How is it Possible to do Shoulders?

[u418936]

I've always wanted to incorporate a shoulder routine into my workout, but my shoulders are usually too sore to do anything. I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm overtraining my shoulders even though I rarely devote any specific sets to them.

My training schedule is pretty loose--if I feel good, I lift a lot, but if I'm sore and tired, I take time off. Typically, I do 12-16 sets of chest on day 1, 12-16 sets of back on day 3, and biceps/triceps on day 5. Then, I rest until I feel good enough to start the cycle again. Usually, this means that I do one body part per week. My main goal is to get strong, so I lift heavy and do a lot of low reps. I'd like to start doing shoulders on day 5 (or even on day 3), but they're almost always too sore/tired from my chest and back routines.

I'm not sure what I should do. My shoulders are pretty strong--I can can do 8 reps of 185 on a military press pretty easily--but I'd like to devote 8-12 sets per week to them. Should I ease up on my chest and back routines so that I can do shoulders? Am I getting a good enough shoulder workout from incline bench presses and my back workout? I'd appreciate any help here.

 

[future]

What is your current split like?

 

[u418936]

What is your current split like?

It's something like

Monday: Chest
Wednesday: Back
Friday: Biceps/Triceps

The day I start the split depends on how sore I am. I'm a pretty novice lifter, but it seems like the soreness or weakness in the smaller muscle groups (biceps, triceps, shoulders) impede my progress in the larger muscle groups. My shoulders seem to get extra-sore, because I use them in both my Monday and Wednesday workouts.

 

[al420]

You don't train legs or do you do them on all the other days?

 

[future]

Do shoulders with chest. About 8 total sets. Do a pressing exercise then an isolation like laterals. Rep range can vary from 8-30 reps.

 

[Protobuilder]

I'd start off by revamping your 'routine.' At least go to an upper/lower plan, and one upper day, start off w/ heavy push presses followed by some lighter high-rep backoff sets. The next upper day, work on a bench variation.

I'd drop the "bodypart" stuff.

 

[al420]

You don't train legs or do you do them on all the other days?

 

[u418936]

You don't train legs or do you do them on all the other days?

I do quads and hamstrings once a week, but I don't go heavy. My legs are pretty big, and I don't want them to get any bigger. If I do squats and deadlifts regularly, my legs and butt get really big really fast. My wife hates it, and I hate it when baggy-style jeans look tight on me.

 

[Cynical Simian]

No real leg training, basing your training on how sore you feel, hitting each bodypart once per week...looks like you're good to go.

 

[al420]

No real leg training, basing your training on how sore you feel, hitting each bodypart once per week...looks like you're good to go.

Exactly - sounds top-notch to me as well.

May switch mine up now.

 

[blut wump]

Maybe legs are pencilled in for next year. Hey, u, take a look at this site:
http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/table_of_contents_thread.htm

It'll save you a lot of ongoing frustration with your programming and development. You should probably start with all of the sections labelled "Training Primer". You could do worse than take up the intermediate 5x5 but that's up to you. I strongly recommend doing some reading there, though.

 

[u418936]

No real leg training

Would training my legs make my shoulders less sore? LOL.

basing your training on how sore you feel

Is it productive to go into the gym and lift with ~70 to 80% of the weight that you did in your previous workout because you're sore and your muscles are fatigued? So you're both lifting with less intensity and risking injury. Sounds great to me! LOL.

hitting each bodypart once per week...looks like you're good to go.

Learn to read. I said I re-start my split when I'm done being sore. But what does this have to do with my shoulders being sore?

 

[blut wump]

The answers to these questions, and more, are linked to from the site I referred to earlier.

 

[Rabid_Goose]

Do you think you pulled something? Because if you are that sore, you should either just be getting BACK into lifting after a long break, or just started doing new lifts. I stopped being sore after my first week or so. Muscles should have adapted to the exercises by now. At least from all I've read, that is how it works.

Oh, stretch. Maybe that is your problem, you're coming into the gym, no stretches and automatically started at 80-90% of your 1RM. Do warm up set or two with 30-50% of your 1RM. Loosen those muscles up.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

16 sets for chest? Hope you are using a lot of juice to recover from that...

 

[ZGzaZ]

I've always wanted to incorporate a shoulder routine into my workout, but my shoulders are usually too sore to do anything. I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm overtraining my shoulders even though I rarely devote any specific sets to them.

My training schedule is pretty loose--if I feel good, I lift a lot, but if I'm sore and tired, I take time off. Typically, I do 12-16 sets of chest on day 1, 12-16 sets of back on day 3, and biceps/triceps on day 5. Then, I rest until I feel good enough to start the cycle again. Usually, this means that I do one body part per week. My main goal is to get strong, so I lift heavy and do a lot of low reps. I'd like to start doing shoulders on day 5 (or even on day 3), but they're almost always too sore/tired from my chest and back routines.

I'm not sure what I should do. My shoulders are pretty strong--I can can do 8 reps of 185 on a military press pretty easily--but I'd like to devote 8-12 sets per week to them. Should I ease up on my chest and back routines so that I can do shoulders? Am I getting a good enough shoulder workout from incline bench presses and my back workout? I'd appreciate any help here.

How long have you been lifting? If it's anymore than 2 weeks or so, your shoulders shouldn't be getting very sore as they should be getting used to what youre doing. You get sore when you do something your body doesn't recognize...

 

[get456]

No real leg training, basing your training on how sore you feel, hitting each bodypart once per week...looks like you're good to go.

classic lol

 

[u418936]

How long have you been lifting? If it's anymore than 2 weeks or so, your shoulders shouldn't be getting very sore as they should be getting used to what youre doing. You get sore when you do something your body doesn't recognize...

After taking a hiatus for about two years, I've been lifting for two months. I lifted pretty regularly before that, though. Maybe I'm overtraining a bit. When I say I'm doing 16 sets of chest, though, I'm including warm-ups. If I only counted the challenging sets, it'd be more like 8-12 sets per body part. I also warm-up and stretch a lot.

My shoulders don't get super-sore. They just feel tight (and often fatigued), so I'm afraid to do any sets that focus on them.

 

[YoungIntricateMuscle]

then don't do any more sets for them........whats your diet look like? and what other activities do you do? if you jump rope or box then that is something that uses shoulders a lot.

 

[Tweakle]

I'll do 5 sets for chest, then 3-5 for shoulders & tris and that destroys me

never understood how people could do 16 sets, especially when most ppl do forced reps and buddy assists on ever workset.

legs are your friends. so is less work