My daughter and her future husband were over for dinner, and after talking about our dogs, they veered into my favorite subject: training.
“We’re specializing on our shoulders because you’ve said wider shoulders create the look of a smaller waist. I know you hate overhead presses, so do you concentrate on standing lateral raises?”
“No, because the resistance curve is wrong on those—way too easy at the start and much too hard at the end when your arms are parallel to the floor.”
“So what’s your go-to wide-shoulder move?”
“Well, before I got the cable machine, it was incline one-arm laterals. By being on your side on a low incline, you create the perfect resistance curve for the medial head.”
“Is that all you did for the side head?”
“I would usually do three sets of that ideal exercise for one side. Then I’d follow with either standing one-arm laterals or dumbbell one-arm upright rows—one or two sets of that add-on move. Then I’d repeat the sequence for the other side.”
“So five sets for each side. It’s a fairly small muscle, so that sounds about right. But did you make gains without presses?”
“Actually, shoulders have always been a lagging muscle for me. I was amazed at how that quick workout twice a week gave my shoulders new roundness.” [I went to my phone and pulled up this photo…]
“Wow, good shot. But I really like presses. They’re not even safe with lighter weight after the incline laterals?”
“If I had to go back in time, I would avoid all overhead presses. If you absolutely have to do them, at least put them at the end of your shoulder routine and do a W press. That’s pushing the dumbbells up and out instead of overhead. You end up with your arms extended but angled out, like the sides of the letter W or the top of a wide-grip pulldown.”
My daughter spoke up: “You mentioned that you did the incline one-arm laterals before you had the cable machine. Do you do a different exercise on that?”
“Yes, I do one-arm cable laterals, but the pulley is set at waist height so the resistance curve is correct, hardest at the bottom and easier at the top. And I use a Velcro ankle strap around my wrist to connect the cable. That takes my grip out of the equation.”
“Great idea. You like those better than the inclines?”
“Yes and no. I like that there is still some resistance at the top and I don’t have to involve my grip. I don’t like the drag of the weight stack, which makes lowering easier than the raising. So I still do the inclines at a different workout.”
My future son-in-law jumped in: “Change to gain, right?”
“You’ve been reading the newsletter. Good man. Prepare to grow like never before.”
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Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
X-Rep.com
The “New” Perfect Physique
You’ve probably believed that women go crazy over huge muscles. You’ve probably even aspired to look like Arnold at some point.
The picture of the perfect physique seems to have changed over the years…
There were several years when it seemed women preferred a leaner and smaller physique like Brad Pitt’s in Fight Club.
Luckily, that seems to have just been a fad, and a more muscular look has become more desired again. Not pro bodybuilder big, but something in between with good muscularity and chiseled detail…
Alain Gonzales refers to it as the “Athletic-Aesthetic” physique, and women go wild over it.
Check out Alain’s 12-week program here: