THE SHOULDERS: Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
THE EXERCISES IN THIS PART will help protect your shoulders from injury and ensure a strong, stable frame. So when it comes time to run a pick-androll, toss your kids in the air (for height or distance), or uproot a few saplings to make way for your new backyard putting green, you’ll have what it takes. But you'll also receive an extra benefit: muscles that will pump up nicely for display purposes.
THE REST OF YOUR WORKOUT
Do the shoulder exercises first in your workout. After that, it’s up to you how to fit in exercises for other muscle groups. Most important: Build strength and muscle size with equal effort on both sides of your body. Working the front and neglecting the back is a recipe for injury. Some suggestions:
BEGINNER
Do a total-body workout two or three times a week. After you finish your shoulder exercises, you can try one set of eight to 12 repetitions of the following exercises (except where noted):
- Lat pulldown
- Squat or leg press
- Leg curl
- Dumbbell chest press
- Cable or dumbbell row
- Cable triceps extension
- Dumbbell biceps curl
- Crunch (15–20 repetitions)
INTERMEDIATE
Divide your program into two workouts: one for the upper body, one for the lower. Alternate between the two workouts, taking a day off after each. So you would do the upper-body workout on Monday and Friday of one week and the lower-body workout on Wednesday, then the following week do the lower-body workout on Monday and Friday and the upper-body workout on Wednesday.
Upper-body workout After doing this shoulder program, choose one exercise each for chest, back, biceps, and triceps. Do two or three sets of the chest and back exercises and one or two sets of the arm exercises.
Lower-body workout Choose one “hipdominant” exercise, meaning that the main emphasis of the exercise is on the hamstrings and gluteals (examples: stepups and any variety of deadlift). Then choose one “knee-dominant” exercise, meaning the emphasis is on the quadriceps muscles the front of the thigh. (Squats, leg presses, and lunges qualify.) Do two or three warmup sets and two work sets of each. (Use heavier weights and do fewer repetitions in each warmup set. A work set means you’re using the most weight you can for that number of repetitions.) Add your choice of abdominal and calf exercises.
ADVANCED
Divide your workout into four parts. Do each once a week; don’t work out more than 2 days in a row.
- Shoulders and arms
- Knee-dominant exercises (described above), plus abs and calves
- Chest and back
- Hip-dominant exercises (also above), plus abs and calves again
