There are two secrets to building cantaloupe-size shoulders like Vin Diesel’s. First, go slow and don’t hurt yourself (more on that below). Second, make sure you develop the deltoids evenly, giving the rear head as much love as the front, which you’re no doubt already pounding with pressing exercises. In eight weeks, you can correct any imbalance to get your shoulders worthy of a close-up.
HOW IT WORKS
Because the joints in the shoulder are very mobile, they’re more susceptible to injury than other body parts, especially when you’re pressing heavy weights. Warming up properly so that the shoulders are pumped and well-prepared for heavier training to come cuts down your risk of feeling something pop or strain. That’s why we want you to follow the warmup we’ve included before the real lifting begins. It’s also why we put traditional meat-and-potatoes muscle-building moves like the military press later in the workouts. Yes, the exercises you do beforehand might fatigue you and limit the weight you can use on these lifts, but you’ll make it up in short order as you adapt.
We’re also focusing on the rear delts, which you’ll hit early on in each session. Because you can’t see them in the mirror, the rear delts tend to be forgotten, and their lack of development can result in a lopsided, incomplete look. Prioritizing the delts and pumping them up with plenty of reps will bring them up to Diesel proportions fast.
DIRECTIONS
The program has two parts (Phase I and Phase II), each lasting four weeks. In both phases, you’ll train shoulders only one day per week, so you can complete your other training on separate days (allow a day before and after chest training). Perform the warmup before each workout.
