need suggestions for shoulder and arm routine.

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

hey guys. im just wondering what i can do to make my shoulders "come out" more. as they sit now, i look bulky and powerful...and im not downing that...i just have a problem with the "flat" look. i want my delts to look like cannon balls,rather than a flat plane.

as of right now, my delt routine look like this
EOW, i change my routine between to different ones.

over head barbell presses
2X15-warmup sets
3X6-10 working sets(heavy)

Dumbell front raises
3X6-10(heavy)

dumbell side raises
3x6-10

bent over rear delt raises
3X6-10

the other routine
hammer strength front delt presses
2x10-12 warmup
3x6-10 working sets (heavy)

i forget the name of the exercise,but i take a weighted barbell,focus on my center delt doin the work,and pull the bar up to just above my chin while keeping the bar as close to my body as possible.
2X10 warmup sets(shoulder keeps giving my trouble...poping and grinding)
3X6-10

cable rows
2x10 warmup
3X6-10

i try to keep switching back and forth so i dont let my body get used to what im doing.i just started doing that about a month ago and i can tell a good difference.
thing is, i dont know if im doin anything wrong or not. i just dont see what im looking for. also,i hate the look of me center and front delts overshadowing my rear delt. to everybody else, it looks the same,but i guess i just pay more attention.


now on to the arms.
as of right now my arms measure in at 18-3/4". maybe its cause its me looking at me...but they just dont seem...well..big at all. my nick name at college is RPG,so i guess im doin something right..i just dont see it. id think it would SHOW a lil more. but maybe, its cause ive tried so hard to keep everything in balance, there isnt really one pose that makes my arms seem any bigger than any other pose.

my am routine

bi's
alternating dumbell curls
2x15 warmup
3x6-10

preacher curls,fully extended
3x6-10
(EOW i replace above with concentration curls)
3x6-10

preacher hammer curls
3x6-10

(EOW i replace above with drop sets)
3 sets of 3 drops
15-12-10 and there is no rest between drops. just stop,and move the pin and keep goin

on all bicep workouts, i try to keep my wrist's held back, so it will keep my bi's doin the work

Tri's
V-bar cable tri extension(eow i use the rope,instead)
3x6-10

straight bar cable extensions(eow-skull crushers)
3X6-10

straight bar reverse grip extension(eow i use the d-handles and do one arm at a time)
3x6-10

what do yall think im doin wrong here? or is it just me expecting too much?

[limo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close limo]

For shoulders your hitting all the exercises, try lowering the weights and upping the reps to shock them, for biceps how about some ez bar curls instead of the Db curls, or add in some high intensity laying curls where you lay on your back under the cable machine reach up and grab the bar curl down towards your head, try those for 12 to 15 reps 3 sets.......Triceps how about some 21's every now and then (where you grab the bar like your doing pushdowns and go halfway stop, back to the top, back to halfway and repeat 7 times then from halfway to bottom and back to halfway stop and go back to bottom 7 times then 7 full reps, no resting all one motion until you complete the 21 reps do 3 sets of those) and switch up on your reps don't go heavy all the time try upping the reps to 12 to 15 to stimulate the fast twitch fibers and shock em into new growth

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

i will deffinatly try that. also,what can i do for deep shoulder and elbow pain?
i know its from heavy lifting and arthritus.....but im just wondering if anybody has found something to ease the pain without pills.

my cable press downs, i usally go up to 305lbs with strict form....but thats only with the v-bar and the straight bar. my wrist hurt too much to do anything heavier than 200-220lbs with the reverse grip.

but ive droped those weights down about 50-70lbs here latley,cause on the elbow pain.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

Are you doing all of these exercises in one session?

[Dbolli Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dbolli]

lots of push-up and weighted arm circles, just be sure to use a really lite weight w/ high reps.

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

Are you doing all of these exercises in one session?

just so i can understand more of what your asking....what do you mean?

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

For shoulders your hitting all the exercises, try lowering the weights and upping the reps to shock them, for biceps how about some ez bar curls instead of the Db curls, or add in some high intensity laying curls where you lay on your back under the cable machine reach up and grab the bar curl down towards your head, try those for 12 to 15 reps 3 sets.......Triceps how about some 21's every now and then (where you grab the bar like your doing pushdowns and go halfway stop, back to the top, back to halfway and repeat 7 times then from halfway to bottom and back to halfway stop and go back to bottom 7 times then 7 full reps, no resting all one motion until you complete the 21 reps do 3 sets of those) and switch up on your reps don't go heavy all the time try upping the reps to 12 to 15 to stimulate the fast twitch fibers and shock em into new growth

i tried the 21's with my tri's....and all i gotta say is HOLY SHIT. i havent had that great of a pump in a long while. i dont know why i never thought of that before. that was an awesome tip. i lowered the weight to finish off at 200lbs. that was all i could do.lol

now, i remembered to do the EZ-bar curls. that was good too. i havent done those since high school,as sad as it sounds. i used to use the ez bar for my bi's, but i started training with an old timer that would always dril in to use the db's instead. i woulda tried that other thing,but i forgot about it. over all...my arms felt massive when i was done. thankyou for your help man.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

just so i can understand more of what your asking....what do you mean?

I mean are doing all the exercises listed at one workout? Unless im mis-understanding what you posted,that seems like a lot to do all at one workout.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

If im reading right,your pain and growth plateau may be fixed with something as simple as laying off for a little while.Maybe taking a week off and then just getting back into it slowly.Starting out again with a lot lighter,more controlled movements with less sets.From your post you're doing 15 sets for your delts.Thats quite a bit.Legs and back would suit this well but for shoulders IMO,its a little high.Especially if you're hurting while lifting.

I know it sucks to go backwards in training,but sometimes thats exactly what you need to to fix things.

Good luck with it brother.Keep us posted.

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

If im reading right,your pain and growth plateau may be fixed with something as simple as laying off for a little while.Maybe taking a week off and then just getting back into it slowly.Starting out again with a lot lighter,more controlled movements with less sets.From your post you're doing 15 sets for your delts.Thats quite a bit.Legs and back would suit this well but for shoulders IMO,its a little high.Especially if you're hurting while lifting.

I know it sucks to go backwards in training,but sometimes thats exactly what you need to to fix things.


Good luck with it brother.Keep us posted.

every 3 months, i take a week off. then come back and start out kinda slow,but by the next week after coming back, im right back to lifting heavy. as far as the amount of sets, sorry. that was a mistype on my part. i do 9 sets for my delts.
i will keep yall posted. i "just" came back from a break about 1-1/2 months ago. i got a lil bit before another break.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

At the very least then,just cut down on the amount of sets and weight you're using.If you're injured brother,then better to go light now then not at all if the injury worsens.

Oh yeah,and I believe the exercise you were talking about is called the upright row.


"i forget the name of the exercise,but i take a weighted barbell,focus on my center delt doin the work,and pull the bar up to just above my chin while keeping the bar as close to my body as possible."

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

yeah, it is.lol i was still kinda out of it when i typed this up.

as far as the shoulders go, its not really a current injury. its more of, i messed them up a while back(when i was 15 or so),so from time to time,they hurt like hell,no matter what i do. sometimes,just layin there hurts. idk if im really using the right words to describe what im talkin about.lol

as far as lowering the sets and stuff....can you give me a detailed plan?

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

Im just saying to cut your sets down to say 4-6 but up reps and drop the wieght.More of a defining type workout.You can do 3 different exercises for 2 sets each but using lighter wt and higher reps.You can also add some drop sets in there to really get a good pump.Not on every exercise at every workout,but say one exercise one workout and skip them for the next.

Try this for a while just to see if it helps.It may be just the thing you need to come back stronger in the near future.

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

Another thing you can try is giant circuit workout.This consists of moving between 4-5 different circuit machines with no rest between exercises.Do one set of max reps for each until you get to the last exercise.Rest for about 30 seconds and go thru it again.You can do this 2-3 times for a great workout with a fantastic pump.You'll still be using lighter weight so it will help with your pain.

[chevy355s10 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chevy355s10]

alright,,cool man. ill try that and let you know how it works for me. thankyou for your help.