Shoulder workout from professional IFBB bikinist Amy Updike will give your muscles a beautiful shape and a spectacular full look by working in all planes!

Author: Heather Eastman, National Association for Strength and Functional Training Certified Personal Trainer (USA)

IFBB pro bikinist Amy Updike loves to perfect her body with targeted workouts that focus on muscle development and form.

“The shoulders are one of my favorite muscle groups,” says Updike. – I like to train on this program once a week. The workout develops the muscles and helps to give the shoulder girdle a more proportional, athletic and aesthetic shape. “

Start your workout by warm-up on two light exercises in the 20 rep range. Then increase your working weight and reduce the number of repetitions in the set to 12-15. Finish your workout with heavy doubles. This comprehensive shoulder workout will take you 45 minutes.

Shoulder workout

Warm-up: spreading arms to the sides and exercise “around the world”

Amy Updike points out that the shoulder joints are vulnerable to injury. The importance of a good warm-up cannot be overstated. In the first two exercises, you will warm up the muscles and the articular-ligamentous apparatus, using light weights for swings (arms) to the sides and exercises “around the world.”

In raising the arms to the sides, you need to do 2 sets of 20 repetitions. “When swinging to the sides, keep your back straight and your shoulders back,” Updike instructs. “You are working with light weight, so the technique must be flawless.”

In the second warm-up exercise, “around the world,” use a pancake as a weight. Do 2 sets of 10 rotations in each direction.

Performing each repetition, try to make amplitude rotational movements with your shoulders and elbows. “Try to twist the pancake around your head, not just roll it over your head,” Updike warns.

You are still warming up, so keep the weight low. Stretch between sets to increase joint mobility and prevent injury.

Seated Arnold Press

So you’ve warmed up, it’s time to move on to heavy exercise. Updike’s first choice is the classic shoulder exercise, the Arnold Press. “I love this movement because, as it is, it works the anterior and mid-deltoid muscles,” Updike explains. Indeed, the dynamic nature of the exercise with movement in several planes contributed to the widespread popularization of this variation of the bench press after Arnold Schwarzenegger made it famous.

In the starting position, you hold the dumbbells at chin level, arms parallel to each other, palms facing you. Move the dumbbells back by moving the shoulder joints. When your palms are facing forward, start pressing. Straighten your arms over your head, but do not “snap” your elbows at the top point (do not fully extend them). Use the same pattern in reverse order when returning to the starting position. Do 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

Raising a pancake in front of you

A great exercise to isolate the front deltas. To develop muscle mass, try increasing the time under load in the negative phase of the movement, that is, when lowering the pancake. Control the projectile, do not let it “fall”.

“I advise you to use a neutral hand position and lift the pancake to shoulder height, no higher,” Updike recommends. “If you start raising your arms above shoulder level, take some of the load off the target muscle.” Take a working weight that you can slowly raise and lower in 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

Dumbbell Dumbbell Breeding

With your mid and front delts in place, it’s time to target the back of your shoulder girdle. When doing this exercise, you need to bend forward, bending at the hip joints. The back should remain straight, it is advisable to bend the knees a little. In the starting position, the palms are facing each other, and when you lift the dumbbells, the palms are facing the ground.

“Do your best to bring your shoulder blades together at the top of each rep,” says Updike. Keep your back perfectly straight. Don’t try to swing your torso to help your shoulder muscles in 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

Vertical pull (pull to the chin)

The whole complex of muscles of the shoulder girdle has already been included in the work and reached its peak power, it is time to move on to heavy shells, in this case – to the barbell. Use an overhead grip with your arms close together. With the barbell row, lift your elbows up and out for each rep.

“Don’t sacrifice technique for more weight,” Updike warns.

Keep your back straight. Do not use jerks and inertia to pull the bar to the chin for 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

Raising arms to the sides: drop set

Your strength is almost running out. In the final exercise, you will do double drop sets. With each working weight, you only need to complete 7 reps, so don’t be afraid to grab heavier shells.

“I love to end my shoulder workout with these double drop sets because I can feel them hitting the muscles and helping them develop,” Updike says. “Raising the arms to the sides is one of my favorite exercises for developing muscles, strengthening the definition, improving the athleticism and aesthetics of the shoulder girdle.”

When raising the arms, keep your back straight and your core tense. Do 7 reps with the heaviest pair of dumbbells, then grab the lighter weights and – without rest – do 7 more reps. Again, without rest, grab the lightest pair of dumbbells for the final 7 reps. Only after completing a double drop set can you catch your breath. Repeat the process from start to finish for each of the 4 sets.

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