A lot of girls spend their time developing their lower body. Which is understandable—who doesn’t want a nice perky peach? Legs are also a problem area for a lot of females so I find that in a typical beginners female training split, that shoulders are normally not a priority and trained as a secondary muscle, either with chest or arms. Sure, throwing in a few presses will help to ‘tone’ your delts, but to really make them POP, you need to start training them like you want them to grow.
I understand a lot of girls want to avoid looking bulky and prefer a sleek and fit look, and you are probably wondering if it is really worth dedicating a whole day just train shoulders. However, a good strong set of shoulders should be a goal as it complements the rest of your frame. Trust me, your shoulders are not going to make your shirts rip and you are NOT going to look like Mrs Hulk! A nice set of capped delts look impressive on a female physique, especially for fitness and figure girls. No matter if you’re a bikini model, fitness or physique, a nice set of shoulders look impressive and really complement your overall package.
Building an impressive set of shoulders isn’t the easiest thing to do. Doing the same old routine of 3×12 reps isn’t going to do much to help them grow. If you’re really want to build some pumpkin-like boulders, you’re going to have to hit them hard, just like any other major body part you’re looking to grow. When I first started training, I personally found that my delts were lacking and letting my upper body appear small so I started hitting them twice a week!
It’ll take a lot of volume, heavy weight, and a variety of exercises that hit your arms from every angle imaginable. I personally love mixing it up with lots of pyramid sets, drop sets, super sets, negative sets, as well a combination of low and high reps.
TIPS:
- Make sure you are really using that mind/muscle connection to get the most out of your workout, as well as ensure it is your delts doing the work and NOT your traps.
- Eat! If you want to grow, you need to make sure your diet matches your goals.
- Mix it up! There are SO many variations of exercises to incorporate into your routine so it should never be boring.
- Remember there are THREE parts to the shoulder—Front, medial and rear. It is easy to focus on the front as you can see it but do not neglect the rear! Training the Rear delt as hard as the front delt will help develop a beautiful rounded delt from all angles.
- Train heavy, but not heavy enough to lose form. Form is always key.
- Focus on the squeeze and hold the movement at the top for 1-2 seconds. Keep it controlled and try not to simply throw the weight around.
- Remember to progressively overload, just like every other muscle group.