your lifting technique.

How do I know if my technique is wrong?
There is one question that I ask to test people to see whether they know what they are talking about when it comes to shoulders. On the overhead military press how should your shoulders be positioned? Should they be pointing forward, sideways or somewhere inbetween?

Massive shoulders need a light weight

I really don’t care what anyone says; you do not need over huge weights to grow huge muscles. You need perfect technique, contraction, reps and a good diet.

The thing about light weights is that it allows you to really focus on your technique. This is 10 times more important than the weight you are lifting; especially if you are lifting it wrong.

Start with a light weight (even if you are pro) and work on all of your exercises until you can do them all perfectly. Then start upping the juice.

Massive shoulders love the dumbbbells

Dumbbells are great because they allow for a much freer lifting motion. When you use a barbell or a machine you are is some ways restricted in how you can lift the weight. With a dumbbell, however, the weight is free to move around in any direction and this forces you to use stablizier muscles to control what is going on.

The dumbbell also allows for a greater stretch. An overhead press with dumbbells does so much more than a barbell!

Massive shoulders need the right food

We all know the one gram of protein for every one pound of bodyweight but I think its time we started looking at the type of food we eat. Natural proteins from healthy, fresh and organic sources are so much better than store bought powder. When I started drinking raw organic goats milk I grew faster than ever before. The protein in it was alive and well!

Conclusion
You can learn a lot about Arnie’s training from the book mentioned above. It is one of the best books out there for learning how to approach bodybuilding in a systematic and very practical way. And best of all, it was written by Arnie!

More people come to Real Muscle Online looking for shoulder workouts than for any other topic. For this reason I wanted to provide you with a shoulder workout that hits all three deltoid heads and allows you to develop some huge shoulder muscles.

The three deltoid heads that make up the shoulder

Before we dive into the workout you need to know exactly how your shoulder exists and where each part is located. You then need to learn how these parts move and learn what exercises target them the best. Continue Reading

How to correctly perform the lateral side raise

If I had to pick an exercise that was performed worse than any other exercise I would say the lateral side raise would win hands down. People get this one wrong. And, they get it wrong bad! This post will look at some common mistakes as well as how to correctly do the lateral side raise for better delts.

What muscle does the lateral side raise target?

This exercise is just about the best exercise there is for the lateral (side) deltoid. It targets the muscle in such a way that almost no other muscles come into play during the movement. This means that it is very important for isolating and bringing up the side of your shoulders as you can hit this first before moving onto the more general shoulder exercises.

How to do a lateral side raise

Here are the steps you should follow if you want to perform a lateral side raise correctly for maximum muscle growth.

1. Grab two dumbbells

2. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and lean forward slightly

3. Keeping a slight bend in your elbow place your arms by your side

4. Keeping your little finger higher than the rest tense your shoulders and raise the dumbbells until your arms are parellel with the floor

5. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down the start position

Common mistakes

There are many ways to muck up this exercise and as such slow down your progress.

1. Standing too straight.
You do not want to be standing to upright for this exercise as the shoulders are designed in a way that requires you to bend slightly forward to target the middle deltoid.

2. Too fast.
To hit the shoulder properly you need to make sure the motions are slow and controlled and do not use the motion to get the weight in place. This is especially important for this exercise.

3. Hand placement.
Make sure your hands are in the right place. If your pinky finger is not the highest on the hand then you probably won’t be hitting the middle delt as well as you could be.

Final tips
I started out by doing one arm at a time. This really allowed me to feel the muscle moving and made sure I wasn’t skimping out on the technique. The shoulders crave special attention to grow - make sure you work them properly.