Train Like an Athlete by ATHLEAN-X (Video Podcast)

A shoulder workout does not have to be long in order to be effective. Here, I’m going to show you a 3 minute shoulder workout that utilizes popular shoulder exercises done from a different position for an entirely unique impact on your upper body.

It is important to point out that the deltoids are not the only muscles that control the shoulder. People tend to obsess about them the most because they are the ones with the most visible size and are what are referred to as the shoulders by many. That said, there are 17 muscles that attach to the scapula or shoulder blade, and in doing so, have a direct impact on the actions of the shoulder.

While at times it is necessary and beneficial to single out the delts as best as possible when creating a hypertrophy or muscle growth response, it is also important to integrate muscles that prefer to work together as well. In the case of the shoulders, these seventeen muscles are largely good at working with the delts to produce an amplified effect on your delts.

The main key is to change the position of your body when performing the popular front, side and rear delt raises. While these lifts are staples of targeting the front, middle and rear delts respectively they do not always have to be performed from a standing position. By simply doing each of these from a kneeling position you are not only going to be able to still hit them very effectively but also involve the muscles of the upper back and shoulder girdle.

For instance, when you perform a front shoulder raise from the kneeling position you first get the benefits of having your shoulders in a closed chain position. When you lift one of the dumbbells in the air to perform the exercise you have your body weight being controlled and stabilized by the single arm that remains in contact with the floor. This is great for developing shoulder stability.

Beyond that however, you not only continue to experience peak tension on the delts at the top of the range of motion of the exercise but, because of the relative elevation of the arm that you get out of this position, you also engage the much needed lower traps. This builds in automatic stabilization to the exercise that is lacking when performing it in the classic way.

The same thing happens when you perform your side lateral raises out to your sides. The additional recruitment of the rhomboids when done this way is something that helps to round out your development and ensure proper stabilization throughout the shoulder girdle. Finally, we can do the same thing when performing the rear delt raises and the W raise which is a unique move that favors external rotation and activates the undertrained rotator cuff.

The goal is to continue to alternate repetitions on each arm to the front, side, rear and then W for 3 minutes straight. If you are looking to do this as a shoulder workout finisher then you will want to see if you can last for the entire 3 minutes without resting. If you wanted to turn it into a complete shoulder workout then you would rest in between rounds about 2-3 minutes and repeat for 3-4 total rounds.

If you are looking for a complete workout program that builds big athletic shoulders as well as a complete muscular body, be sure to head to http://athleanx.com and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. Start training like an athlete and you’ll look like an athlete faster than you ever thought possible.

For more videos on how to build bigger shoulders and the best exercises for your front delts, middle delts and rear delts, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at http://youtube.com/user/jdcav24 and turn on notif