Carry The World On Your Shoulders
This is the first of a new series of weekly posts by Kalvin C. Chinyere, M.D. (Dr. Kal). Along with being a Doctor of Medicine, he is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health and Fitness Instructor and personal trainer. To top it all off he was once a fat bastard, man boobs and all. Don’t believe me? Keep reading. Having been there and done that, he is now ready to unleash his years of knowledge upon us all.
And now back to our regularly scheduled post…
When it comes to upper body workouts, everyone is always focused on chest. Everyone wants big pecs. When I tell another guy that I lift weights the first question he asks is: How much do you bench? I always answer the question, but in my head I’m thinking: Who cares?
I spent most of my late teens and early twenties with “man boobs” big enough to fill a C cup. So, having a big chest is something I’m really not interested in. What I want are big shoulders.
If you lift weights to improve your physical appearance and you are a man, shoulders should be at the top of your list of muscles to build.
Broad Shoulders
When you put on your shirt, tie, and slacks, no one can see how big your chest, back, arms, or legs are. However, they can see how broad your shoulders are. So, unless you decide to start wearing really tight shirts, shoulders should be high on your priority list.
Broad shoulders tell a woman that you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, she is attracted to that. She is attracted because she believes that if she were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, you could save her. The truth is, if my woman were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, I would probably trip her as I run away.
Broad shoulders also tell a man you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, he fears and respects that. He fears and respects you because he believes if he were to fight you, he would lose. The truth is, if a man were to try and fight me, I would just pull out my Taser. Then all you would hear is: “Don’t tase me bro.”
Finally, broad shoulders are important because they make you appear thinner. How thin you look depends on your shoulder to waist ratio. The higher this ratio, the thinner and fitter you appear. So, if you can’t get your waist any smaller, focus on getting your shoulders broader.
How To Get Shoulders Like Boulders
My favorite shoulder exercises are:
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
- Lateral Raise: Lateral Deltoids
- Bent Over Lateral Raise: Rear Deltoids
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
A little note on the Barbell Shoulder Press/Military Press: Please do not “hit it from the back”. Meaning, do not attempt the variation where you allow the barbell to go behind your head. Doing this adds no benefit and can potentially damage your shoulders.
Now you are ready to carry the world on your shoulders, so go and do it.
Dr. Kal is weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
Considring that I am at the largest I have ever been at 280lbs I now have the incentive to get in shape again thanks for the post.
Cool, keep me updated with your progress.
Great post, and I’d have to agree about building up the shoulders. Broadening out the shoulders gives you that look that tapers down to the waist. I saw your bench press video the other day, and I think you wouldn’t have to tase me to win, bro 😉
Dr. Kal, you have a bench press video? Show me please.
I don’t have a bench press video. I think Jason may be refering to your video.
Dr. Kal- My mistake, Israel’s video it was. My bad 🙂
I thought maybe that’s what you meant. Dr. Kal can probably out bench me anyway.
Hey i am just starting to do weights how many reps should i be doing?????
Well, what exactly are you doing? What exercises?
Hey i am 14 and i really badly want broad shoulders do you have an routines for me plzzzz!!! thanks
G, be patient. At 14, you probably have not completed puberty yet. As you get older your testosterone and growth hormone levels will increase and your shoulders will naturally broaden. Once you are done with puberty, you can focus on maximizing your shoulder width with strength training. Ask this question again in 4 – 6 years.
hey i was just wandering if you could give me a workout routine to get broad shoulders
Check out my current workout routine at top.
Great list of shoulder workouts. Many people neglect their shoulders thinking that if they simply work on their back and pecs, they will be ok. Also, nice tip on not going behind the head.
Thanks Patrick, I love working shoulders.
Good luck. Shoulders really make a difference in alot of areas. Not only does it help your posture but in can directly affect your back/neck pain (if you have any) and also prevent headaches caused by stressed neck muscles.
im 17 and still have smaller shoulders. like 16 to 17 inches is all. what are some way i can broaden them??
Dr i went thru a operation when i was abt 3-4 yrs old as a result i have wing muscle imbalance.i started liftin weights n my right wing is bigger then the left one so wat kind of excersise do i do 2 increase the size of my left wing cos i m determined 2 make it big so pls pls give me some advice..and 1 last question will protein shakes balance out imbalaced muscles??jus wanna no tats all.
Thanks Doc
The 4 exercises you listed are all awesome exercises for the shoulder region – particularly the seated dumbbell shoulder press. I also like to do it while standing so it’s a lil more functional and I get more involvement from the core muscles.. Once again, great advise Dr.