Arnold Schwarzenegger is often considered the king of bodybuilding, with an iconic physique that set the standard for what a bodybuilder should look like. One of his most striking features was his broad, powerful shoulders, which gave him a commanding presence on stage. If you’re looking to for a great shoulder workout and want to train like Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s important to understand the exercises and techniques that he used to achieve his impressive physique.
Firstly, it’s worth noting that Arnold’s shoulder training focused heavily on the overhead press, which he considered to be the foundation of shoulder development. He believed that the standing military press was the best exercise for building overall shoulder strength and size, and often performed it with a heavy barbell or dumbbells. Additionally, Arnold also incorporated variations of the overhead press, such as the seated dumbbell press and the push press, to target different areas of the shoulder muscles.
In addition to the overhead press, Arnold also utilized a variety of other shoulder exercises to build his impressive deltoids. This included movements like lateral raises, rear delt flyes, and upright rows, which helped to isolate and target different areas of the shoulders. It’s worth noting that Arnold also emphasized the importance of high-volume training, often performing multiple sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise to fully fatigue the muscle and stimulate growth. By incorporating these exercises into your own training regimen, you can begin to develop a set of broad, powerful shoulders that rival Arnold’s iconic physique.
Bringing out the shape and striations of the shoulder muscles is a big part of upper-body training, but first you need to make sure you have sufficient delt muscle mass. Here are three tips for adding massive size to the shoulders with a great shoulder workout and train like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Go Heavy
Working in the 8-12-rep range is generally the best way to add muscle mass to most body parts (the one exception being legs, which respond better to slightly higher reps). But I firmly believe that muscles, especially the deltoids, also need to be subjected to very heavy weight to grow to their potential – a weight at which you can do only 5-6 reps. Go ahead and do lateral raises in the 8-12 range (even 15-20), but I suggest doing overhead presses in the 5-6-rep range at least every other workout. It’s not that every set of presses has to be heavy; if you’re doing, say, 4-5 sets of seated barbell presses, you can do your first set or two for eight reps, but then make your last 2-3 sets heavier.
Get Creative With Your Presses
Most people vary their shoulder training only when it comes to lateral raises – they’ll do front-, middle- and rear-delt raises with dumbbells and cables, from different angles – but when it comes to presses, they mainly stick to barbells and dumbbells. There are many other versions of overhead presses that you should work into your delt routine, such as the Smith machine overhead press, Arnold press, both in-front-of-the-head and behind-the-neck overhead presses (using a barbell or a Smith machine) and standing overhead barbell or dumbbell presses (military press).
Utilize Rest-Pauses on Presses
As intensity techniques go, I think drop sets and supersets are great when doing front-, middle- and rear-delt raises if you’re planning to train like Arnold Schwarzenegger. On overhead presses, however, my favorite technique is the rest-pause. The reason behind this is with rest-pauses, you never have to lighten the load – you start with a heavy weight and stick with it for the whole set. To refresh, here’s how to perform rest-pauses: Pick a weight for a Smith machine overhead press with which you can do about six reps. Do a set of 4-5 reps, rest 15-20 seconds, and then do 2-3 more reps with that same weight. Rest another 15-20 seconds, then do another 2-3 reps. At that point, you’ll have done 8-11 reps with a weight with which you could normally do only six. These tips will help spark growth in your shoulders, so give them a try next time delt day rolls around. Follow your pressing moves with high-intensity laterals and you’ll have the best of both worlds: size and definition.
Shoulder Workout Routine
This workout emphasizes going heavy on your first two exercises, and it’s ideal for building massive delts.
- Smith Machine Overhead Press (4 sets of 5-6 reps*)
- Arnold Press (4 sets of 10,8,6,6 reps)
- Barbell Upright Row (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Superset With
- Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral Raise (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
On your last two sets, perform 2-3 rest-pauses.
In conclusion, building shoulder muscles that resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger’s takes time, dedication, and a combination of various exercises. Consistency in your training and diet is key, as well as progressively increasing the weight you lift and the intensity of your workouts. Remember to always prioritize proper form and technique to avoid injury.
While it may be challenging to train like Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the right mindset and commitment, it is possible to make significant progress towards your goal. Keep in mind that everyone’s body is unique, and your results may differ from others. Therefore, focus on your personal growth and improvement, and enjoy the journey towards building a stronger, healthier, and more confident version of yourself.
