Yesterday I discussed how, after using only the incline one-arm lateral and one-arm cable lateral for a while, the ideal medial-delt-head exercises, my shoulders had decent detail but remained somewhat flat.
I needed more roundness, a “cap” on my shoulders…
A peak-contraction exercise like one-arm standing laterals doesn’t quite achieve that high arm position—as in the finish of an overhead press.
Doug Brignole says to stop the overhead presses, and I agree for good reason: shoulder impingement is a distinct possibility; however, the finish position appears to place the medial delt in a unique-peak contraction…
No more overhead presses for me—the damage is done. Instead I tried a pulling exercise that put my arm up at an angle—like the finish of an overhead press—hand at just above head level. It’s like a combo front raise-lateral raise…
Keep in mind that you keep a slight constant bend at your elbow as you raise your arm. This is not a press or a rotator-cuff rotation move, although it may benefit those support muscles…
This exercise provides the peak-contracted position of an overhead press without downward impingement pressure. I pull up but also to the side and back….
After a month of using it as an add-on, my delts appear to be getting fuller and rounder—bigger pump and starting to pop a bit more.
Is it due to Beardsley’s contractile-force observation—more middle-muscle “belly” development?
Or is it from variation in fiber recruitment—simply a different exercise creating some unique development?
Or is it from an extra unique set for my medial heads?
Maybe a combination. All I know is that it appears to be working at the moment, but the jury is still out. I can feel the necks of my T-shirts being stretched outward. Can’t be that my arms are getting longer because I quit heavy deadlifts years ago…
I’ll stick to it for a while and maybe have older-but-boulder shoulders soon—with photos.
Tomorrow: Is the two-arm version of this exercise a good alternative? Hmm…
Note: You’ll find other effective contracted- and stretch-position add-on exercises, as well as the ideal ones you should emphasize for size, listed in the printable POF chart on pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
Recommended
Build MASS with Bodyweight Training
One way you’re guaranteed to pack on stacks of muscle is through a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which more than doubles 24 hours after an intense workout…
Until recently, MPS was only elevated when trainees would lift 70-90% of their one-rep max…
That’s not only dangerous for your joints, but it also sets you up for high injury risk every time you exercise…
It used to be believed that training with your own bodyweight couldn’t get you the same results as training with your 70-90% one rep max… Until NOW.