Top 5 Exercises For Boulder Shoulders

Shoulder Exercises For Boulder Shoulders

Lateral raises and its many variations are good exercises for building the shoulders. But if you want boulder shoulders; those that look like you’re hiding bowling balls under your shirt, you have to press.

Pressing exercises place more resistance across the entire Shoulder girdle. They also allow you to lift more weight compared to laterals. There are many pressing variations for you to try but these are the 5 most effective ones to build your shoulders.

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Recent studies show that the single best exercise for the shoulders may be the Dumbbell Shoulder Press. First, it requires you to focus on stabilising the shoulders. This brings the smaller, surrounding muscles into play. Second, you can vary the angle of the press to specifically target weak areas of your shoulders. Third, you need to tighten up your core to stabilise your upper body. This means you get a good abdominal workout while building boulder shoulders.

Recommended Volume: 4 sets x 10 reps

2. Smith Machine Shoulder Press

The Shoulder Press is a proven exercise for adding size and strength to your shoulders. But the Smith Machine Shoulder Press is a more effective variation for 3 reasons. First, at the bottom position, your elbows are in line with your lat muscles instead of underneath the bar. This lessens the amount of shearing forces on the elbows which lead to injury. Second, there is constant tension throughout the rep. And third, you can lift more weight or do more reps because there are safety hooks to prevent accidents.

Recommended Volume: 4 sets x 6 reps

3. Landmine Press

Landmine Press is a unilateral exercise which means you work 1 shoulder at a time. This allows greater focus and better attention to form and technique. Similar to Standing Dumbbell Press, with Landmine Press you can change the angle of the exercise. Instead of pushing straight forward, you can follow a curved pathway to emphasize the lateral head of the shoulder more.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 10 reps

4. Bradford Press

Bradford Press was the creation of Jim Bradford, an Olympic weightlifting champion. For sure he had great shoulders because Bradford Press is a highly intense exercise. By switching from Front Presses to Behind the Neck Presses, your shoulders do not rest; it is always in a state of constant tension. This is an exercise which you should not use heavy weight and instead focus on putting in quality reps.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 10 reps

5. Cuban Press

Cuban Press is a unique exercise in that it directly hits the rotator cuff and the muscles around it. Most shoulder injuries occur because of strained rotator cuff, Cuban Press is one way to improve flexibility and stability around the area. Thus with this exercise, you should never use heavy weights. Cuban Press is best done after your entire shoulder workout where the muscles are fatigued but properly warmed up. Focus on executing each rep with deliberate and precise technique.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps

Since the shoulders are involved in many exercises, they can be worn out easily. The best approach would be to train your shoulders once a week.

Lead off your shoulder routine with either the Standing Dumbbell Press or Smith Machine Shoulder Press which are great for building strength. Then choose between Landmine Press and Bradford Press which are ideal for initiating hypertrophy. Include a lateral exercise for shaping then end the workout with Cuban Press.

Here are sample programs for you to consider:

Shoulder Routine “A”:

1. Smith Machine Shoulder Press – 4 sets x 6 reps
2. Landmine Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
3. Lateral Raise – 2 sets x 15 reps
4. Cuban Press – 2 sets x 10 reps

Shoulder Routine “B”:

1. Standing Dumbbell Press – 4 sets x 10 reps
2. Bradford Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
3. Face Pulls – 2 sets x 15 reps
4. Cuban Press – 2 sets x 10 reps

At the end of the shoulder workout, do static stretching to increase blood flow and start the recovery process.

Give this program a try for 6 to 8 weeks. You might find your shoulders stretching your shirts at the seams in no time!