Sean McCallum - Fitness Trainer
DAY 7 DELTOIDS + UPPER TRAPS
Thick traps and cannonball shoulders make a good physique great. CKT will make you great. Get ready to torch every fiber in your delts and traps with a variety of reps and weights. You'll be hitting this exact shoulder workout for the next four weeks, so you'd better get acquainted.
Superset:
Shoulder Press
5 sets of 40,30,20,15,10 reps
Upright Barbell Row
5 sets of 40,30,20,15,10 reps
Superset:
Arnold Dumbbell Press
5 sets of 10,15,20,30,40 reps
Dumbbell Shrug
5 sets of 10,15,20,30,40 reps
Exercise Tips
Shoulder Press ///
We go behind the head with the press. If you have tight rotator cuffs or if you've had an injury there, I suggest you start off by stretching and warming the area. Stretch different angles: overhead, behind-the-back, trigger point and arm circles.
Upright Row ///
On the upright rows, I take a wide grip. This is to specifically target the rear delts of the shoulders. I use a little bit of a swing, which I call "controlled cheating," just to make sure I have a little bit of give within my spine. If I go too strict on this movement, I'll feel more pressure within the joints instead of the muscles.
Arnold Press ///
I find I get a lot more stress on the delt by coming all the way down, really low, and just coming 3/4 of the way up. If I just go to parallel, then go all the way up, I find that I'm relaxing and using a lot of triceps. I find it harder doing more of a partial rep.
Shrug ///
I lean forward slightly, especially on the bottom portion of the rep, just to take pressure off the spine and put it a little bit on the erectors (the muscles around the spine). I find it a little bit safer and I may be able to get a slightly fuller range of motion, as well. Your grip might start to weaken during shrugs, even if you're wearing wraps. That's normal. Keep punching through this; dig deep and it all just comes down to how bad you want it.
I use gloves and straps, instead of wrist wraps. I find that shrugs, on the barbell or dumbbell, just totally rip my hands apart. It hurts my hands more than it hurts my traps. Must be getting soft in my old age!
Dynamic Transformation Tips
Stretch ///
I don't always stretch between shoulder press sets. Sometimes I do, if I'm feeling a little tight. I stretch to make sure I'm improving the elasticity of the muscle, the muscle fibers and the muscle fascia. If you have tight shoulders, I recommend you stretch between every set.
Mental Stretch ///
While stretching, I focus on the physical aspect of what I am about to go through. I use this time to mentally focus on the workout and get rid of anything that might block my mind: work issues, relationship issues, whatever it may be.
You will experience mental fatigue, but will also incur a lot of physical and cardiovascular fatigue. You are not used to high reps with such high intensity. You're going to gasp on some oxygen. I recommend you hit a lot of cardio with CKT to prepare your whole body.
Adjustments ///
If you don't reach failure in 40 repetitions on the first set, you didn't use a heavy enough weight. If you haven't done an exercise recently, or ever, or with CKT, it may be hard to gauge. Wherever you start, count it as a set. Adjust the weight for the second set so you always reach failure.
Make sure that you lift smart! If you choose a weight that's too heavy, don't hesitate to rest/pause. Rack the weight, rest for about 5 seconds, and continue lifting. Make sure you've recovered enough energy to continue the set. Always hit the target number of reps, even if you have to rest/pause.
Never Break ///
Around sets 8, 9 and 10, fatigue starts to sneak in. It is easy to take a longer rest period or pick a lighter weight, but you have to dig deep. Remember, if you want to attain a physique that others deem unnatural, you gotta do things in the gym that are unnatural. Select a heavier weight, keep the rest times down and dig deep and get it done. You'll feel better for it in the end because you'll achieve something that no one else does.
Take your post-workout shake, rest and recover.
