slow and heavy shoulders

[andieje]

Hello

I have a question about the slow and heavy series. I love this series and I do it all the time. I do have a small gripe with the shoulder series in that I find that the overhead press and rear lifts require too much assistance from the triceps. If I do the shoulders workout the day after the tricep workout I really suffer on these exercises. I love front and side raises but i swap the rear lifts for seated rear lateral raises.

Can anyone suggest a different exercise I could do for rear shoulders and anterior shoulders that requires less help from the triceps?

Thanks very much
Andrea

 

[kathryn]

I think your substitution is a good one...especially since it's what I do myself!;-) Those rear "shoulder" lifts with straight arms really do call on the triceps a lot (in fact, I would consider it more a tricep exercise than a rear delt exercise, since one of the three functions of the triceps--in addition to straightening the arm from a bent position, and pronating the arm--is to lift the straight arm backwards).

Though I don't see how the triceps are worked that much during the front raises (isometrically??) I feel that specific anterior shoulder work often isn't necessary if you do heavy chest work, since the anterior shoulders work during chest presses as well (and I find that my posture is helped by avoiding doing too much "front" body work compared to "back" work). I usually do overhead presses--a shoulder exercise that calls on all three head-- instead of anterior raises.

If you want to try a variation on front raises, do them with your palms up. Jerry Robinson (of "Health for Life" and consultant on Kathy Smith's "Secrets of a Great Body" workouts, recommends doing them this way to remove any lateral delt involvement--though he also writes that front shoulder exercises are often superfluous).

 

[andieje]

HI Thanks for your reply

I think I have confused you though When I asked for substitute for the anterior shoulder exercise I meant a substitute for the overhead raises

Andrea