Shoulder Specialization: The Ultimate Guide To Build Your Shoulders
Proportion is one of the most important things when it comes to aesthetics and there’s no better way to improve your proportion by improving your Shoulder to Waist ratio.
While running a balanced program will result in shoulder development, not everyone is blessed with genetics that respond to training in the same way.
For some of us, shoulders might be a difficult muscle group to grow.
If you feel that your shoulders are lagging and are stopping you from looking your best, here’s a shoulder specialization routine for you.
Before we begin, let me clarify that is just a sample routine and you are free to make changes to it.
The last thing I want is for you to think that there is a specific magic program that will change your program overnight.
That said, run this consistently and apply the principles mentioned here and I’m sure you’ll make some great progress.
Also, this is educational content and should not be confused for medical advice.
Please consult a medical practitioner before starting a new exercise regimen.
Now that we have that out of our way, let’s begin.
Should You Run A Shoulder Specialization Routine?
Wide and rounded shoulders look great.
Period.
One of the most important things to take a skinny or skinny-fat physique to a lean, fit and aesthetic physique is great shoulder development.
As I mentioned above, you can develop your shoulders just running a well-balanced program.
But the problem is that building great shoulders isn’t the easiest thing to do.
Especially if you’re natural.
This means that you can’t just get away with performing sets and sets of shoulder work expecting you to get the same response as someone on the “Special Stuff” would get!
Thus, if you’re someone who is chasing the aesthetic proportion, or if you just feel that your shoulders are lagging, running this routine can be a good idea.
On the other hand, if you don’t want wide(r) shoulders, running this routine wouldn’t be the best option for you!
Why Is This Routine Different?
This routine is different because it allows you to individualize it to your needs.
I don’t believe that everyone responds the same way to the same movements.
Instead of throwing a set of exercises with a fixed set and rep scheme at you, this article will give you a breakdown of what you need to do to make the given workout structure work for you.
Simply put, it will allow you to have flexibility with customization of the routine which will allow you to make the best progress you can make.
What Level Of Experience Do You Need To Run This Routine?
Instead of telling you who can run this routine, I’ll tell you who can’t.
If you’re a total beginner, don’t run this routine.
I recommend you to spend at least 4-6 months on a balanced protocol before you even think of considering specializing a muscle group.
Why I say this is because of two things:
1. As a beginner, you can make great progress for your entire body.
Running a protocol with majority of the volume focused on such a small muscle group will not be the best return on your investment.
Also, you can’t really say that a muscle group is lagging if you haven’t even spent enough time trying to build it.
2. I want you to have great form on the exercises you perform in this protocol.
If you’re running this protocol but you still don’t know to perform the movements properly, you’ll end up disappointed as you won’t get much out of it.
This is why I feel having at least a few months of experience is necessary if you want to get the best results on this routine.
On the other hand, if you’re an advanced lifter, don’t run this routine.
This means that if you’re someone who’s been training consistently and progressively for a couple of years and you know that you’ve already gained majority of the muscle you can gain naturally, I don’t think you’ll get much out of running this routine.
If you’re anyone who falls outside these two categories, you could give this protocol a shot.
Novices and early intermediates in specific can make good use of this routine.
How Long Can You Run This Routine For?
Honestly, you could run this for as long as you can progress on it.
Do I recommend doing that?
Not really.
I feel that focusing more on a specific muscle group for a very long period of time as a novice or intermediate lifter isn’t the best idea.
Again, the choice is always yours, but I think you would be better off running this how a specialization phase should be run instead of making it your base program if you want to build a balanced physique in the long run.
But I know you want numbers.
So here they are;
At the minimum, run this protocol for 8 weeks.
12 weeks is what I’d recommend for this phase.
Again, this is generalized.
That said, I don’t feel you’ll get much out of running this for less than 8 weeks, since building muscle is a very slow progress.
On the other hand, you can run this for longer than 12 weeks if you feel your shoulders are very lagging.
Fat Loss Or Gaining Phase?
You can use this routine in both, a fat loss phase and a gaining phase.
If possible, I’d recommend using it in a gaining phase.
Learn how to set up your nutrition for gaining muscle without excess fat here.
This will ensure that you’re putting your body in the best place to put on muscle and that you’re not leaving any gains on the table because of the downsides commonly associated with dieting.
That said, if you’re running a well set up fat loss phase that isn’t too aggressive, I don’t see anything wrong with running this routine.
Here is how you can set up your nutrition for a fat loss phase.
Just that you’ll have to accept the slower progress and adjust your expectations accordingly.
If you are on a long cut, it can be a good idea to take a 12-week break and run this protocol at maintenance calories if you have lagging shoulders.
Not only will this give you a mental break, but it will also help you bring up the shoulders a little bit.
The Routine
Okay, things are getting real.
This is the workout structure you will be running for this specialization phase.
Keep in mind that I have written down a SAMPLE set and rep scheme and that I want you to go through the rest of this article before you adopt these guidelines.
You can select the exercises you want to perform from the Exercise Selection section below.
Here is the routine.
Exercise Selection
This is where the routine comes together.
Here, I will list down some of the best exercises for you to choose from.
Not everyone responds the same way to the same exercise and this is exactly why this section of the article is so important.
Keep in mind that you are not limited to these exercises.
Any exercise that fits the guidelines can be used.
I repeat, you do NOT have to perform all of the exercises listed.
You have to choose one that suits you the best for each category and get stronger on that through the course of the routine.
I would recommend you select the exercise and re-write the routine with your exercise selection one you’re done!
Workout A:
Vertical Push - Overhead Press, Seated Dumbbell Press
Vertical Pull - Weighted Pull-Ups, Weighted Chin-Ups, Lat Pulldown
Incline Push - Incline Bench Press, Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, Incline Press Machine
Bicep - Barbell Curl, EZ Bar Curl, Dumbbell Curl
Tricep (preferably long head emphasis) - Overhead Extension, Skull-crusher
Lateral Delts - Lateral Raises, Cable Lateral Raises
Rear Delts - Bent Over Fly, Reverse Fly Machine, Facepulls
Workout B:
Squat Pattern - Squats, Front Squats, Leg Press, Hack Squat
Deadlift Pattern - Conventional Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift (up the rep range if you use this one)
Calves Seated Variation - Seated Calf Raise Machine, Smith Machine Seated Calf Raise
Lateral Delts - Lateral Raises, Cable Lateral Raises
Rear Delts - Bent Over Fly, Reverse Fly Machine, Facepulls
Workout C:
Horizontal Push - Flat Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Flat Machine Press
Horizontal Pull - Barbell Row, Dumbbell Row, Seated Cable Row, Chest Supported Row
Vertical Push - Overhead Press, Seated Dumbbell Press, Arnold Press, Standing Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Press
Chest Fly Variation - Dumbbell Fly, Cable Fly, Pec Dec Machine (Machine Fly)
Bicep - Barbell Curl, EZ Bar Curl, Dumbbell Curl, Incline Dumbbell Curl, Cable Rope Curl
Lateral Delts - Lateral Raises, Cable Lateral Raises
Rear Delts - Bent Over Fly, Reverse Fly Machine, Facepulls
Workout D:
Single-Leg Pattern - Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, Reverse Lunge, Single-Leg Leg Press
Hip Thrust Pattern - Barbell Hip Thrust, Machine Hip Thrust, Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Calves Standing Variation - Standing Calf Raise Machine, Single Leg Standing Calf Raise
Volume
If you’re coming from a high volume training background, this volume might seem low to you.
You’ll always have one person who’ll scream out that they could probably fit all this in 2 sessions instead of 4 and still have 5 more days left to train in the week.
Don’t be that person.
I have set up this routine in a way that’ll allow you to feel recovered and get stronger.
This won’t be a ‘shoulder’ specialization routine if you keep adding set after set of muscle groups you feel aren’t getting sufficient volume.
That said, if you really want to add a set or two to exercises (since individual responses to volume can vary because of various factors, training age being one), feel free to do so.
That said, I think you should run this protocol for at least 4 weeks before adding anything to it.
Isn’t The Lower Body Volume Too Low?
While the lower body volume is low, I still think it is sufficient enough to allow you to make some progress.
The volume for the lower body is on the lower end is because it will help us focus more on what really matters for this block, and that is bringing up those shoulders.
You can add more lower body work if you feel you need it, but keep in mind that adding more will tap into your recovery reserves.
I’d suggest you run this as it is, but again, I leave the final decision up to you.
Isn’t The Upper Body Volume Too Low?
The routine has more pushing volume when compared to pulling volume.
Any guesses why?
(Hint: It has something to do with growing lagging shoulders!)
Well, it’s because we want to bring up your shoulders and thus focusing on pressing exercises will be a key for this block.
I hope the hint didn’t give it away!
“But doesn’t performing such little volume for the back and so much volume for the chest leave you with an imbalanced physique?”
It does, if this is all you run for the rest of your life.
No, but seriously, if you are running this for a 12-week block, you don’t need to worry.
If anything, the extra volume will help you bring up your lagging shoulders and make your physique look more balanced.
Intensity
We will gauge intensity in terms of proximity to failure.
To keep it very simple, I want you to train 1-2 reps shy of failure.
This would mean an RPE of 8-9 or 1-2 RIR.
If you’re new to these terms, RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion and RIR stands for Reps In Reserve.
Basically, if you can pick up a weight and perform it for 10 reps, I want you to perform 8-9.
If you can perform 12, I want you to perform 10-11.
What about going to failure?
Is it wrong to take a weight you can do 12 reps with and actually do 12 reps?
This is a very debatable question but, in short, you don’t need to train to failure to maximize hypertrophy.
The world isn’t going to end if you end up training to failure, but you will increase the amount of fatigue the exercise generates and you won’t be getting anything more in return in terms of hypertrophy.
This is why it’s best to perform your sets 1-2 reps shy of failure.
That said, going to failure on smaller exercises is okay every now and then.
What about going beyond failure?
What about using techniques like Rest-Pause and Drop-Sets?
I’m not going to say that they’re useless, but for the sake of this routine, I don’t want you to use them.
As I have mentioned previously in this article, don’t distract yourself with all the other things.
Focus on what matters.
Rep Ranges
I hope we all know that ‘light weights for cutting and heavy weights for gaining mass’ is nothing but a myth.
Other than that, we have been relying on very general guidelines for the past few years which look something like this
1 to 5 reps - Strength
6 to 12 reps - Hypertrophy
15 + reps - Endurance
While these do make sense as a general recommendation, the current literature shows that there is more to it.
In fact, you could get the same hypertrophy from 5 rep sets and 30 rep sets.
How?
By matching effort.
Remember we spoke about proximity to failure in the intensity section?
So, if you train at an RIR of 1 in a 30 rep set and an RIR of 1 in a 5 rep set, there is a high chance of you ending up building the same amount of muscle.
So why do we still abide by those guidelines?
Well, it is simply because gauging proximity to failure becomes difficult when you’re performing higher rep sets.
For example, if you’re performing a 5 rep set with your 5 Rep Max, you’ll be much better at gauging your proximity to failure than when you’re performing a 30 rep set with your 30 rep max.
The high rep set will cause a burn and will also induce more cardiovascular fatigue, all in all, leading you to think that you’ll fail a lot earlier than you actually would.
We all know that feeling when we ‘think’ we’ll fail at the next rep but end up getting 4-5 more in a high rep set.
On the other hand, performing very low reps would not give enough time under tension to optimize hypertrophy.
These nuisances make us end up recommending setting up the majority of your training in the 5-15 rep range.
That said, the point of this is to tell you that the rep range will not make a big difference when effort is matched.
So if you feel that a given movement feels better with 10 reps instead of 5, feel free to switch to that rep range.
If you want to do 6 reps instead of 15 for a given movement, feel free to do so.
As long as you’re training close to failure and progressing, you will make great gains!
Rest Times
Short rest periods are a thing of the past.
Ok, that’s way too generalized, but seriously, if you want to get stronger and build muscle in the most optimal way possible, I recommend you taking rest of at least 2-3 minutes between sets.
Research has shown that longer rest periods are better and cutting short on your rest periods will only lead to you performing sub-optimally in the following sets.
You can use a shorter rest period of 90-120 seconds for accessory movements like lateral delts, rear delts, arms and calves.
Progression Model
The progression model for this routine will be fairly simple.
You move to a heavier weight once you hit the upper end of the rep range on all sets.
For example, here’s how you would progress on Lateral Raises (3 sets of 10-15 reps).
Workout 1 - 7.5 kgs x 15, 14, 12
Workout 2 - 7.5 kgs x 15, 15, 13
Workout 3 - 7.5 kgs x 15, 15, 15
Workout 4 - 10 kgs x 13, 12, 10
Once you are able to perform 3 sets of 15 reps with 10kgs in this example, you would move to 12.5 kgs.
You can apply this progression model to every exercise in this routine.
That said, I want you to prioritize good form over aggressive progression.
There is no use adding reps if your form is deteriorating.
Perform the movement properly and let the progress come to you.
Also, if you want to use any other form of progression, feel free to do so.
As long as you are getting stronger, it won’t make a big difference.
Deloads
Deloading can have an entire article for itself but we’ll keep it simple here.
Don’t be that person who says that deloads are ‘too easy’ and a ‘waste of time’.
If you’re training hard, deloads are almost necessary.
While when and how you should deload will differ from person to person, here’s a good starting point if you have never done it before.
First, let’s talk about the frequency of deloads.
I’d recommend taking a deload every 4-6 weeks.
This obviously depends on how you recover and whether or not you’re in a fat loss phase.
As for training during your deload week, I recommend cutting a set and training at the lower rep of the rep range.
Here’s an example!
If your pressing target is 3 sets of 5 - 8 reps and you are repping out the following:
17.5 kgs x 8, 6, 5
For your deload, you would perform;
17.5 kgs x 5, 5
Again, I know this might feel ‘too easy’ but if you want to be making the best progress, taking deloads is important.
Resist the urge to go all out every session and take the deloads as recommended (unless you follow another deloading pattern that is already working for you!).
Alternate Variations
Movement Focused Lower Body Days
In this version, workout A and C stay the same.
The exercises are shuffled between workout B and D.
If you’re someone who wants to focus on bringing up your deadlift, or if you just don’t like deadlifting after squatting, you can use the following set up.
Day 2 - Workout B
Squat Pattern
Hip Thrust Pattern
Calves Seated Variation
Lateral Delts
Rear Delts
Day 3 - Workout D
Deadlift Pattern
Single Leg Pattern
Calves Standing Variation
Everything else remains the same so if you think you’d prefer running this variation, feel free to do so.
3 Day A Week
If you don’t care about optimizing Lower Body growth with a higher frequency, this a great variation to run.
It has almost similar volume but adds another rest day to enhance recovery.
Here’s what it’ll look like:
Day 1 - Workout A
Day 2 - Rest
Day 3 - Leg Workout
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Workout C
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - Rest
Here’s the Leg Workout you can use if you’re running this variation;
Squat Pattern / 3 sets / 5 - 8 reps
Deadlift Pattern / 3 sets / 5 - 8 reps
Leg Extension / 3 sets / 8 - 12 reps
Leg Curl / 3 sets / 8 - 12 reps
Calves Variation / 3 sets / 10 - 15 reps
Lateral Delts / 3 sets / 10 - 15 reps
Rear Delts / 3 sets / 10 - 15 reps
If you don’t want to do Leg Extensions or Leg Curls, replace them with a quad and hamstring movement of your choice.
Also, if you really want more calf volume, throw in some Single Leg Calf Raises on one of your rest days at home.
FAQs
Why Is A Tricep Movement Missing From Workout C?
By now, I’m sure you know that this program is very pressing dominant.
Your triceps are one of the primary movers in all the presses, which means they’ll be getting sufficient volume multiple times a week.
That said, I feel all naturals should have at least some direct arm work in their programming, which is why we have 3 sets of direct tricep work in Workout A.
This is exactly why we aren’t doing more direct tricep work in Workout C.
That said, if you really feel your triceps need more volume, you can add 2-3 sets of tricep work in Workout C (preferably focusing on the lateral head).
But please be honest to yourself about whether or not this is the case.
I don’t want you to randomly add in more tricep work just because you want bigger arms.
Stay focused on the goal of this block - Shoulder Specialization.
Why Are There No Front Raises?
All the pressing provides more than enough stimulation to the front delts.
This is why we won’t be doing any additional anterior delt work in this routine.
Why Are There Lateral Raises In Workout B?
The lateral delts and rear delts are very small muscles and are what will give you the complete roundness in your shoulders.
They will also recover faster than larger muscles and this means that you can train them with high volume and high frequency without your entire body taking a beating.
Since they can be trained more frequently, we’ll be training the lateral and rear delts in the 8-12 rep range in Workout A and C and we’ll train them in the 10-15 rep range in Workout B (the weight will be lower in Workout B).
When Do I Train Abs?
You can train abs 2x a week with 3-6 sets a session either on your lower body days or on your rest days.
With ab training, our focus remains the same;
Getting stronger.
For this purpose, I’ll recommend something like the Standing Cable Crunch which can be loaded easily.
Not only this, but it’ll also help you strengthen your core in the standing position, which is what you’ll be using if you’re performing the Overhead Press.
That said, this is just a recommendation.
You can select the exercises that work best for you.
As long as you are getting stronger on them, you’re good.
Can I Add More Exercises?
I wouldn’t recommend you do that.
As I said, doing more will tap into your recovery and distract you from the real reason you’re performing this block.
If you want to bring up lagging shoulders, stop doing random things and focus on what matters.
But again, if you really think you need more volume for a certain part, it is completely up to you.
Conclusion
Pat yourself on the back if you went through everything and made it to the end.
Now that you know what you need to do, it’s time to get to work.
The most important thing will be to keep realistic expectations.
As a natural athlete, results will take time.
Especially when you’re trying to bring up such a small and stubborn muscle group.
Put in the work and make sure you know when it’s time to pull back.
Feel free to use this routine 1-2 times a year till you reach a point where you feel your shoulders are proportional to the rest of your body.
Make sure your nutrition is in check and that you’re eating sufficient protein and carbs to make sure you get the best progress possible.
Good luck!
If there’s anything else you want to know, feel free to drop a comment below.
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*This is educational content and should not be confused for medical advice.
*Please consult a medical practitioner before starting a new exercise regimen.
